Kun Gao

Kun Gao is a prominent angel investor and a highly successful entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Crunchyroll, the leading global streaming service for anime. His operational expertise, honed through scaling Crunchyroll from a startup to a global media powerhouse, provides him with a unique perspective as an investor. Crunchyroll's eventual acquisition by Sony from AT&T for approximately $1.175 billion in 2021 underscores his deep understanding of building and exiting high-growth consumer internet businesses. Currently, Gao continues to build and innovate as the Co-Founder, President, and COO of Forge and GGWP, platforms focused on the gaming and creator economy.

As an angel investor, Kun Gao primarily focuses on early-stage, seed-round investments, leveraging his extensive experience in consumer internet, media, and software. His portfolio reflects a keen interest in companies that are building strong communities, leveraging content, or innovating in the digital consumer space. He tends to back founders who are tackling large markets with compelling product visions, often in areas adjacent to his own entrepreneurial journey, such as gaming, creator tools, and social platforms. His involvement goes beyond capital, often providing strategic guidance and leveraging his network to support portfolio companies.

Gao has demonstrated a consistent track record of identifying promising startups, with publicly disclosed investments in at least 16 companies since 2013. Notable investments include early stakes in companies like Patreon, Webflow, Superhuman, and Vanta, all of which have gone on to achieve significant milestones. His investment philosophy appears to be founder-friendly, seeking to partner with visionary entrepreneurs at the foundational stage. He is particularly drawn to businesses that exhibit strong product-market fit potential and have the capacity for rapid user acquisition and engagement, mirroring the growth trajectory he orchestrated at Crunchyroll.