Last Updated: January 2024
The startup marketplace by design is mostly cash-strapped, especially in their early stages. Founders start a company pooling in resources from personal savings and donations from family and friends. Beyond this, a steady injection of funds is required for the company to innovate and grow. This is when startups find angel investors.
In this article, we will take a deeper look into this category of investors and despite the risks involved, the reasons why startups prefer angel investors. We also have a detailed list of the top 100 active angel investors that will get you started.
Angel Investors
Startup fundraising happens in stages. It begins at home with the founder’s contacts, moving towards angel investors and finally scaling up to venture capitalists. These investment instruments are unique in design and entrepreneur-friendly. As we can see angel investors are the first external funding source for a startup.
What is an angel investor?
Angel investors are typically high net worth individuals who invest in the early stages of a startup in exchange for equity in the company. Angel investors for startups are also known as private investors, seed investors, angel funders, informal investors, or business angels. Angel investments are mostly one time and aim at assisting the take-off of a startup.
By design, an angel investor is funding the entrepreneur with company funds and a brilliant idea, unlike a regular business investor focused solely on profits. Unlike venture capitalists, angels are helping the startup take their first steps and business gains are only secondary.
Why do startups prefer angel investors for funding?
Startups in their early stages need as much hand-holding as possible. Money is one aspect, but the optimum use of it and resourceful expenditures are key to a startup’s financial stability. Angel investors for startups provide this wonderful combination of funds and expertise. Some of the obvious reasons for preferring angel investors are:
- Offer wealth and knowledge – The best angel investors are usually the ones with a wide gamut of first-hand experience of running successful enterprises. Apart from the money, they contribute by mentoring the startups as well. Research shows that startups backed by angel investors stand a higher chance of growth and greater rates of returns.
- Helps in networking with industry experts – Since angel investors for startups are themselves part of a wide professional network, the companies they invest in and the entrepreneurs they mentor receive a good introduction into these circles. It is a crucial addition as apart from access to a wide range of experienced professionals, these introductions form the basis of further funding rounds as well.
- Willing to take risks – A typical angel investment gives an IRR of 20 – 40% over 5 – 7 years if the startup succeeds. Thus an angel investor has only his experience and the community’s know-how to spot potentially profitable ideas and support them to fruition. Despite all checks, most startups fail and the investor loses a substantial chunk of the funds. This is a prevailing risk in this sector.
Put simply, entrepreneurs have to find angel investors in the early stages of their company. But it is easier said than done. From a wide array of angels in the market today, how does one choose the best fit? Let us try to understand.
Finding a Right Angel Investor
Angel investments despite being risky are trending in equity circles owing to the possibility of massive returns in comparison to regular investment methods. An entrepreneur has to be careful while choosing a connection as their company’s equity is at stake. The way angels carefully scrutinize proposals and decide whom to invest in; founders must research as well before agreeing to onboard an angel investor.
How to find the right angel investor for a startup?
From a sea of potential investors, let us look at some pointers to find angel investors suited for your company:
- Know their profile – As discussed in the previous section, though not mandatory, an accredited investor might be your best option. Their financial background is vetted thus making them more reliable. Apart from this, some other important aspects of their profile could be:
- Ready to invest at least $150,000 and open to participate in angel syndicates increasing the total value of investments.
- Ready to hold the investment for at least 5 – 7 years.
- Successful entrepreneurial experience, preferably in the same industry.
- Enjoys mentoring and willing to be part of a growing venture.
- Geographically well suited, preferably in the same region as the company.
- Participate in business networks – Due to the risk factor involved in angel investments, deals are granted mostly to the ones introduced by a reference. As an entrepreneur, one must focus on establishing their identity in their regional business networks and connect with as many business owners as possible. Business owners have the potential to become angel investors for startups or happen to know many of them.
- Online networks – Online platforms such as websites and social media pages are increasingly trending as active networking platforms. Creating favorable connections has never been easier.
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Current angel investors trends worldwide
The current trends for angel investors have definitely changed the way of investing in startups. Below are some of the current trends of angel investors worldwide:
- Remote investing – There has been an increase in remote investing opportunities. Some startups have reported that they did not need to meet the investors when they received their first angel investment.
- Investment habits – Some investors said that they became more selective on what they chose to invest in due to the increase in valuations. Other investors found to invest in non-local startups as face-to-face interactions with the founders became less important and easier to communicate virtually.
- High valuations and high quality deal flow – Angel investors noticed a trend in extremely high valuations and high quality deal flow. They said that they were surprised at how quick companies can recover quickly while in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Sustainability and diversity – Investors hope to see an increase in sustainable investment opportunities, and support more ethnically diverse and female founders. More health and wellness tech, femtech are what angel investors are looking for in the future.
