Ed Zimmerman

Ed Zimmerman is a seasoned venture capital lawyer and angel investor with over 30 years of experience in startup and growth company investments. He co-founded and chairs the Emerging Companies & Venture Capital practice at Lowenstein Sandler LLP, a leading law firm based in New York. Throughout his career, Ed has represented hundreds of startups, growth companies, and venture funds, earning recognition from Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America for his expertise in startups and emerging companies, M&A, and venture capital. In addition to his legal practice, Ed is an active angel investor, having personally invested in over 100 venture capital funds and more than 150 startups across the United States, Europe, and Africa. He co-founded First Close Partners in 2020, a firm dedicated to investing in venture funds led by underrepresented managers globally. Ed also co-founded The Historic Fund, a nonprofit supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by donating fully-funded limited partnership interests in a portfolio of VC funds into HBCU endowments. Beyond his investment activities, Ed serves as an Adjunct Professor of Venture Capital at Columbia Business School, a position he has held since 2005. He is the founder and chair of VentureCrush, a network for early-stage investors and entrepreneurs, and has been involved in various advocacy efforts related to racial equity, gender, and LGBTQIA+ rights. Ed has also served on the boards of several organizations, including Fisk University, Black Women Talk Tech, and The Orchid Foundation, and has been an advisor on venture capital matters to the President of France.