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Kevin Ryan

Founder & CEO of AlleyCorp

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Overview

Kevin Ryan is the Founder and CEO of AlleyCorp [1][3], a venture capital firm based in New York that invests from pre-seed to Series A across healthcare, AI and software, consumer tech, and deep tech [4]. Ryan has co-founded several companies including MongoDB [9], Business Insider [11], Zola [8], Gilt Groupe [10], Pearl Health [7], and Transcend Therapeutics [6]. Earlier in Ryan's career, they served as President and then CEO of DoubleClick from 1996 to 2005 [12]. Ryan holds a BA in Economics from Yale University [14] and an MBA from INSEAD [13].

Profile introduction
Source excerptLinkedIn [4]

Often called the “Godfather of NYC tech,” Kevin Ryan is one of the leading entrepreneurs and investors in New York. He is the founder and CEO of AlleyCorp, a New York based venture capital firm that incubates and invests (from pre-seed to Series A) across healthcare, AI and software, consumer tech, deep tech, and more. Kevin is also the co-founder of several notable companies including MongoDB, Business Insider, Zola, Gilt Groupe, Pearl Health, and Transcend Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Kevin was the CEO of DoubleClick, which he helped it grow from a 20-person startup to a publicly-t…

Career history

  1. Founder & CEOApr 2007 to PresentAlleyCorp
  2. Co-Founder and ChairmanJan 2021 to PresentTranscend Therapeutics
  3. Founder2021 to PresentPearl Health
  4. Founder & ChairmanMay 2013 to PresentZola.com
  5. Founder & ChairmanMay 2008 to Jul 2019MongoDB, Inc.
  6. Founder & ChairmanApr 2007 to Feb 2016Gilt Groupe
  7. Founder & Chairman2007 to Oct 2015Business Insider
  8. President, then CEO1996 to 2005DoubleClick
  9. Founder & ChairmanMongoDB

Education

  1. MBA1990 - 1990INSEAD
  2. BA, Economics1981 - 1985Yale University
  3. Chagrin Falls High School1981

Insights & ideas

The through-line

Across every conversation, Kevin Ryan is presented in the same role: an operator who builds companies rather than an investor who only backs them. He is described as founder and CEO of AlleyCorp, the firm that both founds and funds businesses out of New York, with MongoDB, Business Insider, Gilt Groupe, Zola, Nomad Health and Pearl Health among the companies he co-founded, and DoubleClick, which he led before its acquisition by Google, as the origin point [3][8][12]. The recurring frame is scale achieved repeatedly rather than once: founder or CEO of more than five multi-billion dollar companies over twenty-five years [7], and companies founded or backed worth more than $40 billion combined [6].

The second constant is place. He is repeatedly cast as the "godfather" of New York tech [6][12], and his appearances cluster around the ecosystem's own milestones, including the 30th anniversary of Silicon Alley and the arc from 1995 to the present [1][3]. AlleyCorp's stated motto, "We Found Companies. We Fund Companies. We Pay It Forward," is the firm's own formulation of that posture [7]. What shifts over time is the subject matter rather than the method: earlier conversations centre on the early days of the internet and the state of the market [11], later ones on artificial intelligence in the decade ahead [6].

On founding companies rather than only funding them

The distinctive claim in his work is the studio model. He has described how he runs AlleyCorp as a venture studio valued in excess of $20 billion and how it launches roughly eight companies a year [10]. That cadence is the point: company creation treated as a repeatable process with its own machinery rather than a series of one-off bets. Colleagues at the firm have laid out the mechanics of the incubation side, including how an incubation studio approaches innovation, how ideas are tested for whether they can become businesses, what happens once a compelling idea is identified, and the concept of idea-market fit [9]. The firm also invests conventionally, with general partners leading deals such as its investment in Eyebot [5].

