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Biz Stone

North America, California, United States, San Francisco

Description

Biz Stone is a prominent figure in the technology and venture capital landscape, best known as a co-founder of Twitter. His entrepreneurial journey extends beyond Twitter, encompassing roles at Xanga, Google, and co-founding companies like Jelly Industries (acquired by Pinterest) and The Obvious Corporation. Transitioning from a serial entrepreneur to an active investor, Stone has leveraged his deep industry insights and network to back promising startups across various stages, establishing himself as a significant angel investor and a venture capitalist.

As an angel investor, Biz Stone has a prolific track record, having personally invested in over 50 companies. His early-stage investments often focus on innovative companies with strong potential for disruption and positive societal impact. Notable early bets include Square, the mobile payments company, and Beyond Meat, the plant-based food producer, which he backed before its public listing. His angel checks typically support seed and pre-seed rounds, demonstrating a commitment to nurturing nascent ventures from their foundational stages.

Beyond his personal angel activities, Stone is a co-founder and general partner at Obvious Ventures, a venture capital firm established in 2014. Obvious Ventures is distinguished by its "world positive" investment thesis, focusing on companies that combine profit with purpose across sectors like sustainable systems, healthy living, and people power. The firm has raised substantial capital, including its fourth fund, Obvious Ventures IV, which closed at $343 million in 2023.

Stone's investment philosophy reflects his entrepreneurial spirit, prioritizing founders with bold visions and a commitment to creating meaningful change. His dual role as an active angel investor and a co-founder of a mission-driven venture fund provides him with a broad reach across the startup ecosystem, from early ideation to significant growth stages. This comprehensive approach underscores his influence in shaping the next generation of impactful companies.

Investor Profile

Biz Stone has backed more than 50 startups, with 0 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 2 rounds, about 4% of its total and boasts 11 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Series A, Seed, Pre Seed rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, United Kingdom, India.
  • Strong thematic focus on Software, FinTech, Artificial Intelligence (AI).
  • Typical check size: $50K – $15M.

Stage Focus

  • Series A (30%)
  • Seed (30%)
  • Pre Seed (14%)
  • Series B (12%)
  • Series Unknown (8%)
  • Series C (6%)

Country Focus

  • United States (64%)
  • United Kingdom (18%)
  • India (6%)
  • Argentina (4%)
  • Finland (2%)
  • Sweden (2%)
  • France (2%)
  • Kenya (2%)

Industry Focus

  • Software
  • Fintech
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Saas
  • Information Technology
  • Food And Beverage
  • Apps
  • Financial Services
  • Internet
  • Mobile
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Biz Stone frequently co-invest with?

CS
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 3
Index Ventures
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3
TrueSight Ventures
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Co-Investments: 3
Digital Garage
Asia, Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo
Co-Investments: 3
BoxGroup
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 3
Able Partners
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 3
Andreessen Horowitz
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 3
Giant Ventures
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Co-Investments: 3
True Ventures
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Co-Investments: 3
Future Positive
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 4

Which angels does Biz Stone often collaborate with?

Daniel Greenberg
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
PF
North America, Massachusetts, United States, Cambridge
Shared Deals: 4
Dave Gilboa
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
EW
North America, California, United States, Los Angeles
Shared Deals: 2
SC
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Shared Deals: 3
AB
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
SB
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
JC
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 3
ML
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 3
Ali Rampurwala
Asia, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by Biz Stone?

Vantage Discovery

San Francisco, California, United States

Vantage Discovery is a generative AI-powered SaaS search and content discovery platform that provides personalized shopping recommendations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Content DiscoveryPersonalizationSaaSSemantic Search
Series AJun 4, 2024
Amount Raised: $16,000,000
Karat Financial

Los Angeles, California, United States

Karat Financial offers business credit cards tailored to the needs of digital creators and influencers.

Content CreatorsCredit CardsFinanceFinancial Services
Series BJul 19, 2023
Amount Raised: $40,000,000
Config

San Francisco, California, United States

Config combines engineering, operations, and manufacturing to simplify the large-scale shipment of high-quality hardware.

HardwareInformation TechnologySoftware
SeedJun 6, 2023
Amount Raised: $5,000,000
Kapu

Nairobi, Nairobi Area, Kenya

Kapu operates as a B2C Ecommerce start-up.

E-Commerce
SeedDec 4, 2022
Amount Raised: $8,000,000
Oxwash

Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Oxwash is a provider of sustainable on-demand laundry and wet and dry cleaning services for all.

CleanTechHome ServicesLaundry and Dry-cleaningLogistics
Series AAug 30, 2022
Amount Raised: $11,658,504
Chroma

Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden

Chroma is the future sound of entertainment.

Digital EntertainmentMusicSocial Media
SeedApr 30, 2022
Amount Raised: $5,377,285
Tagg

Palo Alto, California, United States

Tagg lets content-creators earn crypto for being engaging.

Content CreatorsInternetSocial MediaSocial NetworkWeb3
Pre SeedDec 17, 2021
Amount Raised: $2,000,000
Pomelo

Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina

Pomelo develops a digital processing platform to provide personalized virtual accounts and cards through APIs and dashboards.

Credit CardsFinancial ServicesFinTechInformation Technology
Series AOct 21, 2021
Amount Raised: $35,000,000
Syndicate

Mountain View, California, United States

Syndicate is a decentralized asset management platform and social network.

CryptocurrencyDeveloper APIsSoftware
Series AAug 31, 2021
Amount Raised: $20,000,000
FabricNano

London, England, United Kingdom

FabricNano is a cell-free biomanufacturing company that develops biocatalysts to unlock the future of biochemistry.

BiotechnologyChemicalNanotechnology
Series AJun 30, 2021
Amount Raised: $12,500,000