Roy Bahat
Roy Bahat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | circa. 1977[1] |
| Alma mater | Harvard University and University of Oxford[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Venture capitalist and activist |
| Employer | Bloomberg Beta |
| Title | Head of Bloomberg Beta |
| Website | Personal website |
Roy Bahat (b. 1977) is a venture capitalist, educator, and activist. He is currently the head of Bloomberg Beta, the venture capital arm of Bloomberg. He teaches at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Early life and education
[edit]Bahat was born in 1977.[1] His mother worked for the American Jewish Committee and his father was an architect.[1] He graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude and was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford.[1] At Oxford, Bahat earned a Master's degree in economics.[1]
Career
[edit]In 2002 Bahat worked for then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the Senior Policy Director.[2] He left to work for a non-profit called NYC2012, which advocated for the 2012 Summer Olympics to be held in New York City.[3] In 2007, Bahat started at News Corporation.[1] He later led the News Corp. brand IGN Entertainment.[4] Bahat left News Corp. in August 2012.[5] He also cofounded a gaming console company called OUYA and created a non-profit.[2]
Bahat has been a venture capitalist since about 2012.[2] He was known in part for funding smaller startups where the founders still had day jobs.[2] In September 2020, Bahat moved temporarily to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in an effort to influence politics in a swing state.[6] He raised money for the Democratic party.[6] He was also involved with "Walk the Vote," a non-partisan group that organizes marches to voting booths.[6] Bahat was on the board of a New York City Jewish day school called the Abraham Joshua Heschel School.[1]
Bahat and his partners invested in artificial intelligence company Newsle in 2014.[7] Roy Bahat advised the first Starbucks union organizers.[8]
In 2013, Bloomberg Beta was created and Bahat was appointed head of the new entity.[9] Bahat is a partner of Bloomberg Beta along with Karin Klein and James Cham.[10] Bahat started teaching an MBA course on leading a unionized workforce at University of California, Berkeley.[11] He also was a member of the Future of Work Commission, a governmental organization focused on economic growth in California.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Bahat is married with two children.[6] He and his wife are both involved in political activism in support of the Democratic party in the United States.[6] His wife works in the arts.[6] Bahat and his wife married in 2007.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sara Fenske, Roy Bahat". The New York Times. May 27, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Shibu, Sherin (October 23, 2019). "Here's how a former New York City policy wonk transitioned from a City Hall job to running an early-stage VC fund". Business Insider. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Thrush, Glenn (February 3, 2004). "An Eye on the Prize / Mayor wants award-winning students". Newsday. p. A03.
- ^ "Bloomberg Begins Fund to Invest in Start-Ups". The New York Times. June 5, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Grubb, Jeff (October 16, 2012). "Going once; going twice: News Corp. to auction off IGN Entertainment". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Kassel, Matthew (November 3, 2020). "The Silicon Valley VC who decamped to Wisconsin to get out the vote". Jewish Insider. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Rafieyan, Darius (September 18, 2023). "'The scholar, the pragmatist, and the rainmaker:' How three Bloomberg Beta VCs bet on AI before it became a buzzword". Business Insider. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ Lapowsky, Issie (August 31, 2023). "This VC believes in unions. Can he convince the rest of corporate America to join him?". Fast Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ Lawler, Ryan (June 5, 2013). "Bloomberg Launches Bloomberg Beta, A $75 Million Early-Stage Investment Fund Led By Former IGN Exec Roy Bahat". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Loizos, Connie (October 18, 2019). "Bloomberg Beta, now six years old, closes its third $75 million fund". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ "Authorities Step Up Their Crypto Crackdown". The New York Times. February 17, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.