Top 50 Celebrity Startup Investors in United States in January 2026

Jim Moloshok serves on various digital media company boards, gives advice to venture capital firms in the evolution of media consumption and how consumers relate to content across multi-platforms, and has invested in companies that overlap his areas of expertise and passion.Before entering the investment and entrepreneurial world fulltime,Moloshok most recently was president, Digital Initiatives for Home Box Office.Before joining HBO, Moloshok was part of the turn-around team that went to Yahoo! in 2001 to help it recover from the dotcom collapse, building Yahoo! back to be the leading portal with all of its content areas ranking first or second in their categories.Prior to joining Yahoo!, Moloshok was one of the founders of Windsor Digital, a venture capital firm cofounded with Terry Semel, former Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Studios and then Chairman and CEO of Yahoo!Moloshok also spent eleven years at Warner Bros. as co-founder and president of Warner Bros. Online, and president and CEO of Entertaindom.com. Moloshok also served as SVP of Warner Bros. marketing and advertising.Moloshok started his professional career working in local television.

Adam Nash is the Co-Founder and CEO at Daffy. He attended Stanford University and Harvard Business School.

Larry Braitman - Angel Investor; Advisor @ Braitman & Company

Investing in powerful, positive change that endures

Harrison Metal invests in early stage technology companies led by exceptional founders.

Vine Street Ventures is a venture capital investment firm dedicated to investing in internet and mobile businesses.

Jeffrey Preston Bezos is the Founder of Blue Origin. He previously worked at Cashican People LLC as an Investor. Jeff Bezos attended Princeton University.

Michael Mahan is the President of dick clark productions and a Partner of Mosaic Media Investment Partners. Mr. Mahan brings a wealth of experience to this position from his previous post as President of the TV Guide Network and tvguide.com. Mahan led the transformation of the TV Guide Network from a guidance-focused utility network to afull-screen entertainment destination available in 81 million homes. Prior to TV Guide, Mahan was a board member and head of corporate strategy for dick clark productions.

The Manatt Venture Fund is the investment arm of Manatt, Phelps & Philips, LLP, a Los Angeles-based law firm.

Jordan French is the Founder and CEO of Grit Daily News. He previously worked at BNB Shield as a Co-founder. Jordan French attended Vanderbilt University.

Bo Feng is the Managing Partner at Dragonfly Capital Partners.

Entrepreneurial small businesses are major engines of job growth and key players in the commercialization of new technologies. However, most entrepreneurial ventures fail to achieve their goals. Among the most common reasons for such business failures are the inability to execute sound business plans and to access capital funding, particularly atcritical early stages of a company's development.Affiliated as Pasadena Angels, Inc., a nonprofit entity, the organization offers early-stage companies the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge of more than 100 experienced entrepreneurs, senior corporate executives, and skilled professionals from a variety of industries and venture capital affiliates.Approximately 80 companies from a broad range of industries are screened each year by Pasadena Angels members and are provided with invaluable counsel, including insights into developing business and financing strategies that are achievable and fundable. Companies also benefit from the group's feedback and the opportunity to connect with individuals who may offer more specialized expertise and advice.The organization's members provide up to $1 million in early-stage financing and seed money to emerging technology-based ventures located in Southern California. The group cooperates with other venture capital firms and angel investment groups to support companies that are raising between $1 to $5 million. Pasadena Angels members invest individually and directly, without any legal pooling of financial resources. The corporate entity, Pasadena Angels, Inc. does not invest or act as an investment agent in any manner.Pasadena Angels charges no fees and provides its services to companies which it believes have a significant potential for success and the potential to benefit from an association with the organization.

We are a New York City based investment firm focused on venture capital and private equity opportunities. Our team invests in technology enabled companies in the financial, consumer, healthcare, and software industries. Our portfolio companies have strong management teams characterized by integrity, intelligence, experience, energy, and passion.

BrandProject is an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in consumer products, services, and technology companies. Based in Toronto and New York City, we are typically the first venture money and are often the sole investor in a round.BrandProject has invested in and helped build innovative new brands including Daily Harvest, Freshly,Ritual, Persona, Chefs Plate, Clutch, Gainful, Atolla, Pet Plate, Awake Chocolate, Coveteur, Surf Easy, and Hello Products..Find out more at www.brandproject.com

Lerer Hippeau is an early-stage venture capital fund based in New York City. As founders and operators ourselves, we see returns in relationships

Mark Attanasio is the Managing Partner at Crescent Capital Group.

