Dan Levitan
Dan Levitan | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | Duke University (BA) Harvard Business School (MBA) |
| Occupation | Venture capitalist |
| Known for | Co-founder of Maveron |
| Spouse | Stacey Rae Winston |
| Children | Olivia Levitan and Elana Levitan |
Dan Levitan is a former investment banker turned venture capital investor. He is co-founding partner at Maveron, which invests in consumer-only businesses centered on technology-enabled products and services in commerce, education, and health and wellness.[1]
Biography
Levitan is the son of Minna and Milton Levitan.[2] Levitan is Jewish. He is a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Business School.[2] After school, Levitan spent 15 years in investment banking focused primarily on consumer businesses. During his banking career, Levitan helped more than 100 companies go public, make strategic acquisitions or monetize the equity value they had created.[3] As a Managing Director at Schroder Wertheim & Co., including its predecessor companies (“Schroders”), he led the firm’s consumer group and founded its West Coast investment banking division. Levitan met Howard Schultz in 1991, when Starbucks began planning for its IPO.
Since co-founding the firm with Howard Schultz in 1998, Levitan has led many of the firm’s successful investments including Zulily[4] (NASDAQ: ZU), Potbelly (NASDAQ: PBPB), Trupanion (NYSE: TRUP), Capella Education Company (NASDAQ: CPLA), eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), and Shutterfly (NASDAQ: SFLY). He currently serves on the board of directors of Allbirds, Otis, PlutoVR, Spyce, Trupanion and Two Chairs.
Levitan has been recognized on the 2014 Forbes Midas List [5] as one of the world's top investors. He has also been named NASDAQ private company director of the year.
Philanthropy
Levitan has acted as a board member to numerous private, public and philanthropic organizations. He currently serves as a member of the Boards of Trustees of Seattle Children’s Healthcare System and Seattle Children’s Hospital and he also serves on the Investment Advisory Committee for Seattle Children’s which oversees over $2B in AUM. Levitan is a board member of The Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, where he acts as a judge at the annual New Venture Competition. Levitan is also chair of Brothers for Life (formerly Hope for Heroism), a charity dedicated to supporting wounded Israeli Defense Force soldiers.[6]
Personal life
Levitan married Stacey Rae Winston in a Jewish ceremony at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan. They have two children together. [2]
References
- ^ https://www.maveron.com/team/dan-levitan/
- ^ a b c New York Times: "WEDDINGS; Stacey Winston, Dan Levitan" November 8, 1998
- ^ "Dan Levitan (Co-Founder Maveron)".
- ^ "- Fortune".
- ^ Partners, TrueBridge Capital. "Dan Levitan - pg.8 Forbes".
- ^ Jewish Journal: "Israeli heroes: Some of them admit to needing help" by Simone Wilson July 9, 2013