Dan Levitan
Dan Levitan | |
---|---|
Nationality | United States |
Education |
B.A. Duke University M.B.A. Harvard Business School |
Occupation | venture capitalist |
Known for | co-founder of Maveron |
Spouse(s) | Stacey Rae Winston |
Parent(s) |
Minna Osinoff Levitan Milton Levitan |
Dan Levitan is co-founder and partner for venture capital firm 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 (née Osinoff) and Milton Levitan.[2] 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 15 years ago, Levitan has led many of the firm’s successful investments including Capella Education Company, Quellos [legal name] (acquired by Blackrock NASDAQ: BLK), Potbelly, and Zulily.[4] He currently serves on the board of directors of PayNearMe, Pinkberry, Potbelly, and Trupanion, and was recognized on the 2014 Forbes Midas List [5] as one of the world's top investors.
Philanthropy
Levitan has acted as a board member to numerous private, public and philanthropic organizations, including The Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, where he regularly acts as a judge and mentor in connection with the school’s annual Business Plan Competition. He has also served as a member of Duke University's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Board of Visitors, and currently serves on the board of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Levitan is a supporter of Hope for Heroism, a charity dedicated to supporting Israeli Defense Force soldiers.[6]
Personal life
Levitan married Stacey Rae Winston in a Jewish ceremony at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan.[2]
References
- ↑ http://www.maveron.com/bio/dan-levitan-alt.php
- 1 2 3 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