Raptor Group Holdings is an alternative investment firm that provides investment management and advisory services. Raptor Group sources and invest in companies across various stages and asset classes, ranging from early-stage venture to both private and public equity. Raptor focuses on various industries including, but not limited to Sports,Consumer, Technology, Media, Entertainment, and Financial Services. It was founded in 2009 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Alex Zubillaga is the founder of 14W, a New York-based, venture capital firm focused on consumer Mobile, Web, E-commerce, CPG, and Media.Previously, Alex was Executive Vice President, Digital Strategy and Business Development at Warner Music Group (WMG). Prior to WMG, Alex founded Net Uno, a leading Venezuelan cable television and broadbandoperator where he served as CEO and Chairman.

SoftBank Group provides venture funding and strategic support to exceptional entrepreneurs building disruptive enduring businesses. They are a small team of experienced entrepreneurs and investors who take an "active" approach to helping their companies reach their full potential. They manage $600 million across three funds and investacross a company’s lifecycle, from early to growth stages. Through their close ties to a number of Asia’s leading mobile, internet and technology companies – including strategic partners SoftBank Corp, Yahoo! Japan and Alibaba Group – SoftBank Capital offers unique expertise to businesses seeking to address the Asian market. Since 1995, SoftBank Capital has partnered with internet pioneers such as Criteo, Gilt Groupe, OMGPOP (Zynga), betaworks, BuzzFeed, Buddy Media (Salesforce.com), Huffington Post (AOL), Associated Content (Yahoo!), Danger (Microsoft), Geocities (Yahoo!), E*Trade and Yahoo!.

The Dingman Center Angels is a Maryland based angel investment group that provides funding to early-stage companies.

Edgar Bronfman Jr. is the co-founder, Chairman, and General Partner at Waverley Capital Acquisition Corp. 1.

SOSV is a global, deep tech venture capital firm that operates the HAX and IndieBio startup development programs focused on human and planetary health. SOSV invests $500,000 in startups at their inception as they onboard either HAX or IndieBio for a 4-6 month period designed to accelerate the raise of their next institutional round. SOSV joins thelater rounds of HAX and IndieBio graduates. HAX, based in a 35,000 sq ft facility in Newark, NJ, is equipped with machine tools, 3D printers, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering labs, as well as on-staff engineering and design experts. SOSV's IndieBio has locations in NYC and San Francisco, both of which offer extensive services and facilities to founders including on-site BSL-2 labs, well equipped lab benches and hoods, and advanced lab equipment, such as chromatography equipment.

Gregory Milken is Managing Director at March Capital Partners, where he focuses on investments in digital media, gaming and esports. Gregory has led March Capital’s investments in broadcasting solution Genvid Technologies, game mastery platform Dojo Madness, and game developers nWay and Wavedash. Gregory has over 15 years of entrepreneuriall and operational experience. He was the co-founder and COO of AltEgo, a cloud-based technology and gaming company. Prior to his work in technology, he worked in strategy and operations for Knowledge Universe Education, new business development at Warner Bros. in Hong Kong and London, and at Twentieth Century Fox.Gregory received his M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and a M.A. in international policy studies from Stanford University. He also received a B.A. in international relations and Asian studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kai Huang is the Senior Advisor of Grishin Robotics. He attended the University of California Berkeley.Kai is a Venture Partner at Idea Bulb Ventures. He is the co-founder and ex-CEO of RedOctane and the co-creator of the Guitar Hero video game franchise, acquired by Activision in June 2006. Kai was also co-founder and CEO of Adux Software, asoftware company developing solutions for the server appliance market. Prior to Adux Software, he was a consultant with Accenture, where he worked with Fortune 500 clients in the area of supply chain management. He is an active, serial angel investor. Kai holds a BA in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Fuse Capital (formerly Velocity Interactive Group and fused with ComVentures) is a leading investment and strategic equity management firm that focuses on digital media and communications. The firm brings a unique approach to investing by bringing not just financial capital, but also human capital to its investment companies. Fuse has a globalpresence with offices in Palo Alto, Los Angeles, India and China. For more information, please visit www.fusecapital.com.