Top 100 Active Angel Investors List – 2024 Updated
Now that we have a fair idea about how to identify a potential angel investor based on business needs, we present you a comprehensive list of 100 active angel investors. This list aims to provide a snapshot of the investment profile of each of these 100 angel investors.
| S. No. | Organization/Person Name | Number of Investments | Key Investments/ Exits | Number of Exits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexis Ohanian | 167 | Cloud9, Scentbird, Upwave, Tutorspree, Tilt, Upworthy | 49 |
| 2 | Anupam Mittal | 86 | GrayQuest, HoneyVeda, TradeX, Pipemonk, ShaadiSaga, StayAbode, Vebbler | 14 |
| 3 | Arjun Sethi | 71 | Hike, Sleek, Questbook, DAOLens, Truecaller, Snap, Penny | 24 |
| 4 | Ashton Kutcher | 68 | The Faabricant, MoonPay, QD-SOL, NanoNets, Zaarly, Washio ,YourMechanic | 21 |
| 5 | Auren Hoffman | 84 | Sincera, Ex Parte, Aside, Calypso AI, Wove, Siftery, Sendbloom | 38 |
| 6 | Avichal Garg | 60 | Magrathea, Soul Wallet, Pulley, Clay, WayUp, Smash.gg, Setter | 12 |
| 7 | Balaji Srinivasan | 160 | River Platform Company, Internxt, Orchid, Ritual, Baseflow, Clockwork, MediaKits | 1 |
| 8 | Bashar Hamood | 129 | GrowBots, FreelanceX, BubbleFuse, DataVizion, AIBONE, Stellar Value Chain Solutions | 3 |
| 9 | Benjamin Ling | 75 | Hedge Labs, Merlin Labs, Vise, Printify, Zenefits, Wholeshare, Vamo | 34 |
| 10 | Bill Gates | 84 | Inflection AI, Heineken, Mainspring Energy, Lumotive, Schrödinger, Heliogen, Heineken | 12 |
| 11 | Binny Bansal | 73 | Alltius Inc., Leela Life, Virgio, Flash.co, Yumlane, Roposo, Masaba | 6 |
| 12 | Brad Flora | 63 | Sincera, Ex Parte, Aside, Calypso AI, Wove, Siftery, Sendbloom | 15 |
| 13 | Bradley Horowitz | 90 | Parcha Ai, CURB, Mill, Vectra, Slack, Upstart, Physera | 12 |
| 14 | Brendan Wallace | 67 | Yoi Corp, Uproxx Media Group, Tripping.com, Tapiture | 25 |
| 15 | Bryan Rosenblatt | 67 | Robinhood, Pepper, Haus, Rombus, Soundstripe, MetaMap, Visor | 15 |
| 16 | Charlie Songhurst | 207 | Zeuz, Verse, Vamo, Strikedeck, Sendbloom, Rollbox | 28 |
| 17 | Chris Adelsbach | 157 | Renew Risk, Curacel, Blobr, ZASH, Gatsby, Crowdz,UrbanFox | 14 |
| 18 | Chris Sang | 73 | REZA, LeadStory, Segna, Akin,Repeat, Trusted | 10 |
| 19 | Clark Landry | 101 | harvest.ai, ecomom, WONDER, Uplevel Security, Sellbrite | 30 |
| 20 | Cyan Banister | 103 | Orson, Sequel, Bods, Sunroom, Upstart, Uber, Teleport | 25 |
| 21 | Daniel Curran | 185 | Zirtual, WedPics, VetPronto, Verbling, Ticketbis, Pillow, Luxe | 45 |
| 22 | Daren Cotter | 62 | Fulcrum, Delfina, Qualfi, Rentable, Structural, Sezzle | 9 |
| 23 | Dave McClure | 59 | ecomom, Zappli, WePay, Virool, Versus, Social Tables | 28 |
| 24 | Dave Morin | 61 | Yobongo, Workpop, Wavii, Wanderfly, Venmo, Vamo, Tilt | 33 |
| 25 | David Helgason | 62 | slope, Isometric, Salesroom, Boxhub, Headstart, Nextmind | 6 |
| 26 | David Tisch | 89 | numberFire, ZOZI, Welcome, UpNext, Tomfoolery, Solidware | 48 |
| 27 | Dharmesh Shah | 73 | oneforty, Xconomy, Visible Measure, Smarterer, RolePoint | 25 |
| 28 | Dylan Field | 94 | Orchid, Socket, Resend, Warp, Tactic, Loom, Cron | 5 |
| 29 | Eduardo Ronzano | 79 | Kraaft, Frak Labs, Screeb, Spades, Lalilo, OVRSEA | 11 |
| 30 | Edward Lando | 436 | micro1, Skedway, Swaap, Nocturne Games, ZASH, Transposee | 43 |
| 31 | Elad Gil | 186 | iCracked, Twice, Tilt, Tagomi, Qwiki, OpenDNS, Foodzie | 25 |
| 32 | Eric Ries | 63 | Canvas, Kalendar AI, Orgnostic, Mentava, Orion Labs, Strattic | 20 |
| 33 | Eric Schmidt | 57 | Imbue, inflection AI, Beacon, NPR, Upstart, Roadie, Nebia | 14 |
| 34 | Erik Peterson | 58 | Hideout, Miso, CSPA, Clancult, Snapwire, MineralSoft, Embark Tucks | 7 |
| 35 | Esther Dyson | 122 | tbh, eCourier.co.uk, VIzu Corporation, Square, SponsorHub | 29 |
| 36 | Fabrice Grinda | 257 | spotflux, eve Sleep, ecomom, Zesty, Xango.com, WiseStamp | 82 |
| 37 | Farzad Nazem | 63 | talech, inui Health, Virool, Viewics, Tubi, Sano | 31 |
