Founders
Find founders that have made an exit and their detailed information.
| Name | Exit Amount | Exit Date | Exit Date (year) | Exited Company | Sold to | Exit Story | Country | Now working on | Linkedin Profile | Recommendations | Request an intro | Added on Yurexit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Systrom | 1,000,000,000 | 09/04/2012 | 2012 | [Read The Full Story] Instagram was founded on October 6, 2010, by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in San Francisco, California. The app quickly gained popularity for its simple and intuitive photo-sharing features, allowing users to apply filters and share images with followers. Within two years, Instagram grew rapidly, amassing millions of users. On April 9, 2012, Facebook acquired Instagram for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock. At the time of the acquisition, Instagram had around 30 million users and had just launched its Android app, further expanding its user base. |
United States | Kevin Systrom is currently involved with Artifact, an AI-driven news aggregation and discovery platform he co-founded with Mike Krieger. Artifact was acquired by Yahoo in March 2024, and Systrom continues to work with Yahoo in an advisory capacity during the transition. Artifact aims to provide personalized news and content experiences using AI technology to curate relevant stories for users |
Airtable | 07/06/2024 | ||||
| Jan Koum | 19,000,000,000 | 19/02/2014 | 2014 | [Read The Full Story] WhatsApp was founded on February 24, 2009, by Jan Koum and Brian Acton in Mountain View, California. Initially designed as a status update app, it soon pivoted to a messaging platform. WhatsApp gained popularity for its ad-free, reliable, and secure messaging service. By 2014, it had over 600 million users. On February 19, 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for approximately $19 billion. |
Ukraine | Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, is now focused on his new venture, Newlands, a venture capital firm he started with Michael Abramson, a former partner at Sequoia Capital. Founded in 2021, Newlands has built a significant presence in the tech investment sector, managing a portfolio worth billions, primarily in public tech equities like Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta. Besides investing in established tech giants, Newlands also backs early-stage startups, particularly in the artificial intelligence sector. |
Airtable | Get an intro | 07/06/2024 | |||
| Palmer Luckey | 2,000,000,000 | 25/03/2014 | 2014 | Oculus | Oculus was founded in July 2012 by Palmer Luckey with the goal of developing groundbreaking VR technology. The company quickly gained attention and funding through a successful Kickstarter campaign ($2,500,000 collected) and two subsequent investment rounds ($16 million in a Series A and $75 million in a Series B). Facebook acquired Oculus for $2 billion in March 2014, with the vision of expanding VR technology beyond gaming into social media, communication, and other fields. |
United States | Palmer Luckey is currently CEO of Anduril Industries, which he founded in 2017 after leaving Oculus. Anduril is a defense technology company that focuses on developing advanced surveillance and defense systems using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other cutting-edge technologies. Anduril aims to modernize and enhance national security and defense capabilities with products like the Lattice AI software platform, the Sentry Tower for autonomous border security, and the Ghost drone, among other innovative defense solutions. |
Airtable | 08/06/2024 | |||
| Marc Lore | 3,300,000,000 | 08/08/2016 | 2016 | Jet.com | Walmart | [Read The Full Story] Jet.com was founded in July 2014 by Marc Lore, Mike Hanrahan, and Nate Faust as an innovative e-commerce platform aimed at competing with Amazon by offering dynamic pricing and significant savings to consumers. Officially launched on July,21 2015, Jet.com quickly grew, attracting millions of customers and significant investment. Walmart acquired Jet.com for $3.3 billion in August 2016 to enhance its e-commerce capabilities and better compete with Amazon. |
United States | Marc Lore founded Wonder, a food delivery and technology company that aims to revolutionize the dining experience. He is also working on an ambitious project called Telosa, a proposed city designed to be a sustainable and innovative urban development. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Marc Lore continues to be active as an investor and advisor, supporting various startups and technology companies. |
Airtable | 08/06/2024 | ||
| Lynda Weinman | 1,500,000,000 | 09/04/2015 | 2015 | Lynda.com | Lynda.com was founded in 1995 by Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin as an online platform offering video tutorials and courses on a variety of topics. It grew to become a leading resource for professional and creative skills, adopting a successful subscription model. On April 9, 2015, LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com for $1.5 billion to integrate its educational content with LinkedIn's professional network. |
United States | Lynda Weinman, the co-founder of Lynda.com, is currently involved in the arts, specifically ceramics. After selling Lynda.com to LinkedIn in 2015, she pursued her interest in ceramics, which led to the creation of the Clay Studio in Goleta, California. The Clay Studio, co-founded with Patrick Hall, is a non-profit community ceramics center that offers studio space, classes, and workshops. Weinman has been focusing on combining traditional ceramics techniques with 3D clay printing, a field she became deeply involved in during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Airtable | Get an intro | 08/06/2024 | ||