John Tan - Founder @ Controlled Commodity

Scrum Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that has invested in over 80 startups across a range of industries in the U.S. and Japan. Based in San Francisco with extensive experience and networks in both Silicon Valley and Japan, Scrum Ventures accelerates portfolio companies with global opportunities. Scrum Studios is reinventing the traditional accelerator -- taking a stage-agnostic approach in connecting best-in-class startups with leading Japanese corporations.

We help the daring build We help the daring build legendary companies from idea to IPO and beyond. companies.

Sterling Equities is a family-run group of companies that include The NY Mets, Brooklyn Cyclones, PE, VC and several Real Estate Ventures

social networks like Twitter, Facebook, etc.Since it is partially open source, users can create their own apps, plug-ins, and skins for it.The framework for Boxee is based on source code from the

Marc Benioff is based out of San Francisco, California, and is the Chair, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Founder of Salesforce. Marc previously worked at Oracle as a Senior Vice President. Marc Benioff attended the University of Southern California. Marc Benioff has been awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Chad Hurley is the Co-Founder and Chairman at Greenpark Sports and the Co-Founder of AVOS Systems. He earned his bachelor's degree in fine art at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Joseph Tsai is the current Executive Vice Chairman of Alibaba Group. He previously worked at Investor AB as a Vice President and Senior Investment Manager. Joseph Tsai attended Yale Law School.

Sam Guren started in the venture capital/private equity business in 1975, with Continental Illinois Venture Corporation (CIVC), a subsidiary of Continental Bank (Chicago). During his tenure with CIVC, the firm’s investments ranged from Apple Computer to Yoplait to Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts. The KKR investment took the firm into the buyoutinvestment business.In 1981, Sam Guren was recruited by William Blair to co-found and manage William Blair Venture Partners. He grew the business to six professionals during three funds. Investments ranged from the founding of The Sports Authority to the buyout of Sanford Corporation to investments in various technology, healthcare and cable television companies.Robert Baird recruited Sam Guren in 1996 to manage the Baird Capital funds. While there, BCP grew from two to five professionals with a focus on outsourcing and temporary staffing.Sam Guren joined Allied Capital in 1999, and stayed through 2002. He managed the Chicago office, and was on their Investment and Operating Committees.From 2007 to 2011, he was the Managing Director of Hyde Park Angels, an angel network affiliated with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Sam is an advisor to OCA Ventures and a member of the Boards of Directors of The Debt Exchange (Debtx), SpotHero, and the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center. He is also on the Board of Advisors of the Knapp Entrepreneurship Center at the Illinois Institute of Technology.Sam Guren is a recipient of the Stanley C. Golder Medal, which “acknowledges individuals who have made profound and lasting contributions to the private equity industry in Illinois”.Prior to his involvement in the venture capital and private equity business, Sam taught junior high math and was a junior varsity high school wrestling coach in the Cleveland Public Schools System.Sam Guren is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, and received an MBA from the Wharton Graduate School.

RRE is a boutique venture capital firm with 30 years of experience, backing bold early-stage founders across diverse sectors. We provide deep expertise, AI-driven insights, and committed partnerships to help companies build and persevere for the long term.

120 companies, 250 founders, $4BB in follow-on capital. Introductions, talent, growth, product, financing and strategy.

Reid Hoffman is the Co-Founder of Manas AI and also board of directors of Sanmai. Reid previously worked at Coda as a Board Member. Reid Hoffman attended the University of Perugia. Reid Hoffman has been awarded Marshall Medal.

Kal Vepuri is Founder and Chairman of Brainchild. Brainchild Holdings is Kal's personal direct investment vehicle. Brainchild & Company is a collective of engineers, operators, and designers that build physical products and digital services. Prior to forming Brainchild, Kal was a technology entrepreneur, a consultant at Bain & Companyand an institutional private equity investor. Kal earned a BSE in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Economics with High Distinction from Duke University and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in Economics.

Before founding zulily, Darrell spent almost a decade at Blue Nile, where he was CTO and SVP of Marketing. In 2009, he spent a year at Microsoft leading the BizTalk Server business. Previously, he was at Starwave, a Seattle-based internet company, working on large web properties including ESPN.com and ABCNews.com. He attended the University ofVictoria. When he's not at zulily, Darrell's favorite thing to do is spend time with his young son and daughter, especially on trips to visit family in Canada and Ireland.

