Brian Kelly
About Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly is the founder of The Points Guy (TPG), a travel and rewards media platform. PitchBook describes him as its founder and CEO and says TPG reaches over 11 million unique monthly visitors.
PitchBook also lists him as a co-founder and senior advisor at Journey, and as an advisor to Cardless and Bilt Rewards. He is based in New York.
This profile covers the Brian Kelly of The Points Guy. It does not cover other investors with the same name, such as the Rincon Venture Partners general partner or the Bracket22 hedge fund founder.
PitchBook's angel profile for Brian Kelly shows 15 investments, 8 current portfolio companies and 7 exits. A 2026-era podcast listing describes him as an angel investor in more than 15 companies, including Bilt.
PitchBook names Timeshifter, Hint and Point.me among his investments. It lists his most recent entry as Timeshifter on April 15, 2026. Individual check sizes and ownership stakes are not public.
Kelly took part in the $10M seed round for Hint, the AI home management company co-founded by Martha Stewart, Yih-Han Ma and Kyle Rush. The round was announced in May 2026 and led by Slow Ventures. Montauk Capital, Tusk Venture Partners, Amplo, Energy Impact Partners and Hannah Grey VC also participated. Montauk Capital incubated Hint.
Hint combines expert guidance with AI to help homeowners plan maintenance, track costs and manage repairs. On LinkedIn, Kelly said he is a founding investor and advisor in Hint.
Kelly has described his investing focus in a LinkedIn post. He asks how technology can reduce friction and add value for everyday people, which mirrors the consumer finance and travel focus of his time as a founder.
His disclosed investments are in consumer and application software, including travel, rewards, payments and home services. The Hint round was a seed round. He has not published a check size or a stage or geography mandate.
- Hint: AI-native home management platform co-founded by Martha Stewart. Kelly joined its $10M seed round, announced May 2026.
- Bilt: rewards and payments company. Kelly is listed as an advisor to Bilt Rewards and is described as an investor in Bilt.
- Timeshifter: application software company. PitchBook lists his latest investment, dated April 15, 2026.
- Point.me: travel information service. Listed by PitchBook as an investment; date not public.
- Journey: Kelly is listed as co-founder and senior advisor.
- Cardless: Kelly is listed as an advisor.
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/118566-28
- linkedin.com/in/thepointsguy
- fortune.com/2026/05/13/exclusive-martha-stewart-ai-startup-hint-seed-f
- morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20260512987617/martha-stewart-annou
- pulse2.com/hint-10-million-seed-round-raised-to-launch-ai-powered-home
- learningleader.com/thepointsguy
Investing activity
Brian Kelly appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $10M. The most recent is Hint (Seed, $10M, Jun 2026).
Brian Kelly most often invests alongside Slow Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Tusk Venture Partners and Montauk Capital, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Brian Kelly
Who is Brian Kelly the angel investor?
He is the founder of The Points Guy, the travel and rewards media brand. He now invests as an angel and advises startups including Hint, Bilt Rewards and Cardless.
Has Brian Kelly invested in AI startups?
Yes. He participated in the $10M seed round of Hint, an AI home management platform co-founded by Martha Stewart, announced in May 2026. He describes himself as a founding investor and advisor there.
What does Brian Kelly look for in startups?
He has said he looks at how technology can reduce friction and increase value for everyday people. He has not published a formal thesis.
What is Brian Kelly's check size?
His check size is not public. Hint's round announcements gave the $10M total but not individual amounts.
What stage does Brian Kelly invest in?
His disclosed AI investment, Hint, was a seed round. No broader stage mandate is public.
How can founders contact Brian Kelly?
His public professional profile is on LinkedIn. No dedicated pitch process or personal investing site is public.
Is Brian Kelly an angel investor?
Yes. Brian Kelly invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Brian Kelly invested in?
Brian Kelly's AI investments include Hint. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Brian Kelly invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Brian Kelly has invested at Seed, with a median round of $10M.
Who does Brian Kelly co-invest with?
Brian Kelly's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Slow Ventures (1 deal), Energy Impact Partners (1 deal), Tusk Venture Partners (1 deal), Montauk Capital (1 deal) and Hannah Grey Ventures (1 deal).