Russell Simmons
Angel Investor
Los Angeles, United States
Russell Simmons is a seed investor in Los Angeles focused on Mobile and Apps. Russell Simmons CEO, Rush Communications Entrepreneur, author, activist and philanthropist Russell Simmons has launched scores of groundbreaking careers and innovative enterprises in arenas as varied as music, film, television, fashion, comedy, poetry, digital platforms, theater and finance. His lifelong mission has been giving a voice toextraordinary talent and empowering underserved communities as they in turn shape the mainstream of culture. After having produced or managed artists such as Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Whodini and Jimmy Spicer, Simmons joined forces with producer Rick Rubin to found Def Jam Recordings. Under Simmons’ leadership as Chairman, Def Jam signed acts including the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Jay Z and Kanye West.Simmons’ long-running HBO series “Def Comedy Jam” helped make household names of comics including Jamie Foxx, Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and JB Smoove. “Def Poetry Jam,” also on HBO, won a Peabody Award and a Broadway version netted Simmons a Tony®. Simmons’ numerous big-screen hits include The Nutty Professor, which grossed more than $273 million.Simmons has written three New York Times best-selling books, including Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple, which was published in 2014. He has also launched a multitude of diverse business ventures including pop-culture website Global Grind, UniRush Financial Services, Simmons Jewelry, Run Athletics and clothing subsidiaries Phat Farm, Baby Phat, Argyleculture, and American Classics. Most recently, he has been building All Def Digital, a premium, multi-platform digital media company and entertainment hub, curating, developing and connecting a new generation of content creators to global fans. He also co-founded the digital marketing firm Narrative.A longtime champion of social justice and equality, Simmons was honored with the 2011 GLAAD Excellence in Media Award. He is also a leading animal rights activist, having been named PETA Man of the Year in 2011. His charitable endeavors include the Diamond Empowerment Fund, a global organization that supports educational initiatives for disadvantaged people in diamond-producing African nations, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, which gives young people opportunities to create and appreciate art, and Foundation for Ethnic Understanding which he serves as chairman promoting understanding and cooperation between and among ethnic groups to help reduce the existing tensions among diverse racial and ethnic communities.A native of Queens, NY, Simmons has two daughters, Ming Lee and Aoki Lee.
- Total investments:
- 5
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 0%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Russell Simmons invests in
Stages Russell Simmons invests in
Countries Russell Simmons invests in
Round sizes
Contacts
| Type | Contact | Validation |
|---|---|---|
| Work email | ||
| Personal email | ||
| Work phone | ||
| Personal phone | ||
| Socials |
Round size
- Seed
- $1M–$5.8M
Investment Focus
Industry
- Mobile 3 (60%)
- Apps 1 (20%)
- News 1 (20%)
- Music 1 (20%)
- Video 1 (20%)
Stage
- Seed 2 (40%)
- Pre-Seed 1 (20%)
- Series A 1 (20%)
- Venture - Series Unknown 1 (20%)
Country
- United States 4 (80%)
- Singapore 1 (20%)
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gushcloud International is a global technology-driven digital talent and media company, focused on Influencer Marketing, Entertainment, Commerce. We connect audiences and brands to influencers and content creators through representation and management, brand strategy, marketing and activation services, media production, sales and distribution,licensing and co-creating significant IP in the content, media and event spaces.The company has four units: Gushcloud Agency, Gushcloud Entertainment, Gushcloud Studios and GC Live. With close to 300 employees, Gushcloud International operates in 11 offices globally including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Greater China, Australia and the United States of America. Gushcloud Agency is the marketing and advertising unit of Gushcloud International and is a leader in influencer marketing and delivering value from brands to consumers. We are also a licensed Agency in the US, and are committed to building long-term and sustainable career opportunities for digital stars.Gushcloud Entertainment is the brand builder unit of Gushcloud International that is a leader in co-building talent-led global consumer businesses that are positive, innovative and profitable.Gushcloud Studios is a digital media unit under Gushcloud International that manages a diverse array of talents and creates mobile-first content for YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Facebook, TikTok, BiliBili and other streaming platforms.GC Live is the live commerce unit of Gushcloud International which operates premium live commerce shows selling global brands into Southeast Asia. | $11M / Venture - Series Unknown / Sep 18, 2019 | ||
| HOOCH is the free app that rewards you up to 10% back plus exclusive perks when you travel, shop or dine with global partners. | $1.5M / Pre-Seed / Oct 11, 2016 | ||
| Flyp, Inc. is a US-based telecommunications company focused on changing the global consumer communications experience. The company's proprietary platform delivers the highest quality voice and text communications in or out of network, while enabling the use of multiple phone numbers on a single device. For international customers, Flyp is thefirst and only solution that provides mobile users with a local US phone number on their device for high-quality, free calling and texting to and from any US phone number. | $5.8M / Seed / Feb 01, 2016 | ||
| Taplet, Inc. is a mobile, media-rich communication company based in Los Angeles. After launching a successful application for extracting HD photos from videos, Taplet is now building a private group sharing and messaging app called Joyspace. | $1M / Seed / Apr 15, 2015 | ||
| Globalgrind.com is a digital media company that promotes the broadest and deepest array of content of interest to the hip hop community from the most authoritative sources across the web. The platform features exclusive blogs, video, music, news, gossip and politics, which users can submit, vote and comment on, and syndicate using Facebook,Twitter and other social media tools. Headquartered in New York City, Global Grind is a privately held firm funded by Accel Partners and Russell Simmons. | Series A / Sep 01, 2006 |
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FAQ
What does Russell Simmons invest in?
Russell Simmons invests primarily in Mobile, Apps and News startups, most often at Seed and Pre-Seed stage. Most of the 5 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
What round sizes does Russell Simmons invest in?
Russell Simmons typically joins rounds of $1M–$5.8M at Seed. These are whole funding-round sizes, not Russell Simmons's own check, which is rarely disclosed: the 10th–90th percentile of the confirmed public funding rounds Russell Simmons took part in.
How do I contact Russell Simmons?
Public channels for Russell Simmons include X (Twitter) and Facebook. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.
When did Russell Simmons last invest?
The most recent investment recorded for Russell Simmons closed in Sep 2019. Shizune tracks 5 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Nov 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
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