| 38 | Garry Tan | 70 | Virool, URX, Tilt, Swiftype, SpoonRocket, SendHub | 23 |
| 39 | Gary Vaynerchuk | 77 | Sleuth, Deeptune, Webacy, Qonsent, Wildfire, Songza, Uber | 33 |
| 40 | George Burke | 72 | Pendulum, UniX, Sentinel, Portal, Stacks, Factom, AirSwap | 4 |
| 41 | Gokul Rajaram | 181 | Mesh, Middleware, Ansa, Openlayer, Mezi, Troops, Stilt | 15 |
| 42 | Guillermo Rauch | 65 | Perplexity AI, Lineaar, Grit, PartyKit, Middleware, Airplane, Winsdor.io | 2 |
| 43 | Hesham Zreik | 123 | RealBlock, DataFlex, AIBone, CarChain, aboutuz, Dietfoodi, TVlize | |
| 44 | Immad Akhund | 63 | Linear, Lantern, Parabola, Browse AI, Starcity, Naborly, Marble | 4 |
| 45 | Jack Altman | 65 | Slope, Defau;t, Verifiable, Parabola, Sora, Prelude, Nana | 4 |
| 46 | James Sowers | 80 | VetPronto, Spotify, Lemonade, DocuSign, BitTorrent | 9 |
| 47 | Jeremy Yap | 74 | Amino APps, Monzo Bank, Mapillary, Gojimo, Zesty | 16 |
| 48 | Jitendra Gupta | 58 | Cashflo, Dash, Volopay, CoinCRED, TREAD, JoeHukum | 2 |
| 49 | Joanne Wilson | 73 | littleBits Electronics, Switchboard, Scoot, Red Stamp | 13 |
| 50 | Jon Oringer | 148 | ZAMP. Gently, handly, Betterhalf, Transpose, Spenny, Hammerhead | 10 |
| 51 | Jose Marin | 59 | eve Sleep, Virool, Ticketbis, Reverb.com, Pillow, Olapic | 22 |
| 52 | Joshua Schachter | 69 | Worldly Developments, Verbling, UXPin, TalentBin, Square | 32 |
| 53 | Justin Kan | 78 | Proof of Play, ShopMy, Ready Player Me, Bunkyr,Yhat, Socialcam, Seekmi | 7 |
| 54 | Justin Mateen | 135 | Urbanic, Whop, Somethings, Slash, Wellory, Wagr, Quo Finance | 13 |
| 55 | Keith Rabois | 63 | Zimride, Yammer, Votizen, Vamo, Trip.com, Topguest | 40 |
| 56 | Kevin Hartz | 96 | Socket, Granica, Kumo.AI, Microverse, Yammer, Uber, Trulia | 20 |
| 57 | Kevin Lin | 106 | Karat Financial, Scriptic, AnotherBall, Paraform, Zaraz, Trend, Peerwell | 4 |
| 58 | Kevin Mahaffey | 115 | Zesty, Voyat, Teckst, SkyGiraffe, Siftery, Shift, RedLock | 24 |
| 59 | Kevin Moore | 93 | Verbling, UXPin, Streamlabs, Stamplay, Ringadoc | 23 |
| 60 | Kunal Bahl | 78 | Workpop, Vungle, Shift, Propeller, PlanGrid, Pillow, OKpanda | 11 |
| 61 | Kunal Shah | 256 | Jugyah, FreshBus, Tap Invest, Pep, Voonik, TREAD, ShaadiSaga | 14 |
| 62 | Lachy Groom | 105 | Hyperplane AI, Imprint, Circular, Speak, Zepto, Diagram, Resend | 1 |
| 63 | Lee Linden | 73 | Jupiter, Holloway, Outlaw, Kojo, Workpop, Vungle, Shift | 27 |
| 64 | Louis Beryl | 116 | Stelo Labs, Pogo, Astra, Alpaca, Craftwork, Young Alfred, RubiconMD | 31 |
| 65 | Marc Benioff | 181 | Zuora, Vurb, Tapulous, Skylight, Salesforce, Quip | 47 |
| 66 | Mark Cuban | 245 | The Mobile 360, Superfeedr, Soundwave, Ranku, Meta Saas | 33 |
| 67 | Mark Pincus | 84 | Loop, Tract, Fractal, Aside, Summly, Sidecar Technologies, Revlo | 22 |
| 68 | Max Levchin | 102 | Yelp, Yammer, WePay, Wavii, Vurb, Vamo, SmartThings | 32 |
| 69 | Nadav Ben-Chanoch | 191 | Swaap, TRIVER, Mirage, Dotfile, Transpose, Preki, Fuell | 8 |
| 70 | Nat Friedman | 74 | ElevenLabs, Recraft, Matic, Anysphere, Transform, Kite | 6 |
| 71 | Nat Turner | 65 | Collectors, Connie Health, Small Door, Loupe, Zipdrig, Welcome, Troops | 15 |
| 72 | Naval Ravikant | 261 | Vurb, Visually, Uber, Twitter, Trusted, Topguest, Tinychat | 65 |
| 73 | Nitesh Banta | 83 | Keychain, Offline, Maqsad, Brainly, Workflow, Unsplash, Tagomi | 11 |
| 74 | Oskar Hartmann | 62 | Lumaly, Tiggy, SEND, Onigo, Itaro, Sukar, Blink Booking | 8 |
| 75 | Paul Buchheit | 170 | reMail, lvl5, Zesty, Wufoo, Weebly, Virool, URX | 68 |
| 76 | Paul Forster | 57 | Triple, Enzai, Verisian, Outverse, Twizoo, Savvy, Rollbox | 5 |
| 77 | Peter Thiel | 114 | Whop, Lindus Health, River, HiNOTE, PayPal, Meta, Luminar | 21 |
| 78 | Rajan Anandan | 75 | Zenatix, Threadsol, Mypoolin, InstaLively, EasyGov | 18 |
| 79 | Ramakant Sharma | 83 | Jugyah, EquityList, Crib, Apptile, BeepKart, Innovist, Krypto | 1 |
| 80 | Reid Hoffman | 86 | if(we), Zynga, VigLink, Tiny Pictures, Shopkick, Socialtext | 36 |
