Y Combinator’s Susan Hobbs Joins CrunchFund

Last week, Susan Hobbs, former director of programming and events at Y Combinator, joined CrunchFund as a partner, where she will manage the VC firm’s fundraising and marketing.

Prior to Y Combinator, Hobbs spent four years working as Director of Global Programming at TechCrunch, where she was in charge of the speaker lineup for Disrupt SF, TechCrunch’s flagship startup and technology conference. In an interview with TechCrunch, Hobbs said her four-year stint at the publication makes her a particularly good fit for CrunchFund,  co-founded by TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington. “[CrunchFund is] more than just capital,” said Hobbs. “It’s supportive and eager to help, and that’s in line with my values.”

Started in 2011, CrunchFund has raised $59 million from two financing rounds and is currently working to close its third round, aiming for a total of $30 million. According to Crunchbase, CrunchFund — which specializes in seed-stage investment — has helped launch some of the most successful startups in Silicon Valley, including two IPOs and 40 acquisitions to date.

Among CrunchFund’s most successful portfolio companies are Vine, the viral video social network acquired by Twitter in 2012, and Cruise, a self-driving car company that was acquired for a reported $1 billion by GM earlier this year.