Hearst Ventures, the global venture capital division of Hearst, has made a series of hires as it continues to seek new investment opportunities across key regions.
Jacqueline Cegla joins as senior associate at Hearst Ventures’ London office, splitting her time with Tel Aviv, Israel; Isabel Lo joins as an associate in Shanghai; and Kunal Mehta has been promoted to principal in New York.
“At a time when markets are understandably cautious, the addition of Jacqueline and Isabel alongside Kunal’s promotion, serve to strengthen our skilled teams across the key regions of EMEA, the U.S. and China,” said Ken Bronfin, senior managing director and head of international investments at Hearst Ventures.
Scott English, senior managing director and head of U.S. investments at Hearst Ventures added: “These hires – plus more to come – underscore our commitment to finding the world’s brightest founders and most innovative ideas as the adoption of new technologies is rapidly accelerating.”
“We hope that founders and startups see our expansion as the signal it is: we are actively looking to invest in their best and most valuable ideas.
“As we strengthen our position in three key regions, we welcome Jacqueline and Isabel and congratulate Kunal on his new role as principal.”
As senior associate, Cegla will pursue investments across Israel and Europe. Previously, Cegla was an associate at MMC Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund based in the U.K.
Prior to that, she supported BCG Digital Ventures in building one of their first startups in London. She is a graduate of Imperial College in London, where she earned a Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering in chemical engineering.
“Hearst has a deep global network and is known for its best-in-class investments,” said Cegla.
“I was drawn to the way Hearst combines the best of both corporate and traditional VC firms, and I’m excited to be a part of an expanding team.”
Lo will source and execute investments in China. She previously worked as a senior investment associate at Amphora Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm managing local government funds across China.
She began her career at Hearst China, first as an assistant to the managing director and then as a corporate development analyst. She holds a journalism degree from the Communication University of China.
“I’m delighted to be back at Hearst and to be joining such a vibrant team in Shanghai,” said Lo. “While the world is in a state of flux, it’s reassuring to know, and for entrepreneurs to know, that such a standout player in VC is committed to its networks, its partners and to finding the next generation of early-stage category leaders on a global scale.”
As principal, Mehta will continue to be based in New York.
Mehta joined Hearst in early 2018 after previously managing technology investments for the seed-stage NYU Innovation Venture Fund. He began his career at J.P. Morgan through the Smart Start scholarship program.
Prior to working in venture capital, Mehta partnered with two co-founders to launch Unfold, a long-form content mobile startup. He is the author of two books on venture capital, Disruptors and Finding Genius.
“While this is a challenging time in global markets, we are actively investing in entrepreneurs. I look forward to discovering and pursuing the many opportunities that exist,” said Mehta.