Mike Jones is a well-known angel investor and entrepreneur in the technology industry. He has made numerous successful investments in companies like Lyft, Square, and illumio. Jones’ investment career started in the late 1990s when he worked at Internet startups. He later went on to become CEO of Userplane, Tsavo, Myspace, and Science Inc. Throughout his career, Jones has invested in and helped build many influential companies. He has a keen eye for identifying promising startups with large market opportunities. In this article, we will provide an overview of Mike Jones’ investment career and highlight some of his most notable deals.
Mike Jones’ Early Career – Laying the Foundation in the Tech Industry
Mike Jones got his start in the tech industry in the late 1990s. He worked at Internet startups like eUniverse and Cendant. This experience gave him valuable insights into online marketing, community building, and identifying potential growth opportunities. In 2004, Jones became CEO of Userplane, which developed embedded chat and instant messaging applications. He helped grow Userplane until it was acquired by AOL in 2006. Jones then went on to become CEO of Myspace parent company Tsavo. He led a major redesign of Myspace and grew its user base to over 110 million.
Major Investments and Wins – Lyft, Square, illumio and More
Some of Mike Jones’ most successful angel investments have been in transportation, financial services, and cybersecurity startups. In 2012, Jones invested $100,000 in seed funding for Lyft. This grew to be worth $100 million when Lyft went public in 2019. Jones also invested in Square in 2009 during their Series A funding round. Square has gone on to revolutionize small business payments. Another notable investment was in illumio. Jones invested $2.7 million in illumio’s 2013 seed round. The cybersecurity unicorn now has a valuation of over $2.5 billion. Other successful investments include branch.io, DogVacay, and Zenefits.
Science Inc. – Bringing Ideas to Life
In 2011, Mike Jones co-founded startup studio Science Inc. The studio combines capital and strategic services to help bring promising ideas to life. Science Inc. adds value through hands-on guidance in product design, talent recruiting, marketing, and more. Under Jones’ leadership, Science Inc. has invested in and backed over 50 companies. These include Dollar Shave Club, DogVacay, HelloSociety, and FameBit. Science Inc. had significant wins when Dollar Shave Club sold for $1 billion and HelloSociety was acquired for nearly $100 million.
Throughout his career, Mike Jones has shown impressive foresight in identifying highly scalable companies. He has provided seed funding and hands-on support to help transform startups into leading brands. Jones continues to be an influential investor and entrepreneur in the tech industry.