| Bryan Johnson | 800,000,000 | 26/09/2013 | 2013 | Braintree | Paypal | [Read The Full Story] Braintree, founded in 2007 by Bryan Johnson, quickly became a prominent payment processing company by offering developer-friendly tools for integrating online and mobile payments. With a client list that included major companies like Uber and Airbnb, Braintree solidified its position in the market. In 2013, PayPal acquired Braintree for $800 million, seeking to enhance its mobile payments capabilities and integrate Braintree's innovative technology and customer base. |
United States | Bryan Johnson is currently working on several projects aimed at extending human lifespan and enhancing human capabilities. His most notable project is "Project Blueprint," which focuses on reversing the aging process and improving overall health. Bryan is also involved with Kernel, a company he founded that develops advanced brain-machine interfaces. These interfaces are intended to help understand and potentially augment human cognitive functions. |
Airtable | 09/06/2024 | ||
| Sam Yagan | 50,000,000 | 02/02/2011 | 2011 | OkCupid | Match.com | OkCupid, founded in 2004 by Chris Coyne, Sam Yagan, Christian Rudder, and Max Krohn, revolutionized online dating with its data-driven matching algorithms and comprehensive questionnaires. The platform quickly gained a large user base due to its unique and engaging user experience. In February 2011, Match Group acquired OkCupid for $50 million, aiming to enhance its portfolio of dating services. |
United States | Sam Yagan is currently focused on his role at Corazon Capital, a venture capital firm he co-founded. Corazon Capital invests in early-stage technology companies, and Sam leverages his extensive experience in the tech and startup sectors to guide and support these ventures. Additionally, he has been involved with ShopRunner, serving as its CEO until its acquisition by FedEx in late 2020 |
Airtable | Get an intro | 09/06/2024 | |
| Benoit Bourdel | 4,650,000 | 26/01/2024 | 2024 | Luko | Allianz Direct | Luko, a French insurtech company, was founded in 2018 by Raphael Vullierme and Benoit Bourdel. The company aimed to revolutionize the home insurance industry with a digital-first approach, offering affordable and comprehensive home insurance policies. Luko quickly gained traction in the European market, attracting a substantial user base and raising significant funding from investors. On January 26, 2024, Luko was acquired by Allianz Direct, a subsidiary of Allianz, for €4.3 million (approximately $4.65 million). |
France | Benoit Bourdel is still the CTO of Luko. He is also involved in early-stage investments, primarily in the pre-seed stage, with a focus on sectors like insurance and AI. | Airtable | Get an intro | 07/06/2024 | |
| Assaf Rappaport | 32,000,000,000 | 18/03/2025 | 2025 | Wiz | Wiz was founded in January 2020 by Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, Yinon Costica, and Roy Reznik. The company rapidly established itself as a leader in cloud security, offering innovative solutions that enabled businesses to detect and remediate risks across their cloud environments. On March 18, 2025, Google announced an agreement to acquire Wiz for $32 billion in cash, marking Google's largest acquisition to date. | Israel | Assaf Rappaport is currently Co-founder & CEO of Wiz, a cloud security platform securing multi-cloud environments at scale.
He leads product and go-to-market, with a heavy emphasis on simplifying risk visibility, posture management, and remediation for enterprise teams. Wiz continues expanding its unified security graph and AI-assisted workflows to help organizations find and fix critical issues faster. |
21/03/2025 | ||||
| Allison Ellsworth | 1,950,000,000 | 17/03/2025 | 2025 | Poppi | PepsiCo | [Read The Full Story] Poppi was founded in 2015 by Allison Ellsworth and Stephen Ellsworth as a beverage company focused on creating prebiotic sodas made with apple cider vinegar and clean ingredients. The brand gained rapid traction through influencer marketing, strong retail partnerships, and a viral social media presence, becoming one of the most recognized functional beverage brands in the U.S. In 2025, Poppi was acquired by PepsiCo for approximately $1.95 billion, with the goal of expanding its portfolio of better-for-you beverage options and capturing the growing health-conscious consumer market. |
United States | Allison Ellsworth is Co-Founder & Chief Brand Officer at Poppi, steering brand, product innovation, and community for the prebiotic soda company.
Her focus includes retail expansion, limited-time flavors, and collaborations that amplify Poppi’s better-for-you positioning. She continues to champion clean-label beverages while scaling Poppi’s presence across grocery, food-service, and DTC channels. |
25/03/2025 | |||
| Tom Bilyeu | 1,000,000,000 | 22/08/2019 | 2019 | Quest Nutrition | Simply Good Foods | [Read The Full Story] Quest Nutrition was founded in 2010 by Tom Bilyeu, Mike Osborn, and Ron Penna as a producer of high-protein bars, shakes, and other low-sugar nutritional snacks. It scaled rapidly, becoming one of the fastest-growing consumer brands in the U.S., driven by social media, influencer seeding, and expansion into broader health snack categories. In August 2019, The Simply Good Foods Company acquired Quest for $1.0 billion in cash, aiming to bolster its portfolio of nutrition and snacking brands. |
United States | Tom Bilyeu is CEO & Co-Founder of Impact Theory, a media company producing interviews, courses, and IP around mindset and peak performance.