Jay Rasulo has the Happiest Job on Earth. As chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, he presides over a family vacation business that spans three continents and includes five world-class vacation destinations, a top rated cruise line and the most popular resort locations in North America, Europe and Asia. During the past 50 years, more than 2billion guests have passed through the gates of Disney theme parks around the world.Jay is the architect of the long-term global growth strategy for Disney Parks and Resorts' business, including Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened on September 12, 2005 – bringing the enchantment of a Disney theme park to a whole new region of the world.Jay oversees a broad range of businesses that help make Disney the leader in the vacation destination industry. The theme parks and resorts include the Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition, Jay is responsible for the Disney Cruise Line; Walt Disney Imagineering -- the designers and builders of theme parks, attractions and other facilities and Disney Regional Entertainment, comprising the ESPN Zone sports-themed restaurants.Jay, who has been with The Walt Disney Company for 20 years, was appointed president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in 2002. In the fall of 2005, he became chairman of the segment. He spent two of the five years with the company in France as chairman and CEO of Euro Disney, S.C.A. where he was instrumental in turning Disneyland Resort Paris into Europe's top tourist destination. Cementing his reputation as a dedicated business leader and strategist, the Los Angeles Times in 2002 called Jay "… a provocative and passionate leader who understands the cultural nuances of foreign markets." The article went on to credit Jay for "…helping to transform Disneyland Paris.In addition to his duties at Disney, Jay has emerged as a recognized leader within the travel and tourism industry, working to broaden awareness of the industry's role in creating jobs, economic growth, and cultural exchange. In 2006, Jay serves as Chairman of the Travel Industry Association of America, the industry's preeminent trade association in the United States. Additionally, Jay serves as Chairman of the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which is charged with advising the U.S. Department of Commerce on the creation of a national tourism strategy. He also serves on the board of directors for the French American Chamber of Commerce and Euro Disney S.C.A.Jay first joined The Walt Disney Company in 1986 as director and later rose to senior vice president of Corporate Strategic Planning. In this role, he led strategic development for all real estate-based businesses in The Walt Disney Company portfolio.After two years as a senior vice president of Corporate Alliances and three years with Disney Regional Entertainment, Jay moved to Paris as executive vice president, Euro Disney, S.C.A. He served as president and C.O.O. before taking over as chairman and CEO in 2000.A native New Yorker, Jay has a degree in economics from Columbia, and both an MA in economics and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Before joining Disney, he held positions with Chase Manhattan Bank and the Marriott Corporation.Jay and his family reside in Los Angeles, California.

Mishaal Alireza - Board Member @ DokkanAfkar

Tech Coast Angels is the largest angel investor group in the United States, possessing more than 300 members in five networks in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Central Coast, and the Inland Empire. Its members provide funding and guidance to more early-stage, high-growth companies in Southern California than any other investment group.Members invest in companies in a wide range of industries, including the life sciences, biotech, IT, services, retail, Internet, financial, software, media, consumer products, and tech startups. TCA as a whole gives companies more than just capital; they also provide counsel, mentoring, and access to an extensive network of potential investors, customers, strategic partners, and management talent. Tech Coast Angels has been ranked by CB Insights to be among the Top 20 Angel Groups in the US; TCA was also ranked as #1 for Network Centrality, meaning we have more connections than anyone! If you are in the game-changing business, we are here to help.

Blackpoynt Ventures is a venture capital firm.

