Jeffrey Katzenberg
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Jeffrey Katzenberg has raised a boatload of cash for his holding company WndrCo.
The former chairman of Disney Studios and founder and CEO of Dreamworks has raised $460 million for the investment firm he co-founded with Sujay Jaswa, through both seed and venture capital funds. WndrCo says it will use the money to invest in “high-potential companies solving big problems in the future of work, consumer technology, cybersecurity and developer infrastructure.”
Katzenberg and Jaswa founded WndrCo in 2016, and the company has approximately $1.3 billion in assets under management. The company’s investments include 1Password, Airtable, Aura, Databricks, Figma and Super Unlimited.
Since founding the investment company, the entertainment veteran has of course also founded and shut down the ill-fated short video platform Quibi.
More recently, Katzenberg has spoken out about the impact artificial intelligence will have on society and business (including the entertainment industry) and has worked on President Biden’s re-election campaign.
“Imagination has always been in my DNA. When Sujay and I founded WndrCo, we aimed to be the ‘founders behind the founders’ – helping entrepreneurs realize their vision and meet the challenges required to build something truly game-changing,” Katzenberg said in a statement . “Today, with our newest funds, we are doubling down on that mission by investing in bold founders who are redefining the way we live, work and protect ourselves. Each WndrCo partner has built companies with global impact, and we are prepared to work with entrepreneurs to share and act on these hard-won lessons.”
“We go beyond investing by actively building businesses, making us attuned to every challenge and opportunity our entrepreneurs face,” Jaswa added. “Jeffrey is a master storyteller who can open doors few can, ChenLi Wang is one of Silicon Valley’s leading product thinkers, Jeff Nykun lends his analytical skills from public and private markets to catalyze the growth of portfolio companies, and Anthony Saleh is in the epicenter of culture and consumer behavior. Together we use our collective expertise to turn ambitious visions into reality. We have the patience and expertise to build world-changing companies, and with these latest funds we are excited to drive the next wave of breakthrough innovations.”