He hosts long-form conversations with scientists, founders, and creators while building education products and creator partnerships. Impact Theory’s current work spans podcasts, digital learning, and original storytelling aimed at personal and professional growth. |
23/03/2025 | |||
| Alexis Barreyat | 537,000,000 | 11/06/2024 | 2024 | BeReal | Voodoo | [Read The Full Story] BeReal was founded in 2020 by Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau as a social media app encouraging users to share one unfiltered photo per day to promote authenticity. The app rapidly gained global popularity, especially among Gen Z, thanks to its unique “once-a-day” posting concept and focus on genuine, unedited moments. In June 2024, French mobile company Voodoo acquired BeReal for approximately €500 million, aiming to strengthen its position in the social and entertainment app ecosystem. |
France | Alexis Barreyat is Founder of BeReal, where he continues to be associated with the product and community around authentic, unfiltered sharing.
Public profiles and industry trackers list him as a key leader tied to BeReal’s ongoing evolution and feature roadmap. His focus centers on fostering genuine daily posting behaviors and tools that reduce curation in social media. |
23/03/2025 | |||
| Chad Hurley | 1,650,000,000 | 13/11/2006 | 2006 | YouTube | YouTube was founded in February 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim as a platform for users to upload, share, and view videos online. The site experienced explosive growth, rapidly becoming the leading destination for online video content and community-driven entertainment. In November 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock, aiming to expand its presence in digital media and online advertising. |
United States | Chad Hurley is currently the CEO of EyeTell, Inc., a company he founded to explore AI-driven video and content generation. He also remains active as an angel investor, having made 16 known investments to date, including a recent Series A in Polycam. Beyond tech, Hurley holds minority ownership stakes in sports franchises like the Golden State Warriors (NBA) and Los Angeles Football Club (MLS), and in 2021 became an investor in Leeds United (Premier League). | 07/06/2024 | ||||
| Markus Frind | 575,000,000 | 14/07/2015 | 2015 | Plenty of Fish (PoF) | Match.com | Plenty of Fish (PoF) was founded in 2003 by Markus Frind as a free online dating platform designed to make meeting people simple and accessible. Built and operated almost entirely by Frind himself, the site quickly grew to millions of active users worldwide, generating significant revenue through advertising with minimal overhead. In July 2015, Match Group acquired Plenty of Fish for $575 million, aiming to strengthen its dominance in the online dating market alongside Tinder, OkCupid, and Match.com. |
United States | Markus Frind is currently serving as the CEO of Cymax Group Technologies, a furniture e-commerce and logistics company in which he holds a majority ownership stake. He first invested in Cymax back in 2015, and in March 2024 he formally stepped into the full CEO role to infuse fresh technological vision and strategic direction. In addition to his leadership at Cymax, Frind is actively pursuing his passion for wine through his Frind Estate Winery, combining his family’s long history in agriculture with his entrepreneurial spirit. |
07/06/2024 | |||
| Joel Spolsky | 1,800,000,000 | 02/06/2021 | 2021 | Stack Overflow | Prosus (Naspers) | Stack Overflow was founded in 2008 by Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood as a question-and-answer platform for professional and enthusiast programmers. It quickly became the go-to community for developers worldwide, amassing millions of users and becoming one of the most visited sites for coding knowledge and problem-solving. In June 2021, Stack Overflow was acquired by Prosus for $1.8 billion, with the goal of expanding Prosus’s presence in the global education and developer community sectors. |
United States | Joel Spolsky is currently a co-founder of HASH, a platform focused on making it easier to build simulations and cleaner, programmatically usable datasets from imperfect web data. He also holds the position of Chairman of the Board at Stack Overflow, Glitch, and HASH, remaining closely involved in their strategic direction. After stepping away from day-to-day operations at Stack Overflow, Spolsky has shifted focus toward projects that combine his interests in software tooling, data, and community, while occasionally writing and speaking about software and tech. |
07/06/2024 | |||
| Ander Michelena | 165,000,000 | 24/05/2016 | 2016 | Ticketbis | eBay | Ticketbis was founded in 2009 by Ander Michelena and Jon Uriarte with the goal of creating a reliable global secondary ticketing marketplace. The company expanded rapidly across 40+ countries and built a trusted brand in event ticket resale through its seamless platform and international reach. In May 24, 2016, eBay acquired Ticketbis for $165,000,000, with the aim of integrating and scaling its StubHub business globally. |
Spain | Ander Michelena is currently a General Partner at Acurio Ventures, where he leads early-stage investments in European startups. After exiting his prior venture, Ticketbis, Ander transitioned into venture capital and co-founded Acurio (formerly part of the All Iron Ventures group). In his current role he oversees sourcing, deal execution, and portfolio support. Acurio Ventures aims to back and scale mission-driven tech startups across Europe, combining capital with operational support to help founders grow sustainably. | ||||
| Exit Amount | Exit Date (year) | Country |
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