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Dan Levitan
Co-Founder & Partner at Maveron LLC
Dan Levitan is a prominent figure in the venture capital industry, best known as the co-founder and partner of Maveron LLC, a consumer-focused venture capital firm.1
Professional Background
Dan Levitan has over 30 years of experience in venture capital and investing.3 He co-founded Maveron LLC in 1998 with Howard Schultz, the former CEO and Executive Chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company.1 Prior to founding Maveron, Levitan spent 15 years in investment banking, primarily focusing on consumer businesses.2
Maveron LLC
Maveron is an early-stage, consumer-only venture capital firm that invests across the United States in end consumer brands.1 As a co-founder and partner, Levitan has led many successful investments, including:
- zulily (NASDAQ: ZU)
- Potbelly (NASDAQ: PBPB)
- Trupanion (NYSE: TRUP)
- Capella Education Company (NASDAQ: CPLA)
- eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY)
- Shutterfly (NASDAQ: SFLY)1
Current Board Positions
Dan Levitan currently serves on the board of directors for several companies, including:
Education
Levitan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA (magna cum laude) from Duke University.3
Philanthropy and Recognition
Dan Levitan is actively involved in philanthropic efforts. He serves as:
- Vice Chair of Seattle Children's Foundation board
- Member of the Investment Advisory Committee for Seattle Children's
- Board member of The Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School
- Chair of Brothers for Life1
In recognition of his achievements, Levitan has been named on the 2014 Forbes Midas List as one of the world's top investors.4
Highlights
It may be surprising to hear that philanthropic giving is down in 2023, in part due to inflation and stock market fluctuations. But one shining light is the growth we’re seeing in Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), which are charitable investment accounts for supporting nonprofit organizations.
At Maveron, we look for opportunities to invest in generational companies that empower millions of consumers - and we saw that potential immediately with Chariot. Innovations like DAFpay, which makes it easy to donate online using a Donor-Advised Fund, are a huge step forward for the thousands of nonprofits Chariot works with.
Maveron is proud to lead Chariot’s $11 million Series A alongside Spark Capital, SV Angel, and Y Combinator. As part of that investment, I have joined the board of directors. Read our post here on why we invested and what’s next for this team. Thank you to the founders and team for your hard work and your vision—let’s go!
What a treat it was to interview my friend and Duke legend JJ Redick last night.
It may not seem like the worlds of basketball and entrepreneurship have a lot in common, but the lessons JJ learned from Coach K and Duke Basketball about personal accountability, an obsession with self-improvement, and the importance of candor apply to the world of investing and building companies.
With a roomful of incredible Duke University founders and investors, we discussed JJ’s journey through a great four-year career at Duke and 15 years in the NBA. There were moments when he almost quit playing basketball, including after breaking his wrist 3 times as a kid. But he, like so many great founders, persevered. After listening to JJ and observing his great success as a college and NBA player, I suspect the best is yet to come for outstanding achievements in the fullness of his career.
It’s not just this idea of “hustle” that I took away from our chat, it’s really about the importance of facing your fears head-on and giving your all to what you love. In the spirit of the new year, I—and the team at Maveron—wish that for you.
Happy holidays! Thank you to Kurt Schmidt and our friends at Duke Capital Partners for co-hosting with us!
