LSIPR 50 2017: Brian Singerman
Name: Brian Singerman
Organisation: Founders Fund
Position: Partner
Brian Singerman is a partner of Founders Fund, a venture capitalist firm which achieved a return of $1.7 billion after it sold California-based biotechnology company Stemcentrx to AbbVie in 2016.
"Singerman’s company has invested in well-known companies such as Airbnb and Spotify."
Founders Fund focuses on investing in companies which have the potential to become some of the “most important” in the world, according to Singerman. Although Founders Fund has made a successful investment in biotech companies like Stemcentrx, the venture capitalist firm invests in a variety of sectors including aerospace, artificial intelligence, and advance computing, among others.
Singerman’s company has invested in well-known companies such as Airbnb, and Spotify, and was also an early investor in Facebook.
He has previously described himself as a “generalist” in an interview with Pando.com, a web publication that offers technology news, analysis and commentary with a focus on Silicon Valley and startup companies.
According to Singerman in the interview, it is important to be a generalist.
“I know this is contrary to the rest of the Silicon Valley speak. But it means you are open to whatever comes around.”
Singerman started his career as an investor when he founded his own ‘angel’ fund, the XGYC Fund, seeking early-stage opportunities with businesses that challenge the status quo.
He invests across all industries and stages, with a particular passion for companies which are reinventing large sectors such as healthcare, biotechnology and education.
Singerman sits on the boards of financial company Affirm, AltSchool, which is a partnership between educators, entrepreneurs and engineers, and biotech company Emerald Therapeutics. He was also a board director at Stemcentrx before the company was acquired by AbbVie.
He previously worked as an engineer and executive for Google where, among other projects, he founded iGoogle, a portal for personalised home pages.
Singerman has been a member of the Founders Fund, which manages over $3 billion, since 2008.