| 81 | Rob Dobson | 70 | Robotics, Mallzee, Drinkly, Stampede, Prodsight, Metrico Wireless | 4 |
| 82 | Rohit Bansal | 68 | Bluelearn, Flint, Prodo, Slick, Zenatix, Mamaearth, LetsVenture | 11 |
| 83 | Ronald Conway | 103 | Kumo.AI, Armorblox, Overlay, Walnut, Wish, WePay, X | 59 |
| 84 | Sahin Boydas | 75 | Circle, Rally, Biofire, Postman, Knightscope, Kindara, Brainbase | 8 |
| 85 | Sam Altman | 106 | Slope, Induced AI, Warp, Vital Bio, Campus, Quill, Sendwave | 21 |
| 86 | Scott Banister | 147 | iLike, Zappos, Wavii, Vamo, Uber, ToutApp, Topsy Labs | 56 |
| 87 | Scott Belsky | 196 | Lutra AI, Grit, Videowise, Cycle App, Uber, Shape Analystics, Sayspring | 34 |
| 88 | Shane Neman | 74 | Figure, Lindy, Cirkul, Cortina, Dorsia, Guilded, Convoy | 6 |
| 89 | Shervin Pishevar | 151 | Pipe, Alchemy, Cue, Quip, Uber, Yobongo, Washio | 62 |
| 90 | Simon Murdoch | 99 | Vision Direct, SubHub, Spikes Cavell & Co., Shutl, SeeWhy | 22 |
| 91 | Spencer Rascoff | 66 | Afterparty, EasyKnock, Aloft, Syndio, Properly, Wire, MOJO Sports | 12 |
| 92 | Taavet Hinrikus | 96 | Meatable, Ramp, Zego, Inne, Recko, TweetDeck, Pipedrive | 9 |
| 93 | Terry Crospy | 97 | GrowBots, FreelanceX, BubbleFuse, DataVizion, AIBone, CarChain | |
| 94 | Thibaud Elziere | 82 | Notion.so, Meero, Algolia, Front, Agricool, Memo Bank, Virtuo | 4 |
| 95 | Tim Draper | 103 | socket, Vungle, Vizify, Socialcam, Skyward, Up, Baseflow | 22 |
| 96 | Tom Williams | 116 | tbh, Yoi Corp, Uplevel Security, Triggerfox Corporation, Marble | 11 |
| 97 | Vishal Rao | 64 | Delphi, Linum, Anarchy, Bucha Bio, Codiga, Capbase, Knightscope | 3 |
| 98 | Wayne Chang | 90 | Mural, T2, Dispense, InSpace, Pipe, Yoi, Weav | 29 |
| 99 | Wei Guo | 148 | tbh, YesGraph, Worklife, VetPronto, Verbling, TalkIQ | 26 |
| 100 | Will Herman | 57 | Zagster, UpNext, Ubersense, Sequence Design | 22 |
| 101 | Xavier Niel | 103 | Zenly, Trainline Europe, Stootie, Square, Snips, Smart Me Up | 24 |
| 102 | Zach Weinberg | 60 | Scoop, HumanFirst, NightBound, Nym, Troops, Stoke, Pillar | 15 |
List of important Active Angel Investors
Further, we have shortlisted the 20 most influential, well-networked, and diverse individuals who are leading the angel investing scene today. This section provides a brief about each one of them.
1. FABRICE GRINDA
Fabrice Grinda is a New York-based French entrepreneur and super angel. His entrepreneurial journey began in 1998 at the age of 23 when he co-founded and served as the CEO of Aucland, which later became one of the largest auction sites in Europe. He also co-founded Zingy and OLX.
His investments are focused on marketplaces that connect buyers to the target group of sellers. Some of his early investments were in Alibaba, Flexport, Delivery Hero, Betterment, and Brightroll. He runs a startup studio and venture fund named FJ Labs that helps startups build successful companies.
Grinda and his team of experts are known to analyze about 100 companies weekly and commit to a new investment almost every 15 days. He has 640+ startups in the portfolio, of which 70% are in the US, and the rest 30% are distributed globally over Brazil, France, Germany, the UK, Russia, China, and Turkey. Grinda is also a regular business blogger and a public speaker addressing themes such as technology, emerging markets, and investing. His top investments include Airbnb, Boxed, Dropbox, Lending Club, Palantir Technologies, Viagogo, Uber, and Wikimart. Grinda is reputed to hold $300 million in over 150 exits.
2. EDWARD LANDO
Edward Lando, an accomplished entrepreneur and graduate of Wharton, has made a name for himself in the world of startups. In 2013, he launched Pareto Holdings, an early-stage investment firm with a knack for identifying high-potential tech ventures. Spanning over 100 investments across diverse sectors like fintech, healthcare, and consumer goods, Pareto Holdings doesn’t just invest – it actively supports its portfolio, making Lando a valuable partner for budding companies.
