Aileen Lee

“Consider the social proof of a line of people standing behind a velvet rope, waiting to get into a club. The line makes most people walking by want to find out what's worth the wait. The digital equivalent of the velvet rope helped build viral growth for initially invite-only launches like Gmail, Gilt Groupe, Spotify, and Turntable.fm.”

“I work with tiny companies, so I don't really live in unicorn world, to be honest.”

“Comscore, Nielsen, MediaMetrix and Quantcast studies all show women are the driving force of the most important net trend of the decade, the social web.”

“We're in this incredible age where new brands are making people's lives easier, more convenient, more personalized.”

“I have a tremendous network of friends and colleagues at other firms.”

“Especially when it comes to social and shopping, women rule the Internet.”

“Each major wave of technology innovation has given rise to one or more super-unicorns - companies that could change your life to work at or invest in if you're not lucky/genius enough to be a co-founder.”

“If a firm hasn't hired a single female partner in its history, I don't think it will finally happen by accident.”

“A lot of the entrepreneurs and founders have big dreams and are on a mission to build things that the world has never seen before.”

“There are a lot of benefits to having a team of young people, but there are many benefits to having people who've made a lot of mistakes.”

“Starbucks did this magical thing where it took a product that people didn't really care that much about and made it this treat. It makes you feel better about your day and gives you a chance to reflect, makes you feel a little special.”

“Women are the routers and amplifiers of the social web. And they are the rocket fuel of ecommerce.”

“If you're a digital startup, building and highlighting your social proof is the best way for new users to learn about you.”

“In the future, the best retail sites will know you much better and show you things that are much more relevant.”

“There needs to be more deliberate effort on the part of folks at VC firms to bring in a more diverse team of talent. You have to make a more concerted effort to bring in people who are different and who may not be in your network.”

“I am committed to ensuring San Francisco remains a center for tech and the innovation capital of the world.”

“Relative to all the start-ups out there, getting a valuation of $1 billion is rarely accomplished.”

“The role and importance of females in companies can make a big difference.”

“You can't get into the trap of paying for customer acquisition.”

“Some investors may grumble about entrepreneurs wanting 'unicorn valuations.' But let's be honest: most investors want them, too, and are supporting the massive capitalization of these companies.”