Kenny Dichter is Founder and CEO of Wheels Up, a revolutionary membership-based private aviation company that eliminates fixed costs and provides unparalleled flexibility. Wheels Up will commence full-service flight operations October 2013, appealing to new entrants as well as to individuals and corporations currently flying privately.Previously, Dichter Founded Marquis Jet in 2001 and introduced the first-ever fractional jet card program, which revitalized and democratized the private aviation industry. Led by Dichter, Marquis Jet generated over $4 billion in revenue, culminating in its sale to Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway’s Net Jets in 2010. At that time, Dichter was named Vice Chairman of Net Jets. Dichter’s role enabled him to build lasting relationships with CEOs,entrepreneurs, celebrities, athletes and tastemakers around the globe.An entrepreneur at heart, with a sociology major from the University of Wisconsin, Dichter is a self-proclaimed “man of the people.” Since his youth, he has been known for being a trend spotter and trendsetter, and has always had an innate knack for branding, marketing, public relations and advertising. Dichter’s successes prove that he can apply these skills to a variety of industries.As always, Dichter has his eye on early-stage businesses where he sees potential for hyper growth. He has an active role and has invested in Juice Press, a Manhattan-based, multi-location, grab-and-go organic, raw food and juice company; SportYapper, a global communications platform for talking sports; CYC, the first indoor cycling studio aimed at college students and young professionals at universities across the country; and Cirrus, a fitnesscompany that customizes premium exercise equipment.In 2010, Dichter co-founded Tequila Avion, an ultra-premium brand that in 30 months has positioned itself, through branding and distribution, as an emerging leader in its category. Paris-based Pernod Ricard, the world’s second largest premium wine and spirits company, purchased a minority stake in Tequila Avion in 2011, and has the worldwide distribution rights.In 2004, Dichter Founded MGX Lab, an independent, full-service, digital media, brand strategy, and business development company that serves as a think tank for companies such as Disney, Bayer, Patch, cambio.com and Muhammad Ali Enterprises.Dichter is also Founder and Chairman of Tour GCX Partners, Inc., a golf membership program providing cliententertainment solutions to corporations and individuals, through access to private country clubs.In 1996, Dichter co-founded Alphabet City, a sports marketing and music company, which was acquired by Robert FX Sillerman’s SFX Entertainment in 1998.Dichter is a regular guest on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” and sought by media outlets for his perspectives on the aviation industry, consumer brands, and the luxury goods and services sector.Dichter co-founded Action America, along with AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong, to unite and activate Americans everywhere to turn the events of 9/11 into positive action. He also chairs the Council of Advocates at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital for Dr. Ken Davis, Mount Sinai’s Chairman and CEO, and sits on the Board of the Jack Martin Fund, which currently works with the hospital’s cutting-edge pediatric oncology department. Also,Dichter is a major supporter of his alma mater, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Founded in 2000 and based in Tucson, AZ, the Desert Angels is a non-profit organization of accredited investors looking for opportunities to invest in early-stage companies. We focus on companies with new innovations in science, tech and SAAS, and our portfolio spans a broad range of industries. Our members will invest $4million-$6million per yearinto roughly 20 deals, about half of which are follow-on rounds. We offer a Sidecar fund which automatically co-invests when specific criteria are met. We are nationally recognized, and in the most recent ARI HALO report listed #7 in the country and #1 in the southwest region as one of the most active angel groups. The Desert Angels is a charter member of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), the trade association of angel investment groups; and an active member in the Angel Syndication Network (ASN), a network of angel groups that syndicate deals.

Patrick Soon-Shiong is the Executive Chairman of ImmunityBio. He previously worked at Wibbitz as a Board member. Patrick Soon-Shiong attended the University of the Witwatersrand.

Allen DeBeviose started Third Wave in 2014 after more than 30 years of experience incubating and investing in digital media companies. He has invested in over 70 digital media companies and has co-founded several of the most important digital media brands including Machinima, StyleHaul, DanceOn, INDMusic, Mitu, and Tubular Labs. Prior to foundingThird Wave, Allen built a strong track record as an Angel Investor in the digital media sector and has had over 15 high-multiple exits and NAVs. Allen is currently the Chairman of Machinima and sits on several digital media company boards including StyleHaul, MiTu, Tubular Labs, DanceOn, INDMusic, and Mondo Entertainment. He was an early investor and outside board member for several companies. LowerMyBills.com and Dealer.com are examples of two companies that had highly successful exits. He was featured on the Hollywood Reporter's Digital Power List 2009 and on Digital Media Wire's 2010 List of "25 Executives to Watch” and dubbed the Godfather of Online Video. Allen is a frequent speaker at major digital media conferences and considered an important leader in the rapidly growing Silicon Beach venture capital community.Allen has been engaged on the leading edge in the digital media and interactive arena for over three decades including working on the first uses of computer animation in entertainment ("Tron"), the first interactive video on the Mac ("Guernica"), the first interactive television trial (Time Warner Orlando) and the first broadband cable Internet prototype ("@Home").Allen has an A.B. in Mathematics and an MSE in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mike Hennessey

Sina Afra is the CEO and Founder of Tiko. He previously worked at Markafoni as a CEO and Founder. Sina Afra attended the University of Münster.

A venture capital firm that teams with technology entrepreneurs to nurture ideas from startup to market success.