AC

Alex Chung

North America, New York, United States, New York

Description

Alex Chung is a highly successful serial entrepreneur and active angel investor based in New York City, widely recognized as the founder and CEO of GIPHY. His entrepreneurial journey is marked by a series of innovative ventures, culminating in the creation of GIPHY, the popular GIF search engine, which was acquired by Facebook (now Meta) for a reported $400 million in 2020. This significant exit has positioned Chung as a prominent figure in the tech ecosystem, enabling him to actively support the next generation of startups.

As an angel investor, Alex Chung primarily focuses on early-stage companies, often participating in pre-seed and seed rounds. His investment thesis appears to align closely with his operational expertise, favoring consumer technology, social platforms, and tools for creators. His portfolio boasts investments in several high-profile startups that have gone on to achieve significant traction, including the audio-chat app Clubhouse, the newsletter platform Substack, and the email client Superhuman. Other notable investments include meditation app Calm, podcasting platform Anchor, and product discovery site Product Hunt.

While specific check sizes for his individual angel investments are not publicly disclosed, given his track record and the substantial proceeds from the GIPHY acquisition, it is understood that his contributions are meaningful. Typically, successful founders turned angels like Chung deploy capital ranging from an estimated $50,000 for smaller, strategic participations up to $500,000 for more significant lead or co-lead roles in seed rounds. His involvement often extends beyond capital, providing valuable strategic guidance and network access to the founders he backs. His consistent activity in the angel investment space underscores his commitment to fostering innovation within the tech landscape.

Investor Profile

Alex Chung has backed more than 22 startups, with 1 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 0 rounds, about 0% of its total and boasts 4 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Pre Seed, Series A rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Germany, Singapore.
  • Strong thematic focus on Video, Internet, Software.
  • Typical check size: $50K – $500K.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (55%)
  • Pre Seed (27%)
  • Series A (9%)
  • Series B (5%)
  • Angel (5%)

Country Focus

  • United States (86%)
  • Germany (5%)
  • Singapore (5%)

Industry Focus

  • Video
  • Internet
  • Software
  • Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
  • Information Technology
  • E-commerce
  • Health Care
  • Generative Ai
  • Graphic Design
  • Social Media
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does Alex Chung frequently co-invest with?

Notation Capital
North America, New York, United States, Brooklyn
Co-Investments: 3
TMV
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 2
Techstars
North America, Colorado, United States, Boulder
Co-Investments: 2
Third Kind Venture Capital
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 3
SV Angel
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Co-Investments: 3
Greycroft
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 2
Pareto Holdings
North America, Florida, United States, Miami
Co-Investments: 2
Betaworks
North America, New York, United States, New York
Co-Investments: 3
Lightspeed Venture Partners
North America, California, United States, Menlo Park
Co-Investments: 2
CC
Europe, England, United Kingdom, London
Co-Investments: 2

Which angels does Alex Chung often collaborate with?

EL
North America, Florida, United States, Miami Beach
Shared Deals: 2
WC
North America, New York, United States, Manhattan
Shared Deals: 2
BR
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
CD
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
PS
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
AD
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Shared Deals: 2
SB
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
CK
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 2
EG
North America, California, United States, San Francisco
Shared Deals: 2
AK
North America, California, United States, Palo Alto
Shared Deals: 2

What are some of recent deals done by Alex Chung?

Not Diamond allows developers to automatically route AI questions to the most appropriate models.

Information TechnologyInternetMachine Learning
SeedJul 30, 2024
Amount Raised: $2,300,000
Pika

Palo Alto, California, United States

Pika is a startup that develops an AI-powered platform for editing and generating films from captions and still images.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Generative AIGraphic DesignVideo
Series BJun 5, 2024
Amount Raised: $80,000,000
Pika

Palo Alto, California, United States

Pika is a startup that develops an AI-powered platform for editing and generating films from captions and still images.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Generative AIGraphic DesignVideo
Series ANov 28, 2023
Amount Raised: $35,000,000
Grapevine

New York, New York, United States

The donor platform for collaborative giving.

Social Entrepreneurship
SeedAug 8, 2023
Amount Raised: $1,670,000
Ghost Message

New York, New York, United States

Ghost Message enables users to send an anonymous message to pals in a group chat to flirt, make jokes, or pose queries.

MessagingSocial Media
SeedMar 15, 2023
Amount Raised: $8,000,000
Along

Berlin, Berlin, Germany

The #1 buyer engagement platfporm

Software
Pre SeedSep 29, 2022
Amount Raised: $982,932
Hypersonic Laboratories

Los Angeles, California, United States

Hypersonic Laboratories is developing HELIX, the ultimate open-world sandbox game.

GamingSoftwareVenture CapitalVirtual World
Pre SeedSep 1, 2022
Amount Raised: $3,500,000
Yomi Games

Singapore, Central Region, Singapore

Yomi Games is a blockchain gaming studio developing social Play-and-Earn video games.

BlockchainGaming
SeedApr 19, 2022
Amount Raised: $2,000,000
Honeycomb

San Mateo, California, United States

Social app for saving family memories

ConsumerFamilyMedia and EntertainmentSocial MediaSoftware
SeedDec 13, 2021
Amount Raised: $4,000,000
Infinite Objects

Brooklyn, New York, United States

Infinite Objects offers consumer display products for personal, entertainment, art, and NFT content.

BlockchainConsumer ElectronicsE-CommerceVideoWeb3
SeedJan 14, 2021
Amount Raised: $480,000