Mary Meeker

Mary G. Meeker
Meeker at the Web 2.0 Conference in 2005
Mary G. Meeker
Born	Template:Birth year and month
Birthplace	Portland, Indiana, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Venture capitalist
Known for	Internet Trends Report
Education	Cornell University (MBA)
Awards	Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women (2021, 2023); Forbes Midas List

Mary G. Meeker (born September 1959) is an American venture capitalist, former Wall Street securities analyst, and the founder and general partner of BOND, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm. Over a career spanning more than three decades, she has become one of the most influential figures in technology investing, first as a leading internet analyst at Morgan Stanley during the rise of the commercial internet in the 1990s, and later as a partner at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins. She is known for her annual Internet Trends Report, a comprehensive survey of global internet and technology developments that became required reading across Silicon Valley and the broader technology industry. Her analytical work during the formative years of the internet economy earned her the moniker "Queen of the Internet," a title that has followed her through successive phases of her career. In 2021, she was ranked 84th on the Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women, and in 2023 she was ranked 85th on the same list. A fixture on the Forbes Midas List of top venture capitalists, Meeker appeared at No. 21 in 2021 and was ranked No. 2 on the publication's list of top female investors in 2022.

Early Life

Mary G. Meeker was born in September 1959 in Portland, Indiana, a small city in Jay County in the eastern part of the state. She grew up in rural Indiana, and her upbringing in the American Midwest would later be noted by journalists profiling her ascent to prominence on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley. Details about her family background and childhood remain largely private, though profiles have described her as having developed a strong work ethic early in life.

Meeker's trajectory from small-town Indiana to the upper echelons of technology finance became a recurring theme in media coverage of her career. Portland, with a population of roughly 6,000, was far removed from the centers of American finance and technology, and her path to becoming one of the most closely followed analysts in the world was often cited as evidence of the meritocratic possibilities within the financial and technology industries.

Education

Meeker attended DePauw University, a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. DePauw, known for producing graduates who have gone on to prominent careers in business and public life, provided Meeker with a broad undergraduate education.

Following her time at DePauw, Meeker pursued graduate studies at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, where she earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA). The MBA from Cornell equipped her with the financial and analytical tools that would underpin her subsequent career in securities analysis and investment. Cornell's business program, part of the Ivy League institution in Ithaca, New York, was recognized for its strength in finance and management, and Meeker's time there helped prepare her for entry into the competitive world of Wall Street research.

Career

Morgan Stanley and the Rise of the Internet

After completing her MBA at Cornell, Meeker joined Morgan Stanley, one of the leading investment banks on Wall Street. She began working as a securities analyst, eventually focusing on the emerging technology and internet sectors. During the 1990s, as the commercial internet began to transform business and culture, Meeker became one of the foremost analysts tracking internet companies and their growth trajectories.

Her work at Morgan Stanley coincided with the rapid expansion of the internet economy. During this period, Meeker published influential research reports that helped frame how investors and the public understood the internet's commercial potential. She co-authored The Internet Report in 1995, a detailed analysis of the nascent internet industry that was among the first major Wall Street research documents to systematically examine the investment implications of the World Wide Web. The report was later published as a book and became a foundational text for investors seeking to understand the internet sector.

Meeker's bullish analysis of internet stocks during the late 1990s dot-com boom made her one of the most visible and influential figures on Wall Street. She covered major internet companies and issued buy recommendations that were closely followed by institutional and retail investors alike. Her prominence during this era earned her the nickname "Queen of the Internet," a label applied by media outlets covering the technology boom.

The dot-com bubble burst beginning in 2000 subjected Meeker and other internet-focused analysts to scrutiny, as many of the stocks they had recommended lost substantial portions of their value. Meeker faced criticism for maintaining optimistic ratings on internet companies even as their share prices declined. During this period, questions arose across the financial industry about the role of sell-side analysts and potential conflicts of interest between research and investment banking functions. A 2026 retrospective analysis published by Bloomberg examined Meeker's late-1990s internet reports and concluded that many of her assessments were accurate or even too conservative in their estimates of the internet's eventual impact on the global economy.

Despite the fallout from the dot-com crash, Meeker continued her work at Morgan Stanley. She maintained her focus on technology companies and adapted her analytical framework to account for the evolving internet landscape. A 2005 article in The Wall Street Journal documented her continued influence as a technology analyst. She also gave a notable interview to Newsweek during this period discussing her perspective on the technology sector's trajectory.

In 2010, Fortune magazine named Meeker one of the smartest people in technology, reflecting her enduring reputation as one of the foremost thinkers on internet and technology trends.

Internet Trends Report

Perhaps Meeker's most enduring contribution to technology discourse has been her annual Internet Trends Report, a comprehensive presentation that synthesized data on global internet adoption, digital commerce, advertising, mobile computing, and other emerging technology trends. The report, which she began producing while at Morgan Stanley and continued at Kleiner Perkins, became one of the most anticipated annual publications in the technology industry.

The Internet Trends Report was typically presented at technology conferences and released publicly in slide-deck format. It drew on a wide range of data sources to provide a macro-level view of how the internet was reshaping industries, consumer behavior, and the global economy. The report's scope was expansive, covering topics from smartphone adoption rates and e-commerce growth to online education, healthcare technology, and the regulatory landscape for technology companies.

First at Morgan Stanley and later at Kleiner Perkins, Meeker's annual presentations attracted large audiences and generated extensive media coverage. The report's influence extended beyond the technology sector, as executives, policymakers, and journalists in other industries consulted it for insights into digital transformation.

