Lawrence Braitman

Larry Braitman is a San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneur-turned-investor with a career rooted in the first wave of internet advertising. In 1996 he co-founded Flycast Communications, which built the first banner-advertising network aimed at direct-response buyers. Flycast went public in 1999 (raising roughly $75 million) and was acquired in 2000 for more than $2 billion. He followed that with Adify, an ad-network technology and back-office platform for media companies, where he served as Chairman of the Board from 2006 to 2008; Adify was acquired by Cox Enterprises in 2008 for approximately $350 million.

Before his technology career, Braitman practiced business law as a partner at a firm in Philadelphia. He earned his J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center and his undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College, where he now serves on the Board of Trustees.

Today he invests and advises through Braitman & Co., based in the South Park neighborhood of San Francisco. He is best known as the initial (first-money-in) investor in Flixster, the movie-discovery service later acquired by Warner Bros. and folded into Fandango; he is credited with helping close an $80 million deal with Warner Brothers in 2011. He is notably resistant to the "angel" label — "Please don't call me an angel investor. This isn't a hobby; I'm not gambling" — positioning himself instead as a disciplined early-stage backer who works actively alongside founders.

Beyond investing, Braitman supports philanthropic causes including the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, Doctors Without Borders, and the Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) Foundation.

• Invests at pre-seed and seed, frequently as the first money in to young companies.
• Typical individual check sizes of roughly $50K–$100K, participating in seed rounds that can range widely in total size.
• In his own words: *"I recognize raw potential and have a knack for turning modest niches into mass markets."*
• Emphasizes being an active, value-add investor: *"I actively add value at every stage through financing, deal structure, strategic partnerships, M&A, positioning, executive recruiting, and mentoring."*
• Sector affinity reflects his operating background — advertising/adtech, digital media and publishing, consumer internet, social, applications, games, and increasingly AI.
• Looks for teams and products "on the cusp of breakout success" rather than pure moonshots; frames investing as a discipline, not a hobby.