The venture capital industry continues to evolve, powered by influential investors who are at the forefront of funding transformative businesses and driving technological innovation. These industry leaders have not only accumulated significant wealth but have also played a pivotal role in fostering global business growth and advancement.
Among the standout names are global billionaires featured on Forbes’ 2024 Midas List, an annual compilation of the top venture capitalists worldwide. This elite group reflects the immense influence and foresight required to identify and back groundbreaking startups.
While their contributions span various sectors, all but one of these investors are American citizens, highlighting the United States’ dominant role in the venture capital ecosystem.
Read also: Meet the 10 youngest female billionaires of 2025
According to Forbes, here are the world’s top 7 billionaire venture capitalists as of November 22, 2024.
1. Neil Shen
Neil Shen, with a net worth of $3.7 billion, is the founding and managing partner of HongShan, formerly known as Sequoia China. The firm has backed over 1,500 companies, enabling more than 140 private portfolio companies to achieve unicorn status. Notable investments include ByteDance, valued at $300 billion, and SHEIN, worth $66 billion. HongShan is expanding its European presence with a London office, focusing on late-stage and private equity deals. Recent investments include a $7.8 million funding round for RD Technologies and a $22 million seed funding round for Swiss-Mile, an AI-driven robotics company. Shen ranked third on the Forbes Midas List for the 13th time in 2024.
2. Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman, with a net worth of $2.6 billion, co-founded LinkedIn, which was sold to Microsoft for $26.2 billion. Now a partner at Greylock Partners, Hoffman supports companies like Coinbase, Figma, and Meta. In March 2024, Microsoft paid $650 million for AI software licensing from Inflection AI, a company he co-founded, and absorbed most of its staff. Greylock led a $35 million seed round for Resolve AI this year. Hoffman’s portfolio also includes investments in Airbnb, Aurora, and OpenAI. Ranked eighth on the Forbes Midas List in 2024, Hoffman has channelled $1.5 billion into impact investments.
Read also: Top 3 billionaires gain $263.1 bn combined net worth in 2024
3. Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla, with a net worth of $8.3 billion, founded Khosla Ventures, which focuses on AI, fintech, MedTech, and sustainability. Khosla was an early backer of OpenAI, investing $50 million. In October 2024, OpenAI secured a $6.6 billion funding round, valuing the company at $157 billion. Khosla Ventures also led a $30 million funding round for Even Healthcare. At 69, Khosla climbed to ninth place on this year’s Forbes Midas List.
4. Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel, with a net worth of $13 billion, co-founded PayPal and Palantir Technologies. He is a general partner at Founders Fund, which has invested in companies like Stripe and SpaceX. In October 2024, the firm led a $500 million fundraising round for Crusoe Energy, an AI cloud group valued at $3 billion. In September, Thiel sold 16 million Palantir shares for $600 million, bringing his total sales for the year to over $1 billion. Palantir’s market capitalisation stands at $139.7 billion. Thiel’s fellowship programme has provided grants to young innovators since 2011.
Read also: 10 youngest billionaires on the 2024 Forbes 400 list worth $273 bn combined
5. Mike Speiser
Mike Speiser, with a net worth of $1.2 billion, is a managing partner at Sutter Hill Ventures. He was an early investor and founding CEO of Snowflake, which went public in 2020. Speiser’s recent investments include a $17.2 million seed round for Integrated Bioscience and a $115 million Series B for Observe, Inc. He also serves on Workday’s Board of Directors. Speiser ranked 17th on the Forbes Midas List in 2024.
6. Douglas Leone
Douglas Leone, with a net worth of $8.2 billion, joined Sequoia in 1988 and became a partner in 1993. He led investments in companies such as RingCentral, ServiceNow, and Nubank. In July 2024, Sequoia led a $150 million Series C funding round for Vanta, valuing the company at $2.45 billion. Leone transitioned to venture capital after a career in technical sales and ranks 22nd on the Forbes Midas List this year.
Read also: Nigerian billionaires’ wealth faces further decline in Q3 2024
7. Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen, with a net worth of $1.9 billion, co-founded Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) in 2009. The firm has made significant investments in companies like Instagram, GitHub, and Oculus VR. In November 2024, a16z led a $50 million Series B funding round for 11x, an AI and automation company. Andreessen ranked 36th on the Forbes Midas List in 2024.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