He’s known for his willingness to take risks and invest in early-stage startups, prioritizing the team, market opportunity, and product as key factors for success. This philosophy has translated into successful investments, including fintech giants like Ramp and Mercury, alongside innovative platforms like Misfits Market. Recognized as a top angel investor by Forbes and CB Insights, Lando’s influence extends beyond investments. He actively shares his expertise through industry talks and social media engagement, fostering the growth of the startup ecosystem. With his impressive track record and dedication to supporting founders, Edward Lando remains a prominent figure shaping the future of innovative ventures.
3. NAVAL RAVIKANT
Naval Ravikant is an American entrepreneur and investor best known as the co-founder and CEO of AngelList. His entrepreneurial journey began in 1999 as the co-founder of Epinions, a consumer product review site. However, his investing journey began in 2007 when he founded the early-stage venture capital fund with $20 million – The Hit Forge.
Around the same time, he started co-writing a blog named Venture Hacks that “offered detailed advice on negotiating term sheets, explained which sections mattered, and which provisions were bogus.” This blog eventually grew into AngeList, co-founded by Ravikant in 2010.
In 2014, Naval Ravikant launched an investment fund called Spearhead including founders from about 35 companies with a cumulative worth of over $10 billion. Some companies he has invested in are Uber, FourSquare, Twitter, Wish.com, Poshmark, Postmates, Thumbtack, SnapLogic, Opendoor, OpenDNS, Yammer, and Clearview AI. Over the years, Naval has invested in over 200 companies, of which 10 are unicorns, and recorded over 70 successful exits.
4. KUNAL SHAH
Kunal Shah is an Indian entrepreneur, angel investor, and the founder and CEO of CRED, a fintech startup that rewards credit card users for paying their bills on time. He is the co-founder of Freecharge, which was later acquired by Snapdeal for around $400 million. He is a leading figure in technology and startups and has served as a part-time partner at Y Combinator and an advisor at Sequoia Capital. According to a report by A Junior VC, Kunal Shah has made more than 200 investments across start-ups. He is known for his unique angel investing style and has been an early backer of several fintech companies.
He holds a BA in Philosophy from Wilson College, Mumbai. He has invested in multiple projects such as Go-Jek, Zilingo, Unacademy, Shuttl, Chillr, Innov8, Lifcare, TinyOwl, Spinny, Jugnoo, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Azani, Tapzo, Runnr, Flyrobe, Razorpay, Voonik, TVF, PocketAces, Rupeek, Dil Mil, and more. Kunal Shah’s net worth is estimated to be over $500 million, and he has publicly held 7 stocks with a net worth of over Rs. 133.6 Crore as of December 31, 2022.
5. MARK CUBAN
Mark Cuban is an American entrepreneur, individual angel investor, media proprietor, and TV personality. His entrepreneurial journey began by founding a computer consulting service called ‘MicroSolutions’ that was eventually acquired by CompuServe. After this, what began as a solution to not missing out on basketball games, along with his longtime friend Todd Wagner Cuban founded ‘Broadcast.com’ that streamed audio over the internet. This venture too became a grand success and was later acquired by Yahoo for $5.6 billion dollars.
Cuban is popular for owning the NBA Dallas Mavericks and for being the main ‘shark’ in the TV series ‘Shark Tank’. Some of his most profitable investments at ‘Shark Tank’ are Tower Paddle Boards, Nuts ‘N More, Gameday Couture, and Simple Sugars. He also co-owns ‘2929 Entertainment’ and is the chairman of AXS TV.
Mark Cuban is the renowned investor of 11 patents families and 23 distinct patents publications for his inventions and also founded ‘Sharesleuth’ a research and investigation website that uncovers frauds in the financial markets. Cuban has 97 portfolio companies and 21 exits so far.
6. SCOTT BELSKY
In 2017, Scott Belsky became Adobe’s Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President for Creative Cloud. Prior to this, he co-founded Behance in 2006, leading as CEO until Adobe acquired it in 2012. Post-acquisition, Scott served as Adobe’s VP of Products and later joined Benchmark as a General Partner. Returning to Adobe in 2017, he currently holds the role of Chief Product Officer and EVP of Creative Cloud.
Besides his venture capitalist role, Scott manages a portfolio of 150+ private companies from early investments, including Pinterest, Uber, and others. He is also the author of bestselling books “Making Ideas Happen” and “The Messy Middle.” Scott founded the 99U conference, advocating for initiatives empowering creative communities. Recognized in Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” in 2010, Scott previously contributed to Goldman Sachs’ Pine Street Leadership Development Initiative. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and serves on advisory boards for Cornell University’s Entrepreneurship Program and the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Scott resides in both New York City and San Francisco with his family.
7. Marc Benioff
Marc Benioff, the Californian entrepreneur, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Salesforce, has left an indelible mark on the tech industry. Known for revolutionizing customer relationship management with cloud technology, he acquired Time magazine in 2018, showcasing his diverse influence.
Benioff’s journey began at Oracle, where he honed his skills for 13 years before founding Salesforce in 1999. His disruptive leadership turned the company into a global force, earning him recognition as an innovator.