On founders, CEOs and how companies get funded

He has taken up several contrarian positions about how venture works. Whether the best CEOs are also the best fundraisers, and whether the best founders are insiders to a problem or outsiders to it, are questions he has argued through directly, alongside the view that ownership should not be a focus in venture capital [8]. Scaling MongoDB to a $26 billion market cap is the case study he returns to for lessons on building at that scale [8], a company later described as valued at $30 billion [6].

On media

Media businesses are a recurring test case. He co-founded Business Insider, later sold [6][8], and he has explained why Buzzfeed ultimately failed [10], a judgement that sits alongside his own experience of building and exiting a digital news property. DoubleClick occupies a similar analytical role, both as the company he joined in 1996, months after its founding, and as the business he helped turn into the most important New York technology company of its era [1][3].

On healthcare, psychedelics and new categories

A significant part of his recent company creation is in health. He has argued for the rise of psychedelics as healthcare, treating it as a genuine medical category rather than a fringe one [11], and his co-founded companies include Nomad Health and Pearl Health [8][12]. The pattern is consistent with the studio approach: identifying underbuilt sectors and starting companies inside them rather than waiting for founders to arrive.

On the decade ahead

His forward-looking view is centred on artificial intelligence and what it means for the next ten years [6]. That sits within a longer historical perspective he draws on regularly, having been present for the early days of the internet and able to compare cycles and market conditions across three decades [1][3][11]. He has also spoken about leadership specifically under crisis conditions, drawing on his experience as founder, operator and investor [7].

Takeaways

  • AlleyCorp both founds and funds companies, and Ryan has described running it as a venture studio worth more than $20 billion that launches around eight companies a year [10].
  • He argues that ownership should not be a focus in venture capital, and questions whether the best CEOs are necessarily the best fundraisers [8].
  • Whether great founders are insiders or outsiders to the problem they are solving is a question he takes a position on directly [8].
  • MongoDB's growth to a $26 billion market cap is his primary reference case for lessons in scaling [8], with the company later cited at $30 billion [6].
  • He has explained why Buzzfeed ultimately failed, drawing on his own experience co-founding and exiting Business Insider [10][6].
  • He treats psychedelics as an emerging healthcare category rather than a fringe one [11], consistent with co-founding Nomad Health and Pearl Health [8][12].
  • The firm's operating creed is "We Found Companies. We Fund Companies. We Pay It Forward" [7].
  • Having joined DoubleClick in 1996, months after its founding, he uses the full 1995-to-now arc of New York tech as the frame for reading current cycles and the coming AI decade [1][3][6].

