Sep 29, 2025

Battery Ventures appionts Marcus Ryu as General Partner to focus on software and AI Published: 29-09-2025 16:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau | hits: 28 | Tags: Battery Ventures, a global technology-focused investment firm, has appointed entrepreneur and startup advisor  Marcus Ryu as General Partner. Ryu, who Co-founded Guidewire in 2001, steered the insurance software company through its initial public offering in 2012 and remained CEO until 2019. Today, Guidewire generates more than $1.2 billion in annual revenue and carries a market capitalization of nearly $20 billion. Since joining Battery Ventures in 2022, Ryu has concentrated on investments in vertical enterprise software and AI-driven platforms. Reflecting on his career trajectory, Ryu said that nearly two decades at the helm of Guidewire shaped his approach to investing. ''Co-founding and leading my company for almost two decades was the defining experience of my career. It is deeply rewarding for me to advise and learn from entrepreneurs in today’s startup environment, which is much more supportive of founders than mine was but is also more competitive on every dimension. It is a privilege to join the general partnership at Battery, whose combination of fundamental market analysis and founder-first values makes it the ideal professional home for me in this era,'' he said. Ryu has already backed a number of startups under the Battery umbrella. His investments include Coram AI, a video-security company powered by artificial intelligence; Hyperexponential, a U.K.-based firm offering AI-driven pricing and underwriting tools for insurers and reinsurers; Descartes Underwriting, which provides parametric insurance for natural catastrophes and emerging risks; and Fairmatic, an AI-powered insurance provider for vehicle fleets. Beyond his operational career at Guidewire, Ryu has served on the boards of MuleSoft, Opower, Clearwater Analytics, Cornerstone OnDemand and Procore Technologies. He holds an A.B. from Princeton University, graduating with highest honors, and a B.Phil. in philosophy from Oxford University, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar. Battery Ventures General Partner Neeraj Agrawal praised Ryu’s appointment, highlighting his rare combination of entrepreneurial and executive experience. ''Very few investors have traversed the entire journey from founder to IPO to public-company CEO, which affords Marcus a unique combination of commercial instincts and founder empathy. Founders gravitate to him because he understands the intellectual and emotional demands of building a start-up into a hugely successful enterprise. Battery was fortunate to be an investor in Guidewire and see Marcus’ skills in action first-hand, and now we’re extremely enthusiastic to promote him to general partner. He is sure to be an inspiring influence on the next generation of entrepreneurs backed by Battery,'' said Agrawal. Ryu’s elevation to general partner reflects a broader trend of venture firms bringing seasoned operators into leadership roles, offering portfolio founders both capital and the perspective of executives who have built enduring companies. Would you like to be featured on Startup Weekly for a free profile interview? Fill in this questionnaire  here . You can also send your columns / opinions / thought leadership pieces / industry insights, survey and reports to  info@startup-weekly.com . Publications by country. Africa [Interview] Teboho Nthoana, Founder, Nono Capital, South Africa Nono Capital  is a South African impact investment firm providing financial support, operational expertise, and strategic guidance to help companies in various sectors scale and thrive. 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