Beyond business, Benioff is a passionate philanthropist, dedicating billions to causes like education and healthcare. An outspoken figure on social and political issues, Benioff, a close confidante of former President Obama, continues to shape public discourse. Beyond his entrepreneurial and philanthropic pursuits, Benioff is also a prolific angel investor. He has personally invested in over 100 startups, spanning various industries like enterprise software, clean technology, and social impact ventures. His early-stage funding and mentorship have helped numerous young companies flourish, solidifying his commitment to fostering innovation and empowering future generations of entrepreneurs.
8. PAUL BUCHHEIT
Paul Buchheit is an American entrepreneur and angel investor based in Mountain View, California. He had co-founded FriendFeed, which Facebook later acquired in a private acquisition in 2009. He was also the creator and lead developer of Gmail. Buccheit co-founded Y Combinator and presently spearheads the Y Combinator Core program. Previously he has also served as an engineer at Intel, Sun Microsystems, and Microsoft.
He turned to angel investing after a rich experience spanning nearly a decade. Buccheit’s investment focuses on media, information technology, health, enterprise software, and analytics-based companies in Silicon Valley and Mountain View. Over the years, he has invested in 150+ US companies and seen nearly 80 successful exits.
9. ELAD GIL
Elad Gil is a prominent American entrepreneur, angel investor, and advisor, notably co-founding Color Genomics and serving as the former Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Twitter. He holds degrees in mathematics and molecular biology, including a PhD from MIT.
Having played a key role at Google and founded Mixer Labs, Gil currently chairs the crypto fund Electric Capital and the drug discovery company Spring Discovery. As of 2021, he advises numerous companies, reflecting his broad industry influence. In 2013, Gil co-founded Color Genomics, a company specializing in genetic testing for hereditary conditions..
Born in 1974 in San Francisco, his multifaceted contributions span entrepreneurship, angel investing, and advancements in healthcare technology. He is a serial entrepreneur, operating executive, and investor or advisor to private companies, including AirBnB, Pinterest, Square, and Stripe. His previous roles include serving as the VP of Corporate Strategy at Twitter, as well as being a co-founder of Color Genomics and Mixer Labs.
10. DANIEL CURRAN
Daniel Curran is one of the most dynamic, well-networked angel investors and tech entrepreneurs in the US, receiving a deal flow of nearly 300 decks weekly. His areas of passion are stopping/reversing human aging, BCI, brain emulation/download and cryonics, empowering customers/voters via new CustEx platform launching soon, and he believes in building $B companies that would improve the world. Daniel Curran holds the rank of #7 among Silicon Valley’s top angel investors, according to Forbes, considering both investment volume and successful exits. His portfolio includes over 176 startups, boasting 8+ Unicorns, an 8x+ TVPI, and garnering 110+ LinkedIn Founder recommendations. Currently serving as the Founder and CEO of CustEx, Daniel focuses on empowering customers and BLM/2020 Election voters to drive improvements.
Formerly a Rocket Scientist, Daniel is known for his forward-thinking perspective, contemplating the future of the Universe for the next century. His dedication extends to making immortality, stopping and reversing aging, and cryonics commonplace, recognizing the investment implications of these endeavors. Daniel identifies limited investors sharing the same vision and perceives significant opportunities for UHNW and Family Offices to outpace venture capitalists with a more liquid structure, especially in the face of current unsustainable public and private investing bubbles.
11. ALEXIS OHANIAN
Born on April 24, 1983, Alexis Ohanian is an Armenian-American entrepreneur, investor, activist, and author, best known as the co-founder of reddit. He openly advocates for the open internet, STEM education, and paid family leave, and has authored the best-selling book ‘Without Their Permission.’
While at the University of Virginia, Ohanian, along with his co-founder Steve Huffman, shifted from a failed food-ordering idea to create reddit.com. His entrepreneurial journey, detailed in “Without Their Permission,” reflects a path from early interests in web design and leadership to founding one of the internet’s most influential platforms.
Ohanian is not only the co-founder of Reddit but also an early-stage venture capitalist at Initialized Capital. Formerly associated with Y Combinator, he has been involved in ventures like Hipmunk and Breadpig. Managing investments over $500 million through Initialized Capital, Ohanian focuses on building companies that matter, with a portfolio boasting a market value of $36 billion, including six unicorns. Identified as a business dad, he remains committed to investing in and building impactful businesses.
12.SCOTT BANISTER
Scott Banister is an American angel investor and entrepreneur. His career began as a pioneer of the email business in 1996 when he co-founded Submit It. Serving as the vice president of technology, the company’s product ListBot ultimately went on to be acquired by Microsoft in 1998. After this success, Banister co-founded and served on the board of many startups, such as eVoice, Idealab, Powerset, and Slide.
He is best known as the co-founder of IronPort and an early investor at PayPal. Banister and his wife co-founded an adult-themed social networking site, Zivity. His other investments include Uber, Zappos.com, LiveOps, Facebook, Hi5.com, Tagged.com, iLike, Causes.com, Topsy Labs, Teleport, Inc., and TekTrak. Scott Banister has a record of 44 exits among 116 portfolio companies.
13. ESTHER DYSON
Esther Dyson is a Swiss-born American entrepreneur who wears many hats. She is an avid investor, philanthropist, journalist, author, and commentator. Dyson is the chairman of ED Venture Holdings and Executive Founder of Wellville, a decade-old non-profit project that focuses on demonstrating the value of investing in health. She is passionate about new business models, technologies and markets and is one of the leading investors in healthcare, open government, digital technology, biotechnology, and outer space.
