Julie Bell

From starting from scratch with her family as a political refugee to graduating from Harvard Business School, Julie believes that with focus, hard work, and a strong community, anything is possible.

Julie Bell is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Emergence Capital, bringing over two decades of experience in operating businesses and developing high-performing cultures.

Julie is passionate about building teams and systems designed to help everyone realize their full potential. As a key member of the leadership team at Emergence, Julie Bell works closely with the General Partners to drive firm scalable and sustainable growth. She is responsible for managing fund strategy and talent, as well as supporting the firm’s Platform Team and portfolio companies.

Julie launched her career at Bain and Company 24 years ago, where she first learned how to grow and scale businesses as a strategic consultant. Most recently, she served as Bain Bay Area’s EVP of People and Operations, a role she held for the last four years. In between her two stints at Bain, Julie has held various executive positions. She previously was the CEO of Luxury Link, an online luxury travel and marketing company, and CFO at Tea Collection, a globally-inspired children's clothing company. Julie has also held investment roles at JH Partners as an investor and San Francisco Equity Partners as a Partner focused on consumer and retail businesses.

Julie’s passion for technology and entrepreneurship is personal. Her father was an early computer science pioneer and immigrated with three-year-old Julie and their family from Tashkent, Uzbekistan (former USSR) to Silicon Valley. Growing up in an immigrant household ingrained in her an unshakeable work ethic and belief in creating opportunities for others.

An ardent supporter of women’s causes and championing DEI initiatives, she is a frequent speaker at her alma mater UC Berkeley and is actively involved in supporting the Jewish Community Center in the East Bay.

Julie graduated from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business with a B.S. in General Management and Harvard Business School with an MBA in Business. She lives in Piedmont, CA with her husband, two children, and new Havanese puppy Javier. In her free time, she loves to cook regional dishes from all over the world, travel, and spend time with her loved ones.