Naval Ravikant

Naval Ravikant is a renowned entrepreneur, angel investor, and thought leader at the intersection of technology, startups, and personal development. He is the co-founder, former CEO, and current chairman of AngelList, a pioneering platform that has transformed how startups raise capital and recruit talent.

Over the past two decades, Ravikant has invested in more than 100 companies, including iconic successes such as Twitter, Uber, Yammer, Stack Overflow, and FourSquare. His investment philosophy, focused on backing disruptive ideas early and empowering founders has earned him recognition as one of Silicon Valley’s most respected “super angels.”

After earning degrees in Computer Science and Economics from Dartmouth College in 1995, Naval entered Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom. In 1999, he co-founded Epinions, one of the internet’s first consumer review platforms. The company later merged with Dealtime to form Shopping.com, which went public in 2004 and was eventually acquired by eBay. This experience laid the foundation for his transition from entrepreneur to investor.

In 2007, Ravikant launched Hit Forge, an early-stage venture fund that backed some of the most impactful startups of the decade. That same year, he co-authored Venture Hacks, a blog demystifying the startup fundraising process. The blog became the genesis for AngelList, launched in 2010 with co-founder Babak Nivi, to democratise startup investing by connecting founders directly with angel investors.

In addition to his entrepreneurial work, Ravikant is widely followed for his ideas on wealth creation, decision-making, and mental clarity. His writing and short-form podcast at Nav.al, including the viral essay How to Get Rich (Without Getting Lucky) have been shared by millions and translated into dozens of languages. He also co-hosts Spearhead.co, a program supporting founders who want to become angel investors.