Alexa Grabelle

Associate
Technology
US
Seed/Early

Alexa joined NEA in 2025 as an Associate on the Technology team, where she focuses on early-stage investments in AI applications, consumer tech, and fintech, among other areas. Previously, she was an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners, and prior to that she was on the growth team at ICONIQ. Alexa also was the founder of Bags of Books, a service organization that collected and donated gently-used children’s books.. Alexa graduated Summa Cum Laude from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where she received a B.S. in Economics and a minor in Creative Writing.

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What part of your personality / approach makes you well-suited for venture?

I’m wired to learn and synthesize information in a highly-structured way which makes venture a strong match for my personality. I've systematically compiled my digital "Second Brain" for more than a dozen years by nurturing relationships and sharing knowledge with peers and mentors in the venture community, reading 250+ newsletters regularly, and forging connections between disparate people, ideas, and companies. I’m constantly feeding my curiosity and refining my ability to distinguish between signal and noise.

What qualities do you most value in a founder?

Someone who feels deeply and innately that they are called to company-building and simply must pursue the founder path ahead. Pedigree and resume are secondary to undeniable passion, a hard-won insight into the problem at hand, and devotion to the startup as their life's work.

How would you describe the team at NEA and what resonates with you?

The team at NEA is composed of lifelong learners who are willing to challenge each other's thinking. What unites us is an unwavering commitment to doing right by our founders, a profound respect for the craft of entrepreneurship, and a sense of humility about how much we don't know (and will never know). My colleagues are deeply generous with their time and treat mentorship as a core part of their job. Our team’s continuous iteration and pushing the boundaries of what venture can be mirrors my own relentless curiosity and passion for learning.  It inspires me to work alongside  fiercely independent thinkers who aren't afraid to disagree with each other in pursuit of excellence

What’s something interesting about your collegiate career that influenced who you are today?

I was a member of the founding class of the Sigma Eta Pi (SEP) chapter at Penn, an entrepreneurship fraternity where many of us lived together in a "hacker house." SEP taught me that the best thinking happens in communities where ideas collide everyday and where you feel deeply accountable to people around you. My fellow SEP members are still a huge part of my life, and many have gone on to become inspiring founders and investors.

What was your first job and how did it shape you?

I worked for Dr. Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, at her nonprofit, Character Lab. My research explored the science of growth mindset and how people build resilience when faced with challenges. That experience instilled in me a core belief  that I apply every single day in venture — founders and investors alike can expand, learn, and evolve through deliberate effort and feedback. This research also strengthened my conviction that the best founders are those who are genuinely committed to their personal and professional growth.

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Types of fitness and dance classes attended in NYC
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Children's books donated as the Founder & President of Bags of Books

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