Alan Patricof is a legendary venture capital investor who has founded multiple leading firms in the arena, including Apax Partners, Greycroft LLC, and Primetime Partners.
One of the first leaders in the industry, he has become one of the country’s pre-eminent authorities on public and private venture capital. A longtime innovator and advocate for venture capital, Patricof entered the venture capital industry in its formative days with the creation of Patricof & Co. Ventures Inc. in 1969. Patricof & Co. was a predecessor to Apax Partners which today is one of the world’s foremost private equity firms with $41 billion under management. His most recent venture, Primetime Partners, is focused on backing technology designed for people in their later stages of life, and investing in mature entrepreneurs.
Patricof has been instrumental in facilitating the seed funding of many major global companies, including Apple Computer, America Online, Office Depot, and Audible. After many years of large-scale investing, in 2004 he stepped back from the daily administration and operational aspects of Apax Partners, LP to concentrate on a smaller investment business model, focusing on a group of small venture deals. In 2006, he founded Greycroft Partners, a venture capital firm, to invest in early and expansion stage investments in digital media. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, Greycroft is currently investing from its fifth Fund as well as its second Growth Fund, and has over $1 billion under management.
With a 40-plus year career in venture capital, Patricof has been instrumental in growing the venture capital field from a base of high net-worth individuals to its position today with broad institutional backing, as well as playing a key role in the essential legislative initiatives that have guided its evolution. He was also a founder and chairman of the board of New York magazine, which later acquired the Village Voice and New West magazine.
Patricof graduated from Ohio State University and received his MBA from Columbia University School of Business.
He serves on a number of boards including Columbia Graduate School of Business, and Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem, and is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has previously served as a member of the President’s Global Development Council, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, TechnoServe, Trickle Up Program, Global Advisory Board of Endeavor, and the World Bank.
Patricof has participated in many TCG programs and events, including Social Impact - Change and Investing in the Wake of the Coronavirus with Sir Ronald Cohen, and most recently First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (and Unelected) People Who Shaped Our President's on October 21, 2021.
He currently serves as a member of The Common Good Honorary Advisory Board.
Twitter: @alanjpatricof
Selected Media:
Latest appearance on CNBC: Greycroft's Alan Patricof: Social media companies have effectively become utilities
Patricof, New York Times Op-Ed Stopping Start-Ups
Patricof for Business Insider Confessions Of A VC Raising Money During Financial Armageddon
Patricof for The Hill: Say what you will about the presidential candidates, as long as it isn't 'They're too old'
