Big-time venture capitalists invest their money in big-time companies. We know this, and so do you. However, there are also the hidden gems, the startups quickly gaining traction in their respective fields. We’ve identified 5 tech magnates and their recent investments in some new and exciting tech startups. Familiarize yourself with these 10 companies because they’re here to stay. We highlight recent investments by Mark Cuban, Steve Anderson, Elon Musk, Michael Dell, and Jim Goetz.
1) Mark Cuban
Estimated Net Worth: $3.3 billion
• Majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks
• Owner of Landmark Theatres
• Owner of Magnolia Pictures
Characterized by his brash personality, tech savviness, and business success, Mark Cuban is a seasoned investor whose big break came when he sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5.7 billion back in 1999.
Two Recent Investments
A computer vision technology company started in 2014, wrnch aims to deliver a new standard in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The development team is lean and efficient, creating some of the most promising leaps forward in the AR/VR revolution. Check out the wrnch technology and their AR toolkit here.
“As a diversified technology investor, I have a ring side seat to watch how AR/VR is set to change the world. I am excited to help the wrnch become the go-to tool for computer vision development.” – Mark Cuban
Breathometer started as a plug-in device for your iPhone, delivering accurate blood-alcohol results. This is the base product Cuban invested $500,000 in. Less than two years later, a partnership with Uber unfolded, to tackle drunk driving. Now, there is Breathometer Mint, the new health device delivering detailed oral hygiene results directly to your smartphone.
2. Steve Anderson
Estimated Net Worth: Upwards of $150 million
• Founder of Baseline Ventures
• First investor in Instagram
Make no bones about it, Anderson is an eccentric investor. The former electronic music DJ runs an unconventional, one-man investment company (Baseline Ventures), allowing him to meet with other investors and companies at a blisteringly fast pace.
Two Recent Investments
Founded in 2013, this startup aims to help marketers optimize the emails sent to their clients. sendwithus provides a template for including your marketing content in your transactional emails. Transactional emails are known to have a higher click-through rate than marketing emails, and sendwithus is working to capitalize on this.
Gild is the new way to efficiently find the right talent for your company. At its heart, Gild is a bunch of data scientists using predictive analytics and machine learning to find the job candidates your company needs to contact. The Gild database has 150 million profiles and growing, working to solve the inefficiencies present in current hiring processes.
3) Elon Musk
Estimated Net Worth: $11.7 billion
• CEO of SpaceX
• CEO of Tesla Motors
• Chairman of Solar City
Focused and impatient, Musk is known for his counterintuitive blend of optimism and an obsession with details.
Two Recent Investments
“NeuroVigil, under Dr. Low’s leadership, is the only company I know that has a true potential to completely revolutionize neuroscience. That is because Dr. Low is committed to building a platform of devices, machine learning algorithms and databases which accurately measure pathologies across time, before symptoms and major, mostly irreversible, damage in the brain occur.” – Elon Musk
NeuroVigil is not your average tech company. Focused on improving the human condition, their research combines neuroscience, wireless brain recordings, and high-level mathematical algorithms. Their gathered information is being used in various medical fields, addressing a number of unsolved medical conditions.
Vicarious focuses on accelerating AI, trying to bring a human-level of perception and language to machine learning and algorithm creation. Started in 2010, the research team at Vicarious has worked tirelessly to bring the human sensory experience to intelligent computers.
4) Michael Dell
Estimated Net Worth: $20.3 billion
• Founder & CEO of Dell Inc.
Michael Dell is known for his engaged, hands-on approach to business, along with his blend of quiet confidence and approachability.
Two Recent Investments
Delivering scalable enterprise data services, iMerit has been building their reputation since being founded in 2011. iMerit is more than just on-demand data services; they focus on building their India office team through providing IT training to marginalized youth in India. Check out their extensive list of data services here.
Portworx brings easy, efficient container storage to businesses. Above that, all their containers are multi-cloud compatible and ready. Portworx’s innovative container design and implementation is also significantly lower cost than traditional storage area networks (SANs).
5) Jim Goetz
Estimated Net Worth: $800 million
• Venture Capitalist at Sequoia Capital
• Sole investor in WhatsApp when Facebook acquired the company
Goetz is the shrewd venture capitalist bringing humility and a down-to-earth attitude to the industry.
Two Recent Investments
An unconventional advertising company, Drawbridge works to connect brands to people through various devices. The company specializes in cross-device marketing initiatives, trying to perfect marketing for the digital age.
Drawbridge Cross-Device Marketing
Springpath is paving the way in the field of hyper-convergence software, uniquely offering enterprise-grade features at an annual rate. The Springpath Data Platform rose from HALO architecture and features a wide range of servers that run your applications. The end result is private cloud features at a public cloud price.
Honorable Mentions
Meg Whitman and Mesosphere
Jeff Bezos and Rescale
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