Media & appearances

  • In the Know with Amol SarvaApple Podcasts
    Kevin Ryan, Alleycorp + MongoDB ++ Doubleclick, DilbertWelcome to my series on OG NY Tech Celebrating 30 years of the New York tech ecosystem, from 1995 to now. Kevin Ryan joined DoubleClick in 1996, just months after it was founded—and helped turn it into the most important New York technology com
  • Inspired with Alexa von TobelApple Podcasts
    Kevin Ryan, the Godfather of NYC Tech, on AI in the Decade AheadKevin Ryan is known as the godfather of New York City tech. Over three decades, he's founded or backed companies worth more than $40 billion combined, including DoubleClick (acquired by Google), MongoDB (now valued at $30 billion), Business Insider (sol
  • Office HourApple Podcasts
    Kevin P. Ryan on DoubleClick, AlleyCorp, and the 30th Anniversary of Silicon AlleyOn today’s episode Brendan Vaughan talks to Kevin Ryan. Kevin is the founder and CEO of AlleyCorp, the VC firm behind companies like Business Insider, Gilt Groupe, Zola and Mongo DB. But, you might remember Kevin as the CEO of Double Click, one of the
  • The VentureFizz PodcastApple Podcasts
    Episode 382: Abe Murray - General Partner, AlleyCorpEpisode 382 of The @Venturefizz Podcast features Abe Murray, General Partner at AlleyCorp. I recently had Matthias Hofmann, the Co-Founder & CEO of Eyebot on the podcast and when I was doing my research on the company, I realized that their recent in
  • The Twenty Minute VC (20VC)Apple Podcasts
    20VC: Are the Best CEOs the Best Fundraisers, Are the Best Founders Insiders or Outsiders to a Problem, Why Ownership Should Not Be a Focus in VC & The Biggest Lessons Scaling MongoDB to $26BN Market Cap with Kevin Ryan, Founder @ AlleyCorpVenture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch: Kevin Ryan is one of the leading serial entrepreneurs and investors in New York. Previously he co-founded MongoDB, Business Insider, Gilt Groupe, Zola, Nomad Health, Pearl Health, and was the CEO of DoubleClick (Acquired by Google for...
  • The Daily BolsterApple Podcasts
    Deep Dive with Kevin RyanTune in to this deep dive episode as Matt interviews Kevin Ryan, Founder and CEO of AlleyCorp. Kevin is an influential leader in the New York tech scene, with success stories including companies like DoubleClick, Gilt, and Business Insider. He and Matt
  • My First MillionApple Podcasts
    Kevin Ryan: How This Billionaire Founder Finds +$20B Business IdeasEpisode 495: Shaan Puri (https://twitter.com/ShaanVP) and Sam Parr (https://twitter.com/theSamParr) talk with Kevin Ryan, Founder and CEO of AlleyCorp, an incubator and venture capital fund behind Business Insider, MongoDB, GILT and Zola among others. Kevin shares how he runs his +$20B venture studio AlleyCorp, why Buzzfeed ultimately failed, how he launches 8 companies a year and much more. Want to see more MFM? Subscribe to the MFM YouTube channel here. — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com/ Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Try Shepherd Out - https://www.supportshepherd.com/ • Shaan's Personal Assistant System - http://shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant • Power Writing Course - https://maven.com/generalist/writing • Small Boy Newsletter - https://smallboy.co/ • Daily Newsletter - https://www.shaanpuri.com/ — Show Notes: — Links: • Kevin’s Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinryan3/ • AlleyCorp - https://alleycorp.com/ • Business Insider - https://www.businessinsider.com/ • Henry Blodget - https://twitter.com/hblodget • MongoDB - https://www.mongodb.com/ • Gilt - https://www.gilt.com/ • The Ladders - https://www.theladders.com/ • RippleMatch - https://ripplematch.com/ • Do you love MFM and want to see Sam and Shaan's smiling faces?
  • The Logan Bartlett ShowApple Podcasts
    EP 56: Kevin Ryan (AlleyCorp, MongoDB, Business Insider, Zola) – The Rise of Psychedelics as Healthcare, Early Days of the Internet, State of the MarketIn the 56th episode of The Logan Bartlett Show, Kevin Ryan (AlleyCorp, MongoDB, Business Insider, Zola) joins to discuss the rise of psychedelics as healthcare, the early days of the internet, and the current state of the market. Mixed and edited: Sam Dewees Produced: Andrew Nadeau and Rashad Assir Executive Producer: Josh Machiz Music: Griff Lawson 🎙 Listen to the show Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/three-cartoon-avatars/id1606770839 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9zb0hJZkhWbg 🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1 Follow on Socials 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow 🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow About the Show Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.
  • Consumer VCApple Podcasts
