Michael Lee

Founder, Hypotenuse Capital Management

Michael Lee is the founder of Hypotenuse Capital Management. Hypotenuse invests in publicly traded companies that have exceptional cultures run by outstanding leaders. Prior to establishing Hypotenuse, he was a partner at Royal Capital Management, a multi-billion dollar hedge fund in New York, a private equity investor at Parthenon Capital in Boston, and an investment banker at Bear Stearns. Michael is a member of the board of directors of the P.F. Bresee Foundation, a non-profit organization that battles poverty by empowering youth and families in Los Angeles with the skills, resources, and relationships necessary to thrive. Michael is also an active investor in several early-stage ventures. He attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and resides with his wife and two children in Los Angeles.

Articles by Michael Lee

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for Early Stage Companies

In our latest session from the Mucker Growth Series featuring Ethan Smith from Graphite, we explored AEO, a significant new approach for optimizing visibility in AI-driven search, particularly relevant as...

Startup Guide to AI Visibility: Be the Brand ChatGPT Recommends

Introduction Today, users aren’t just searching on Google. They’re asking ChatGPT, Claude, Google’s Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI systems for advice. AI visibility is the new frontier of brand awareness....

Practical Uses of AI & Automation for Startup Operations

In a recent Mucker Growth Series session, we invited Rock Vitale, Founder & CEO of Easie, to share how he’s helped early-stage teams move from manual, fragmented workflows to streamlined,...

2025 New York Tech Week Recap Of Mucker Sessions

Last week during New York Tech Week 2025, we joined more than 1,000 events hosted by founders, investors, and VCs. This post is a full Mucker recap of the three...

How to Build a Customer Support Function for Startups Using AI Tools with Alex Velinov

Delivering high-quality customer support can be one of the most resource-draining parts of a startup. The good news: we’re at a turning point where founders can use AI tools to...

Zero → 100: The Exact Steps We Took to Close Our First 100 Paying Customers

Going from zero customers to 100 in just four months sounds impossible—unless you’re a founder willing to roll up your sleeves and hustle relentlessly. I’m Gaurav Bhattacharya, co-founder of Jeeva.ai,...