John Lee

John Lee is a director on First Citizens Innovation Banking’s Global Gateway team, which provides strategic advice, connections and global treasury support to innovation companies and investors in international emerging markets. He thrives on guiding high-growth business leaders through the challenges that come with global operations and market expansion and increasingly complex finances and capital raising. To this end, John and his team of portfolio managers provide nimble banking services, including deposit, cash management and investment solutions, foreign exchange and trade finance.

John has more than 20 years of experience in building and managing banking relationships with global technology and life science companies and venture capital firms. Prior to taking on his current role, John was a vice president for the bank’s Early Stage Practice. In this role, he established relationships with strategic partners, including university entrepreneurship programs, accelerators and venture capital firms, to drive business development with early-stage technology companies. Earlier in his career, John served as a vice president for First Citizens Innovation Banking’s Entrepreneur Services Group, assisting enterprise software and hardware companies with insights and introductions to venture capital firms and corporate CIOs and CTOs.

John holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. In his spare time, he enjoys running. John has competed and won age-group awards in USA Track & Field Pacific Association events, and he completed his first marathon in 2018, qualifying to compete in the Boston Marathon. Follow John on Twitter (@johncjlee), where he shares insights and information on the innovation economy.