    Wendy Tsu & Susannah Shipton (AlleyCorp) - Going from idea to venture-scalable businessMy guests today are Wendy Tsu who is a partner of new business ventures at AlleyCorp and Susannah Shipton, Head of Platform and investor at AlleyCorp. AlleyCorp was founded by Kevin Ryan and both founds and funds companies in New York. On this particular episode, we're going to focus more on the founding / incubation side of AlleyCorp, which I thought was truly fascinating. Some of the companies AlleyCorp founded was MongoDB, Zola, Business Insider, GILT and Nomad Health. Some of the questions I ask Wendy and Susannah: What was each of your attraction to innovation and startups?Tell us about AlleyCorp because it's a bit of a different type of fund that we've discussed on the show.What is an incubation studio and how do you think about innovation?How do you think about ideas that could be businesses? Where do you start?Walk us through your process of once you have a compelling idea what happens next?This concept of idea-market fit.
  • The Multiplier EffectApple Podcasts
    Kevin Ryan — The Key to Great Leadership During the CrisisIn episode eleven of our Investor Series, Linda Rottenburg, CEO and Co-Founder of Endeavor, interviews Kevin Ryan, Founder & Chairman at AlleyCorp. At AlleyCorp, the simple motto, "We Found Companies. We Fund Companies. We Pay It Forward," belies the incredible vision and fortitude Kevin Ryan has brought to his storied career as a serial entrepreneur. The results speak for themselves: Kevin has been the founder or CEO of more than five multi-billion dollar companies over the last 25 years, and he's not done yet! In this episode, Kevin shares his deep experience as a founder, operator, and investor in some of the most well-recognized brands on the planet.
  • Leadership, Brand Strategy & Transformation - Minter DialogueApple Podcasts
    MDE36: Kevin Ryan, CEO and founder of GILT, Business Insider & MongoDBWelcome to the Minter Dialogue Radio Show #36This interview is with Kevin Ryan, entrepreneur, business leader and angel investor. As CEO, he helped build DoubleClick basically from scratch into a multi-billion dollar business. Kevin has since gone to invest in a number of winning adventures and founded the Alleycorp network, which includes three companies each of which has met with great success, including the hugely popular Business Insider for business news and analysis, Mongo Database and the upscale GILT flash sale e-commerce site. In this interview, as ever, Kevin calls it as he sees it and provides non stop great perspectives and thoughts on building a successful business. Meanwhile, you can comment and find the show notes on themyndset.com where you can also sign up for my weekly newsletter. Or you can follow me on Twitter on @mdial. And, if you liked the podcast, please take a moment to go over to iTunes to rate the podcast.Enjoy the show!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/minterdial)
  • My First MillionApple Podcasts
    Kevin Ryan: How This Billionai… - My First Million - Apple PodcastsEpisode 495: Shaan Puri (https://twitter.com/ShaanVP) and Sam Parr (https://twitter.com/theSamParr) talk with Kevin Ryan, Founder and CEO of AlleyCorp, an incubator and venture capital fund behind Business Insider, MongoDB, GILT and Zola among others. Kevin shares how he runs his +$20B venture studio AlleyCorp, why Buzzfeed ultimately failed, how he launches 8 companies a year and much more. Want to see more MFM? Subscribe to the MFM YouTube channel here. — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com/ Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Try Shepherd Out - https://www.supportshepherd.com/ • Shaan's Personal Assistant System - http://shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant • Power Writing Course - https://maven.com/generalist/writing • Small Boy Newsletter - https://smallboy.co/ • Daily Newsletter - https://www.shaanpuri.com/ — Show Notes: — Links: • Kevin’s Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinryan3/ • AlleyCorp - https://alleycorp.com/ • Business Insider - https://www.businessinsider.com/ • Henry Blodget - https://twitter.com/hblodget • MongoDB - https://www.mongodb.com/ • Gilt - https://www.gilt.com/ • The Ladders - https://www.theladders.com/ • RippleMatch - https://ripplematch.com/ • Do you love MFM and want to see Sam and Shaan's smiling faces?
  • In this episode of Capital for Good we speak with Kevin Ryan, one of New York’s leading internet entrepreneurs and investors, and often called the “Godfather of NYC tech.” Ryan is a co-founder of MongoDB, Business Insider, Gilt Groupe, Zola, PearlApple Podcasts
    Kevin Ryan, the Godfather of NYC Tech - Apple Podcasts
  • John Kerwin InterviewerYouTube
    Kevin Ryan InterviewBekijk je favoriete video's, luister naar de muziek die je leuk vindt, upload originele content en deel alles met vrienden, familie en anderen op YouTube.
  • Spotify
    20VC: Are the Best CEOs the Best Fundraisers, Are the Best ... - Spotify

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