Apart from investing in startups, she also enjoys mentoring them by being on their Board. Boxbe, CVO Group (Hungary), Eventful.com, Evernote, IBS Group (Russia, advisory board), Meetup, Midentity (UK), NewspaperDirect, WPP Group and Yandex (Russia) are some companies where she presides on the Board. Currently, she holds 80+ portfolio companies and has seen 25 successful exits.
14. MAX LEVCHIN
Max Levchin is a Ukranian-born American entrepreneur and angel investor best known as the co-founder of PayPal and its lead contributor to the anti-fraud processes. His investments are focused on cryptography, product and user-interface design, security, web applications, multi-tier server and network design and implementation. He has also co-founded businesses such as Slide.com, HVF, and Affirm.
Among his many investments, Yelp is notable, where he was one of the earliest investors and their biggest shareholder for a while. Levchin has also invested in Evernote for almost a decade and served in Yahoo’s Board of Directors for three years. Professionally he is a software engineer and was the first executive from Silicon Valley to be appointed for a three year term to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Consumer Advisory Board. He owns 71 portfolio companies and has seen 23 exits over the years.
15. CHARLIE SONGHURST
Charles Songhurst is one of the founding partners of the long-short equities hedge fund Katana Capital. In addition, he is the manager of the Songhurst Group, which owns investments in several private businesses. He is known for his expertise in technology and investment. He gained recognition for his role at Microsoft, where he worked as the Head of Corporate Strategy.
After leaving Microsoft, Songhurst became an angel investor, funding and supporting various startups. Angel investors invest their personal funds in early-stage companies in exchange for equity. Charles oversaw Microsoft’s business strategy, concentrating on M&A and partnerships. He was a part of the Skype purchase as well as the commercial transactions, including Yahoo. Charles was more concerned with the rise of Google and the expansion of the search sector than he was with company strategy. Charles used to work as an analyst in London for McKinsey & Company. Charles graduated from Oxford University with a bachelor’s degree in economics, philosophy, and politics.
16. SAM ALTMAN
Sam Altman, a name synonymous with tech innovation, has transcended the boundaries of being an entrepreneur. His journey started with founding Loopt, showcasing his early entrepreneurial spark. while ventures like OpenAI, focused on responsible AI development, reflect his diverse interests.
With over 140 startups backed, Altman has a keen eye for spotting potential unicorns. From household names like Airbnb and Stripe to disruptive platforms like OpenSea, his portfolio boasts companies that have revolutionized their respective industries. His investment philosophy centers around backing audacious founders with game-changing ideas, offering capital and invaluable mentorship. This, combined with his ability to predict the next big thing, has made him a coveted investor in the tech arena.
But Altman’s influence extends beyond` individual investments. He actively fosters innovation through initiatives like AltSchool, which aimed to reinvent K-12 education, and Worldcoin, a project attempting to provide universal basic income through cryptocurrency. He empowers future generations through these ventures while advocating for responsible technological advancements.
17. Simon Murdoch
Simon Murdoch, a pioneer among UK Internet entrepreneurs, founded the online bookstore Bookpages in 1996, later selling it to Amazon in 1998. During his tenure as VP Europe for Amazon, he oversaw significant growth, transforming the company from a startup to a multimillion turnover business with hundreds of staff.
As an accomplished Angel investor, Murdoch has been involved in successes like Shazam and served as chairman of VideoIsland, which merged with LoveFilm and was acquired by Amazon.com in 2011. His portfolio includes roles at Zoopla! and Shutl, where he currently serves as chairman.
Beyond e-commerce, Murdoch founded FriendsAbroad.com, a language and networking social platform, successfully sold to Lesson Nine GmbH. Presently, he is the CEO of StormForward, a consultancy boosting online sales for retailers. Murdoch, with 99 investments, focuses on supporting UK-based software-driven businesses, raising funds up to £3 million, showcasing his enduring impact on the UK tech and entrepreneurial scene.
18. Cyan Banister
Cyan Banister, a partner at Founders Fund, is a renowned investor with a focus on augmented reality, fertility, and regulated industries. Before joining Founders Fund, she made significant angel investments in groundbreaking companies such as Uber, Thumbtack, SpaceX, Postmates, EShares, Affirm, and Niantic, the creator of Pokémon GO. These early investments underscore her keen ability to identify and support innovative ventures in various sectors.
As a self-taught engineer, Banister held key technical leadership roles, notably at IronPort, contributing to its global success before its acquisition by Cisco. Her expertise in technology is complemented by a deep passion for the arts, evident in her voracious consumption of films, documentaries, and media.
Cyan Banister’s dynamic approach to investments, combined with her diverse portfolio and extensive experience, solidifies her reputation as a trailblazer in the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. Her strategic insights continue to shape the landscape of innovative startups and emerging industries.
19. Binny Bansal
Binny Bansal, an Indian entrepreneur, co-founded Flipkart in 2007, initially as an online bookstore. Over the years, he has assumed various roles at Flipkart, including chief operating officer, chief executive officer, group CEO, and chairman. In 2018, Binny led Flipkart through a historic moment when Walmart acquired a majority stake in the company, marking the largest M&A deal in Indian e-commerce.
