Sandy Lerner
Co-founder of Cisco Systems & Urban Decay Cosmetics
Data Confidence: 75% · Sources: 2 · Last Updated: Sep 18, 2026
- Net Worth ▲
- $200M
- Reach ▲
- 100.0M people
- Power ▲
- Lerner commercialized multi-protocol computer router technology at Cisco Systems in 1984, establishing hardware standards that came to underpin global internet routing.
- Influence ▲
- Beyond her foundational role in internet networking at Cisco, she disrupted the beauty industry in 1996 by founding Urban Decay Cosmetics, an alternative cruelty-free cosmetics brand acquired by LVMH in 2000.
- Network ▲
- Her network spans Silicon Valley venture pioneers like Sequoia Capital, luxury conglomerates such as LVMH, and historic institutions like Chawton House in Hampshire, England.
- Legacy ▲
- Her legacy includes co-founding Cisco Systems—a cornerstone of global networking—and establishing the Centre for the Study of Early English Women's Writing at Chawton House.
- Trajectory ▲
- Stable — first assessment on record.
About
Sandra "Sandy" Lerner is an American technology entrepreneur, businesswoman, and philanthropist. In 1984, while managing computing facilities at Stanford University, she co-founded Cisco Systems alongside Leonard Bosack, helping commercialize multi-protocol router technology that laid the groundwork for modern internet infrastructure. After leaving Cisco in 1990, she co-founded Urban Decay Cosmetics in 1996 and subsequently dedicated much of her wealth to organic farming at Ayrshire Farm and women's literary history through Chawton House Library in England.
Known For
Co-founding Cisco Systems in 1984 and launching Urban Decay Cosmetics in 1996.
Connections
Leadership & Employment
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