Joshua Kushner

Joshua Kushner (born June 12, 1985, Livingston, New Jersey) is an American businessman, venture capitalist, and the youngest son of real-estate developer Charles Kushner. He attended Harvard College, graduating in 2008 with a B.A. in Government, and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2011. While still an undergraduate, he co-founded Vostu, a social-gaming network targeting Latin American markets, pooling $10,000 with two graduate-school classmates during his junior year. After college he spent a year in the Merchant Banking Division (Private Equity) at Goldman Sachs, working on distressed-debt transactions, before returning to Harvard for business school.

In 2009, at the age of 24, Kushner founded Thrive Capital to formalize the angel investments he had been making in New York's tech ecosystem. General Catalyst co-founder Joel Cutler provided the initial $5 million in seed capital in 2010 and helped introduce early institutional backers. From that modest start, Thrive has grown into one of the most influential venture firms in the world, now managing over $25 billion across ten funds. Kushner also co-founded Oscar Health in 2012 alongside Mario Schlosser and Kevin Nazemi, aiming to reinvent health insurance with a technology-first approach. Oscar went public in 2021 and has since grown to approximately 1.65 million members with $2.4 billion in quarterly revenue.

Beyond venture capital and health tech, Kushner launched Thrive Holdings in April 2025, a vehicle that acquires and operates businesses positioned to benefit from artificial intelligence — starting with accounting and IT services. In sports, he acquired a minority stake in the Miami Heat in 2024 (having previously held a stake in the Memphis Grizzlies). TIME named him to its 100 Most Influential People in AI list in 2025, reflecting his central role in financing the current wave of AI companies.

Thrive Capital's strategy centers on high-conviction, concentrated bets with deep founder relationships rather than broad portfolio diversification. The firm favors software, internet, and technology-enabled businesses and invests across the full lifecycle — from seed rounds to multi-billion-dollar growth checks. Key thesis pillars include:

Kushner's personal investment philosophy emphasizes partnering with founders "building movements, not just companies," and maintaining positions over the long term — Thrive's buy-and-hold approach in early funds has reportedly lifted returns sixfold.

• AI & Foundation Models: Long-time backer of OpenAI (led the $6.6 billion round in October 2024; invested an additional ~$1 billion at a $285 billion valuation in December 2025). Also invested in Anysphere (Cursor), Isomorphic Labs (AI-driven drug discovery), and Physical Intelligence (robotics).
• Enterprise & Developer Infrastructure: Stripe, Databricks, Airtable, Ramp, Plaid, Scale AI.
• Consumer & Marketplace Platforms: Early stakes in Instagram, Spotify, Twitch, GitHub, Instacart, Glossier.
• Healthcare & Insurtech: Oscar Health (co-founded), leveraging technology to reduce costs and improve member experience.
• Defense & Industrial Tech: Anduril Industries (co-leading a ~$4 billion round in March 2026 alongside Andreessen Horowitz).
• Media & Entertainment: A24 (independent film studio).
• Thrive Holdings (Buy & Build): Acquiring and operating traditional businesses, embedding OpenAI engineering teams to accelerate AI adoption in accounting, IT services, and beyond.

| Company | Sector | Note | |---|---|---| | OpenAI | AI / Foundation Models | Led $6.6B round (Oct 2024); additional ~$1B at $285B valuation (Dec 2025) | | Stripe | Fintech / Payments | Growth-stage investor | | Instagram | Social Media | Early investor (pre-Facebook acquisition) | | Spotify | Music Streaming | Early investor | | GitHub | Developer Tools | Early investor (pre-Microsoft acquisition) | | Anduril Industries | Defense Tech | Co-leading ~$4B round (Mar 2026) | | SpaceX | Aerospace | Growth investor | | Oscar Health | Insurtech / Healthcare | Co-Founder & Vice Chairman | | Databricks | Data & AI Infrastructure | Growth investor | | Anysphere (Cursor) | AI Developer Tools | Investor | | Scale AI | AI Data Infrastructure | Investor | | Ramp | Fintech / Corporate Cards | Investor | | Plaid | Fintech / Infrastructure | Investor | | Airtable | Productivity / SaaS | Investor | | Instacart | Grocery / Marketplace | Investor | | Twitch | Livestreaming | Early investor (pre-Amazon acquisition) | | A24 | Film & Entertainment | Investor | | Glossier | DTC Beauty | Investor | | Robinhood | Fintech / Brokerage | Investor | | Physical Intelligence | AI / Robotics | Investor | | Isomorphic Labs | AI Drug Discovery | Investor |