As an entrepreneur-investor and startup mentor, Binny has invested in numerous early and growth-stage startups. His portfolio includes Stellaps, Ather, Increff, Inshorts, Tracxn, Acko, and Cure.fit, Rupeek, and GreyOrange. Additionally, he co-founded xto10x Technologies, providing technology tools, learning platforms, and consultancy services for growth-stage startups.
Recognized for his influence, Binny Bansal was ranked 26th among India’s 50 Most Powerful People in 2017 by India Today. He received the 2016 ‘Asian of the Year’ award from Strait Times of Singapore. Binny holds a computer science and engineering bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
20. GOKUL RAJARAM
Gokul Rajaram received an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, a graduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, and an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mr. Rajaram serves on the executive team at DoorDash, a logistics and food ordering service. Before DoorDash, he worked at Square, leading several product development teams and serving on Square’s executive team. Mr. Rajaram was instrumental in building the first version of Google AdSense and grew Google AdSense from zero to over $1 billion in revenues. He went on to found an NLP company acquired by Facebook, where he led the Ads Product team as Product Director, helping grow revenues from $0.75 billion to $6.5 billion, and helped Facebook transition its advertising business to become mobile-first. He also sits on the board of Coinbase, Pinterest (NASDAQ: PINS), The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) and is an advisor to over 50 startups. IITK conferred the Distinguished Alumnus Award to Mr. Gokul Rajaram, 2020.
Top 20 Angel Investors with Highest Number of Exits
In the investment world, “exit” refers to the stage in the funding cycle where investors cease their involvement in the business. Naturally, these decisions can’t be adhoc. An exit strategy must be built into the investment contract so that all stakeholders are aware of their timelines. Angel investments usually last 5 to 7 years. Keeping the exit in mind, operating strategies are designed. The two most popular exit modes are either acquisition by a business giant or an IPO. Either way, without a proper exit strategy in mind, both founders and investors could run into losses.
Here is a compilation of the top 20 angel investors who have had the highest number of successful exits. Smooth exits indicate a healthy investment. In many cases, early exits are preferred as well. To choose the best angel investors who not only provide funding, but also a business mentorship strong enough to guide a growing startup, the number of exits it has is a reliable indicator.
| S. No. | Full Name | Number of Exits | Exit Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fabrice Grinda | 82 | 31.91 |
| 2 | Paul Buchheit | 68 | 40 |
| 3 | Naval Ravikant | 65 | 24.9 |
| 4 | Shervin Pishevar | 62 | 41.06 |
| 5 | Ronald Conway | 59 | 57.28 |
| 6 | Scott Banister | 56 | 38.1 |
| 7 | Alexis Ohanian | 49 | 29.34 |
| 8 | David Tisch | 48 | 53.93 |
| 9 | Marc Benioff | 47 | 25.97 |
| 10 | Daniel Curran | 45 | 24.32 |
| 11 | Edward Lando | 43 | 9.86 |
| 12 | Keith Rabois | 40 | 63.49 |
| 13 | Auren Hoffman | 38 | 45.24 |
| 14 | Reid Hoffman | 36 | 41.86 |
| 15 | Scott Belsky | 34 | 17.35 |
| 16 | Benjamin Ling | 34 | 45.33 |
| 17 | Mark Cuban | 33 | 13.47 |
| 18 | Gary Vaynerchuk | 33 | 42.86 |
| 19 | Dave Morin | 33 | 54.1 |
| 20 | Max Levchin | 32 | 31.37 |
Top 20 Angel Investors with Highest Number of Exit Rate
The ‘exit rate’ indicates how often an angel investor is exiting from its portfolio companies. This is directly connected to the fund holding periods. For example, imagine Angel A has invested in 5 companies with a planned exit after 6 years, and Angel B has invested in 5 companies with a 3 year exit for two companies and 6 yr exit for the other three. At the end of 6 years, Angel A will have the highest exit rate as he exits all five at a time.
However, the dynamics are much more complicated in real time investments. Every company in an Angel’s portfolio will have a customized exit plan and the timelines will overlap. Exit rates can be indicative of a higher chance for accepting new funding applications as the investor is quickly moving out of their existing holdings. Founders must research well as the flip side of this story is that longer holding periods indicate problems in the deal and hence difficulties at sale.
| S. No. | Full Name | Number of Exits | Exit Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Sprott | 25 | 80.65 |
| 2 | Jared Kopf | 14 | 77.78 |
| 3 | Marc Andreessen | 30 | 75 |
| 4 | Raj Sandhu | 17 | 70.83 |
| 5 | Keith Rabois | 40 | 63.49 |
| 6 | Ali Partovi | 24 | 61.54 |
| 7 | Bob Pasker | 19 | 61.29 |
| 8 | Pejman Nozad | 14 | 60.87 |
| 9 | Hadi Partovi | 27 | 58.7 |
| 10 | Ronald Conway | 59 | 57.28 |
| 11 | Mark Goines | 16 | 57.14 |
| 12 | Kevin Rose | 14 | 56 |
| 13 | William Lohse | 16 | 55.17 |
| 14 | Dave Morin | 33 | 54.1 |
| 15 | David Tisch | 48 | 53.93 |
| 16 | Brian Lee | 21 | 53.85 |
| 17 | John Maloney | 17 | 53.13 |
| 18 | Mitchell Kapor | 29 | 52.73 |
| 19 | Timothy Ferriss | 15 | 51.72 |
| 20 | Michael Lazerow | 20 | 51.28 |
| 21 | Chris Sacca | 21 | 51.22 |
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