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Aaref Hilaly is a Partner at Bain Capital Ventures in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he focuses on early-stage enterprise software and artificial intelligence investments. Before joining the firm in 2020, he spent seven years as a Partner at Sequoia Capital. Prior to his venture capital career, Hilaly served as the CEO of Clearwell Systems, leading the company to a $390 million acquisition by Symantec, and co-founded CenterRun, which was acquired by Sun Microsystems. His recent investment activity includes leading a $40 million Series B funding round for data-ingestion startup Unstructured in 2024 and backing AI healthcare platform Charta Health. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the University of Oxford. Hilaly leverages his operational background as a two-time startup chief executive to support early-stage founders building AI-driven enterprise infrastructure.
Aaref Hilaly stands as a prominent Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, a leading venture capital firm renowned for backing groundbreaking technology companies. At Bain Capital Ventures, Aaref plays a pivotal role in sourcing, evaluating, and nurturing investments, particularly within the dynamic realms of enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. His expertise is highly sought after by founders building the next generation of B2B technology solutions.
Before joining Bain Capital Ventures, Aaref built an impressive career marked by both entrepreneurial success and strategic investment. He co-founded and served as CEO of ClearStory Data, a big data analytics company acquired by Tableau. Prior to that, he was CEO of Sentilla, an enterprise software firm acquired by Ericsson. His operational experience also includes significant leadership roles at Cisco Systems, where he was instrumental in driving key initiatives. This firsthand experience as a founder and operator provides him with a unique perspective, enabling him to deeply understand the challenges and opportunities faced by entrepreneurs.
Beyond his entrepreneurial ventures, Aaref also contributed his insights as a Venture Partner at Sequoia Capital, further solidifying his reputation as a keen investor with an eye for disruptive technologies. His educational background includes a degree in Computer Science from Cambridge University, providing a strong technical foundation for his investment focus.
Aaref Hilaly's investment philosophy at Bain Capital Ventures is characterized by a commitment to partnering with visionary founders who are tackling complex problems with innovative software and infrastructure solutions. He is known for his hands-on approach, offering strategic guidance and leveraging his extensive network to help portfolio companies scale and achieve market leadership. His notable investments reflect this focus, including companies like Rubrik, Redis, Material Security, Obsidian Security, and Sysdig, among others. He has also been involved with successful exits such as VeloCloud (acquired by VMware) and CloudGenix (acquired by Palo Alto Networks).
Through his work at Bain Capital Ventures, Aaref Hilaly continues to shape the future of enterprise technology, empowering startups to transform industries and deliver significant value to their customers and stakeholders. His blend of operational acumen, technical understanding, and investment prowess makes him a formidable force in the venture capital landscape.
Aaref Hilaly is a Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, a leading venture capital firm. He is known for his expertise in enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity investments, and has a background as a successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist.
Aaref Hilaly primarily invests in companies within the enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence sectors. He focuses on high-growth technology firms that are developing innovative solutions for businesses.
Aaref Hilaly works as a Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, a global venture capital firm that invests in technology and growth companies.
