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William (Willy) Hess is a Senior Associate on 645 Ventures' Investment & Research team. He works closely with new and existing portfolio founders across a range of verticals including Fintech, Hard Tech, Consumer, and iGaming.
Prior to joining 645 Ventures, Willy has worked both as an operator and an investor. Instead of returning to an investment banking analyst role after college, Willy chose to join FanDuel on their Corporate Development and Finance team to pursue his passion for startups. After FanDuel, Willy switched from operating to investing and most recently spent time on the investment team at Thrive Capital.
While a native New Yorker, Willy lived in Los Angeles for a few years prior to business school. On Sundays, you can find him rooting for the New York Jets in hopes that they break the NFL's longest playoff drought. In the rest of his spare time, Willy enjoys exploring the local food scene and playing in his weekly rec basketball league.
Willy received his B.A. from Harvard College and his MBA from Harvard Business School.