# Benjamin Nye
J. Benjamin ("Ben") Nye is an American venture investor who spent 19 years as co-managing partner of [Bain Capital Ventures](https://www.edgepedia.org/bain-capital-ventures), where he led the firm's infrastructure software investing, before leaving in early 2023 with four partners to found Venture Guides, a seed and Series A firm in the same sector.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) Bloomberg identifies him as Managing Partner of Venture Guides Management LP.[2](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/3487453) His best-known investments include a 2008 growth-stage investment in LinkedIn, DocuSign, SevOne, and the cybersecurity company Rapid7, which he took public in July 2015.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/ben-nye/)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current role | Managing Partner, Venture Guides Management LP (founded 2023)[2](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/3487453) • [1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) |
| Prior role | Co-managing partner of Bain Capital Ventures for 19 years, leading technology and infrastructure investing[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) • [4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) |
| Education | B.A. in government, Harvard College; MBA, Harvard Business School[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) |
| Notable investments | LinkedIn (2008), Rapid7, DocuSign, SevOne, SolarWinds (director), Turbonomic[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/ben-nye/) • [4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) |
| Team track record | 7.9x early-stage return at BCV; 8 of 21 investments reached unicorn status[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) |
| Current boards | Rapid7 (Lead Independent Director), Elastio[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) |
| Venture Guides fund | $215 million for seed and Series A infrastructure software[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) |
## Early life and education
Nye holds a B.A. in government from [Harvard College](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvard-college) and an MBA from [Harvard Business School](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvard-business-school).[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) Before his operating and investing career, he worked in public-sector finance. The [Trilateral Commission](https://www.edgepedia.org/trilateral-commission)'s member page describes him as a political appointee in the Senior Executive Service and a direct report to US Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lloyd Bentsen.[5](https://www.trilateral.org/people/benjamin-nye/)
## Career
Nye's operating career centered on infrastructure software. He served as CFO and then COO of Precise Software Solutions; the Trilateral Commission bio states he played an integral role in transforming Precise from a $10 million privately held company to a $100 million public company.[5](https://www.trilateral.org/people/benjamin-nye/) Equilar records a subsequent role as Senior Vice President at Veritas Software Corporation.[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497)
He then joined Bain Capital Ventures, where he led the firm's technology and infrastructure investing efforts and served as co-managing partner for 19 years.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) • [4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) While at BCV he also ran a startup: Forbes describes him as holding two jobs, co-managing partner of Bain Capital Ventures, and CEO of VMTurbo, a cloud virtualization platform that raised $50 million in 2015, had 22 straight sequential quarters of growth and more than 1,300 customers.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/ben-nye/) In 2023 he left BCV with four partners drawn from his time at Bain and as CEO of Turbonomic to found Venture Guides.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/)
## Notable investments and exits (by the numbers)
Forbes names Nye's biggest hit as a 2008 growth-stage investment in LinkedIn, and lists DocuSign and SevOne among his other large investments; he also took the cybersecurity startup Rapid7 public in July 2015.[3](https://www.forbes.com/profile/ben-nye/) Equilar separately records him as a director of [SolarWinds](https://www.edgepedia.org/solarwinds) and chief operating and financial officer of Precise.[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497)
The most heavily sourced outcome is the team-level record from his BCV infrastructure practice: [TechCrunch](https://www.edgepedia.org/techcrunch) reports that Nye's team's early-stage track record returned 7.9 times to BCV investors, with eight of 21 investments reaching unicorn status, including Turbonomic, which the team led to a $2 billion sale to IBM in 2021.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) Round sizes and valuations for his individual BCV investments are not available in the sources; only these team-level figures and the Turbonomic exit value are documented.
## Boards and public positions
Nye has served on Rapid7's board of directors since August 2008 and sits on its Compensation Committee; per Rapid7's 8-K dated August 31, 2026, he serves as Lead Independent Director.[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) Equilar records him as a board member of Elastio as of February 15, 2026.[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) Earlier board service recorded across sources includes SolarWinds[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497) and, at the time of his listing, Cloudistics, Rapid7, and ObserveIT.[5](https://www.trilateral.org/people/benjamin-nye/)
He is listed as a member of the Trilateral Commission.[5](https://www.trilateral.org/people/benjamin-nye/)
## Recent developments
Nye's move from BCV is the defining recent change. He left in 2023 after 19 years as co-managing partner, taking four partners with him to found Venture Guides.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) The new firm closed $215 million in capital commitments for seed and Series A infrastructure software companies; nine weeks after securing ELJ Ventures as anchor investor in November 2022, the fund became oversubscribed when ELJ increased its initial commitment by 80 percent.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) As of March 2023, Venture Guides had completed two seed investments with two more in progress.[1](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/) His public-market role has grown in the same period: Rapid7's 2026 8-K names him Lead Independent Director.[4](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497)
## References
1. [Ben Nye's new VC firm won't just give you a fish, but will guide you to the best lake — TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/01/ben-nyes-new-vc-firm-wont-just-give-you-a-fish-but-will-guide-you-to-the-best-lake/)
2. [Ben Nye, Venture Guides Management LP: Profile and Biography — Bloomberg Markets](https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/3487453)
3. [Ben Nye — Forbes Midas List profile](https://www.forbes.com/profile/ben-nye/)
4. [J. Benjamin Nye — Executive Bio, Equilar ExecAtlas](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/j-benjamin-nye-venture-guides-management-lp/1073497)
5. [Benjamin Nye — The Trilateral Commission member page](https://www.trilateral.org/people/benjamin-nye/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Economics and business › Founders, operators, and investors › Venture and growth investors › Enterprise software and infrastructure investors › Enterprise software and SaaS investors › Growth-stage enterprise software investors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license