After a five-year hiatus following her departure from Kleiner Perkins, Meeker published a new trends report in May 2025, this time focused on artificial intelligence. The 2025 report, co-authored through her firm BOND, examined the AI revolution and its implications for technology and the broader economy. The return of the report after a multi-year absence generated significant attention, with publications such as Axios, SaaStr, and The New Stack analyzing its findings and implications.

Kleiner Perkins

In November 2010, Meeker left Morgan Stanley to join Kleiner Perkins, one of Silicon Valley's most prominent venture capital firms. Her departure from the investment bank, where she had spent decades as one of its most recognizable analysts, marked a major transition from the sell-side research world to the buy-side world of venture capital.

At Kleiner Perkins, Meeker served as a partner and led the firm's digital growth practice, focusing on later-stage investments in high-growth internet and technology companies. Her analytical background and deep knowledge of internet trends informed her investment strategy, and she backed companies that went on to achieve significant scale. Her tenure at Kleiner Perkins, which lasted from 2010 to 2019, established her as one of the leading venture capitalists in the technology industry.

A 2018 profile in The New York Times examined Meeker's role at Kleiner Perkins and her influence within the firm during a period of broader changes in its leadership and investment focus. During her time at the firm, Meeker continued to produce her annual Internet Trends Report, which further elevated both her personal profile and that of Kleiner Perkins within the technology ecosystem.

BOND

In 2019, Meeker departed Kleiner Perkins to found BOND, her own venture capital firm based in San Francisco. She launched BOND with $1.25 billion in capital, a substantial debut fund that reflected investor confidence in her track record and analytical capabilities. The firm's name, BOND, signaled Meeker's intent to build lasting relationships with the companies in her portfolio.

At BOND, Meeker continued the investment approach she had developed at Kleiner Perkins, focusing on growth-stage technology companies. As of late 2025, BOND managed a global portfolio valued at $5.9 billion, encompassing investments across a range of technology sectors. The firm's portfolio included companies that Meeker had initially backed during her time at Kleiner Perkins, as well as new investments made through BOND's own funds.

The founding of BOND represented a further step in Meeker's evolution from Wall Street analyst to independent venture investor. By establishing her own firm, she gained full control over investment decisions and strategy, building an organization centered on her analytical methodology and investment philosophy.

PGA Tour Board Membership and Golf

In addition to her technology career, Meeker has been involved with the PGA Tour as a board member. In February 2026, she made history in the world of professional golf by becoming the first woman to win the team portion of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Paired with professional golfer Keegan Bradley, Meeker helped lead their team to a wire-to-wire victory at the tournament. The Bradley-Meeker pairing led after the opening round with a combined score of 13-under-par 59 and maintained their lead throughout the event.

The achievement attracted attention both within the golf world and in business and technology media, with coverage noting Meeker's dual identity as a leading technology investor and accomplished amateur golfer.

Personal Life

Meeker maintains a relatively private personal life. She was born and raised in Portland, Indiana, and has retained connections to her alma mater, DePauw University, which houses an archival collection of her papers. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where BOND is headquartered.

Her interests outside of technology investing include golf, as evidenced by her involvement with the PGA Tour and her historic victory at the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Media profiles have described her as an avid golfer, and her board membership with the PGA Tour reflects a deep engagement with the sport at the organizational level.

Recognition

Throughout her career, Meeker has received numerous forms of recognition for her work in technology analysis and investment. Her most notable accolades include:

• Forbes Midas List: Meeker has been a perennial presence on the Forbes Midas List, which ranks the top venture capitalists globally. She appeared at No. 21 in 2021.
• Forbes Top Female Investors: In 2022, she was ranked No. 2 on the Forbes list of top female investors.
• Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women: She was ranked 84th on the Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2021 and 85th in 2023.
• Fortune Smartest People in Tech: In 2010, Fortune magazine named her one of the smartest people in technology.
• "Queen of the Internet": The moniker, applied by financial and technology media during the dot-com era, has remained associated with Meeker throughout her career and continues to appear in coverage of her work.

Her recognition extends beyond formal rankings. The annual Internet Trends Report became a widely cited reference document in the technology industry, and its return in 2025 after a five-year hiatus was treated as a significant event by technology media.

Legacy

Mary Meeker's career spans the full arc of the commercial internet, from its emergence in the mid-1990s through the dot-com boom and bust, the rise of mobile computing, and the advent of artificial intelligence. Her analytical work, beginning with The Internet Report in 1995 and continuing through the annual Internet Trends presentations, provided a framework through which investors, executives, and policymakers understood the internet's impact on the global economy.

Her transition from Wall Street analyst to venture capitalist reflected a broader shift in how the technology industry was financed and evaluated. By moving from Morgan Stanley to Kleiner Perkins in 2010 and then founding BOND in 2019, Meeker followed the center of gravity in technology finance from public market analysis to private market investment.

The Bloomberg retrospective published in early 2026 assessed that many of Meeker's forecasts during the dot-com era proved accurate over the long term, suggesting that her analysis of the internet's transformative potential was fundamentally sound even when short-term market corrections called it into question. This reassessment contributed to a more nuanced view of her early career work.

As the founder of BOND, Meeker continues to invest in growth-stage technology companies while shaping discourse around emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence. Her 2025 AI-focused trends report signaled a new chapter in her role as a leading interpreter of technology trends, applying the same data-driven analytical methodology that characterized her earlier internet work to the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Her 2026 historic win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, as the first woman to win the team portion of the tournament, added an unexpected dimension to her public profile, demonstrating her competitive drive beyond the technology industry.