The San Francisco Bay Area, not content with its status as the cultural and commercial hub of Northern California, has been drawing in the nation’s most lucrative and innovative tech companies for decades.
Home to Silicon Valley and nearly 400,000 high-tech workers, it’s no surprise that the major players in tech investment tend to be operating in the area. Whether you’re looking to invest funds – or just your attention – we present the true financial mentors fuelling evolution in the tech world.
With their combined working experience at Google, Facebook, Youtube and Paypal, few key players are as well informed on Big Tech. At the helm of major early-stage venture funds like 500 Startups and 500 Women, Tsai and McClure are an investment force to be reckoned with.
Known to those truly in-the-know, the Banister’s have been at the forefront of online innovation for the past 20 years, behind the internet’s first voicemail service – eVoice, acquired by AOL – the social networking site Zivity, and Overture’s unique search engine model. You’ll find them in countless boardroom advising on technological ventures.
To give you a sense of Ravikant’s influence, his database angel.co has become the definitive online network for angel investors across the US – ‘angels’ being affluent individuals providing significant capital for startups. Each year sees hundreds of millions of dollars raised through the platform.
An entrepreneur and serial angel investor, Cohen began his Techstars ‘accelerator’ program in 2006 to support tech companies finding their feet – and their funding.
A prolific seed investor who grew his investor network out of South America before spreading across the globe. As a ‘Startup Lecturer’ at Princeton University, Kellner will be shaping the entrepreneurial landscape well before the big money is involved.
After the tech giant acquired his online retail platform Mercantila, Fallows spearheaded both Google’s Shopping Express and Trusted Stores programs. A long-time entrepreneur and investor up to his neck in digital retail.
Even if you don’t know Ohanian, you’ll know of Reddit – the definitive community message board that conquered the internet. His popular business-advice web-series Small Empires has since come to a close, but it’s well worth checking out his bestselling memoir, Without Their Permission, for insights into the man’s success.
Zachary Aarons started out as a co-founder and tour guide for online tourist information library Travelgoat. Now, as a real estate developer helping to develop real estate tech, Aarons is a high-profile investor shaping both digital and physical landscapes.
A long-term venture capitalist and top Wall Street analyst, Naik boasts an investment portfolio spanning hundreds of tech companies. Always looking to the future, Naik’s current ventures include next-gen robotics, B2B payment platforms, and virtual reality communications.
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