Events
Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg: Jesse Middleton, General Partner, Flybridge
Bloomberg, Cornell Tech, and Tech:NYC invite you to join us for the latest installment of the Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg Speaker Series, featuring Jesse Middleton, General Partner at Flybridge, in conversation with Isabelle Lee, Cross-Asset Reporter with Bloomberg News.
Flybridge is an early-stage venture fund that backs ambitious founders building our AI future, and has invested in companies like MongoDB, FalconX, Nasuni, BitSight, Codecademy, Chief, and Zest AI – typically leading the seed rounds. Since joining Flybridge in 2016, Middleton has been instrumental in leading investments in companies such as Arcee, CarEdge, Chief, HiFi (acquired by Square), Imperfect Foods (acquired by Misfits Markets), Splice, and Teal. His investments focus on Full-Stack AI Native Applications, and he most recently created Next Wave NYC, a pre-seed fund that allows builders of iconic New York companies to back the next generation of founders in their community. Flybridge also recently released a founder-friendly, AI-powered investment memo generator.
Jesse spotted the remote work revolution over a decade before the COVID-19 pandemic. He has turned his prescient market insights into extraordinary returns for founders and investors alike. As an early WeWork executive who helped scale the company to 4,000 employees across multiple continents, and later as an angel investor with a 16x portfolio multiple on invested capital (MOIC), Jesse has consistently supported transformative companies reshaping how we work, collaborate, and build community.
We hope you’ll register for the opportunity to attend this engaging conversation, in which Middleton will share insights from his extensive experience in venture capital and startups, discuss his vision for the future of work, and explore navigating the evolving tech landscape and the role of community in fostering innovation.
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Agenda
5:30 PM – Networking reception begins
6:00 PM – Doors close, conversation starts
6:45 PM – Audience Q&A
7:00 PM – Networking and hors d’oeuvres to follow
7:45 PM – Food service ends
PLEASE NOTE: Seating is limited and registered attendees will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors close promptly at the top of the hour. Individuals arriving late may be turned away from the building. No walk-ins will be allowed.
Speaker Bio
Over the past decade, Jesse has invested in more than 50 companies, both as an angel investor and venture capitalist, laying the groundwork for the future of collaboration, communication, culture, and creativity. By strategically investing in and supporting companies that align with these themes, Jesse aims to contribute to the evolution of how we work and interact over the next decade and beyond.
During his time as an angel investor, he served as a key advisor to several early-stage technology startups, providing them with valuable guidance and support. Notable ventures included fitmob (acq. by ClassPass), inDinero, Jackpocket (acq. by DraftKings), Squire, and YourTrove (acq. by LiveNation).
Jesse became a General Partner at Flybridge in 2016 and has been an integral part of the last three funds, leading investments in companies like Arcee, CarEdge, Chief, HiFi (acquired by Square), Imperfect Foods (acquired by Misfits Markets), Splice, and Teal. His commitment to the startup ecosystem extends beyond his role at Flybridge. Jesse built and supported a community of thousands of founders in WeWork Labs. He most recently created Next Wave NYC, a pre-seed fund that allows builders of iconic New York companies to back the next generation of founders in their community.
Before Jesse leapt into the startup world, he led the technology group at LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN) and was a network security engineer for a number of Global 2000 public and private companies. His passion for technology started much earlier, in elementary school, when his third grade teacher offered an Apple II GS computer to him to tinker with, destroy, and ultimately put it back together.
Jesse has lived in NYC for more than 15 years.