Jessica Livingston
Jessica Livingston | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, author, podcast host |
| Known for | Co-founder of Y Combinator |
| Notable work | Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days |
Jessica Livingston (born 1971) is an American entrepreneur, author, and podcast host, recognized primarily as a co-founder of the seed stage venture capital firm Y Combinator.
Early life and education
Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Livingston was mainly raised by her father and grandmother after relocating to the Boston region. She completed her secondary education at Phillips Academy, a prestigious boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts, graduating in 1989. Subsequently, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Bucknell University.
Career
Following her university graduation, Livingston gained experience in various positions including roles at Fidelity, Food & Wine magazine, an automotive consulting company, and a wedding planning business. She later advanced to serve as vice president of marketing at Adams Harkness Financial Group, an investment banking firm.
Her acquaintance with Paul Graham, Robert Morris, and Trevor Blackwell—co-founders of Viaweb—in Cambridge led to the establishment of Y Combinator (YC) in 2005. In the early stages, Livingston and Graham regularly hosted dinners for startup founders at their residence. Sam Altman credits her with playing a crucial part in transforming YC into a leading startup accelerator. After Graham stepped down and Altman assumed leadership, Livingston expanded her operational responsibilities, including managing YC's Startup School program.
In 2007, she authored Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days, which compiles interviews with prominent entrepreneurs such as Steve Wozniak.
To support women entrepreneurs, Livingston initiated the Female Founders conference in 2013. She took a one-year hiatus from YC in 2016 to dedicate time to family commitments and pursue new initiatives.
Livingston is also an investor in OpenAI, a firm focused on developing artificial general intelligence technologies.
Starting in 2023, she began co-hosting the podcast The Social Radars alongside YC partner Carolynn Levy.
Personal life
In 2008, Livingston married Paul Graham. Since late 2016, she has resided in the United Kingdom with her family.