About Us
Investing together since 2021. Our partnership is brought together by a common belief that the better system is also the cleaner one.
Our Team
Cody Simms
Managing Partner
Cody teaches venture investing at UCLA Anderson and co-authored the Amazon-bestselling book Levers: The Framework for Building Repeatability into Your Business. He co-founded Climate Changemakers in 2020, which merged into Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project in 2025 and on whose Board Cody now serves. Before Override, Cody spent nearly a decade supporting hundreds of startups at Techstars as an investment Partner, Managing Director and head of North America. Earlier, he held product roles at StumbleUpon, Yahoo, The New York Times, and NBC Internet.
Based in Los Angeles, he holds a B.A. from the University of Kansas and an M.A. from Goldsmiths College, University of London. He was a four-time state tennis champion in high school.
David Aronoff
Chairman and Managing Partner
David’s investing career spans Greylock Partners and Flybridge, where he focused on cloud infrastructure, semiconductors, and cybersecurity. Before venture, he held senior roles at Chipcom and Bell Labs, where he developed secure network solutions.
David serves on the Board of Draper Laboratory, iDirect Government, Netbox Labs, and is Trustee Emeritus at the University of Vermont.
Based in Boston, he holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Vermont, an M.S. in Computer Engineering from USC, and an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School.
Yin Lu
Partner
Yin previously served as GM of Khan Academy’s international business, scaling content into 30 languages and launching offices in Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and India. Before that, she built the first community, international, and marketing teams at Coursera, and began her career at Google and Microsoft.
Outside of work, Yin enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and singing, and splits her time between the Bay Area and Vancouver, BC. She is a 2x UCLA alum.
Thai Nguyen
Partner
In addition to driving new investments, Thai oversees Override’s relationships with its corporate partners, identifying opportunities for co-investment, partnerships, and customer engagement across the firm’s portfolio. Before Override, Thai spent several years in product management and business development at Intuit, led business development and sales at on-demand startup Luxe, and worked on new mobility technologies serving clients including Volvo Cars.
Thai holds a B.A. in Computer Science and Asian Studies from Williams College and is based in Boston.
Courtney Flynn
Operations Partner and CFO
Prior to Override, Courtney was VP of Finance & Controller at Pacific Lake Partners, managing finance for funds. Before that, she held roles at Leerink Capital Partners, IPS Fund Services, and EY.
She holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Based in Massachusetts, she spends her free time reading, walking her dog Maggie, trying new recipes, and spending time with family and friends.
Jenn Beening
Head of Marketing and Content
Jenn’s career began at a startup media company managing websites, content, and social media for celebrity and lifestyle brands. She brought that foundation to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, where she focused on conservation storytelling and species campaigns with global reach, and later to United Parks and Resorts.
Based in San Diego, Jenn serves as Board President of Groundswell Community Project. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and English from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an M.A. in Biology with a focus on Environmental Stewardship from Miami University of Ohio.
Lauren Miller
Head of Talent
Lauren helped hire founding teams for several enterprise SaaS and AI startups. She hired the Tesla robotics team that built the Model 3 manufacturing line and recruited the first-ever GoPro Karma team. Lauren has partnered with schools and organizations, fostering community development in initiatives surrounding DEI&B, and cares deeply about establishing a values-based operational strategy to allow for thoughtful growth.
Outside of work, she spends most of her time hiking in the Pacific Northwest, making homemade ice cream, and spending time with her family and cats.
The Override Journey

The network facilitates its 100th portfolio hire.
First institutional venture fund launched.

MCJ Member Community opens to founders, operators and investors.
A newsletter about climate change debuts.
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018

MCJ becomes Override.

Inevitable podcast debuts.
Initial funds launch on AngelList.

My Climate Journey podcast launches to make sense of climate change.
The Override Journey
2026

MCJ becomes Override.
2025

The network facilitates its 100th portfolio hire.
2024

Inevitable podcast debuts.
2023
First institutional venture fund launched.
2020
Initial funds launch on AngelList.
2020

MCJ Member Community opens to founders, operators and investors.
2019

My Climate Journey podcast launches to make sense of climate change.
2018
A newsletter about climate
change debuts.