Joe Zadeh
About Joe Zadeh
Joe Zadeh studied computer science at Northwestern University and earned a Ph.D. in bioengineering at Caltech. He worked briefly as a senior software engineer at Mint.com before joining Airbnb in 2010. He was the ninth employee and the third engineer, and was known internally as "Joebot".
At Airbnb he rose to VP of Product, and Fortune named him to its 40 Under 40 list in 2016. Italian press reports that from 2016 he led the launch of Airbnb Experiences.
He now lives in Bologna. He is a non-executive director of Musixmatch, an advisor to Vento, and teaches at Bologna Business School. In October 2026 the Club degli Investitori named him Business Angel of the Year 2026 at Wave by Vento in Turin.
Italian coverage of the 2026 award says he has been an angel investor since 2016. It puts his total at more than 60 investments, over ten of them in Italian startups, mostly in tech and AI. In a separate EconomyUp interview the figure is given as about 80 investments worldwide.
Beyond capital, the award announcement says he mentors founders, makes introductions to investors and advisors, and holds strategy sessions with leadership teams. Crunchbase lists Kits.AI and Dance as exits.
His recent AI rounds include JustSolve, a Milan startup building agentic AI for debt collection. It closed a €3.7M pre-seed in September 2026, led by Base10 Partners, and he is listed among the participating angels.
He also invested in Lexroom, a Milan legal research AI company. Tracxn lists a seed in March 2025 and a Series A in September 2025. Crunchbase lists Kits.AI, an AI audio platform for music creators, among his exits. EconomyUp names Nebuly among his Italian tech and AI holdings.
In a podcast interview he described himself as a full-time angel in Bologna who invests in music technology globally and is heavily involved in the Italian tech scene. Tracxn lists the United States and Italy among his top investment locations. His deals span pre-seed to Series A, including JustSolve at pre-seed and Lexroom at seed and Series A.
On what he looks for, he told EconomyUp that he backs people (energy, resilience) more than sectors or ideas. In the podcast he said he gives more weight to founders who are fanatical about their company than to market-size charts.
He has not published a check size. The aggregator Evalyze lists a range of $25K to $500K, which is third-party data and not his own statement.
- JustSolve: agentic AI for credit management and debt collection in Milan; €3.7M pre-seed, September 2026.
- Lexroom: AI legal research platform in Milan; seed in March 2025 and Series A in September 2025.
- Ephos: seed round in September 2024, per Tracxn and CB Insights.
- JetHR: seed round in June 2023, per Tracxn.
- Kits.AI: AI audio platform for music creators; listed by Crunchbase as an exit.
- Dance: e-bike subscription service; listed by Crunchbase as an exit.
- Other Italian holdings named by EconomyUp: Menabòh, Casavo, Cubbit, Serenis and Nebuly.
- crunchbase.com/person/joe-zadeh
- finsmes.com/2026/09/justsolve-closes-e3-7m-pre-seed-funding.html
- thesaasnews.com/news/justsolve-raises-3-7m-pre-seed
- tracxn.com/d/people/joe-zadeh/__kjcEx_Xm0qtSzrqvD-Ri1ypg2TQgQkCHzHvIbF
- cbinsights.com/investor/joe-zadeh
- economyup.it/innovazione/joe-zadeh-e-il-business-angel-2026-chi-e-e-co
- economyup.it/innovazione/perche-un-business-angel-americano-investe-in
- madeitpodcast.it/masterclass/how-to-get-your-first-users-and-grow-joe-
Investing activity
Joe Zadeh appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Pre-seed, with a median round size of $4M. The most recent is JustSolve (Pre-seed, €3.7M, Sep 2026).
Joe Zadeh most often invests alongside Base10 Partners, Daniele Francescon, Matteo Frigerio and Ithaca Investments, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Joe Zadeh
Who is Joe Zadeh?
Joe Zadeh is an angel investor based in Bologna. He was an early Airbnb employee and later its VP of Product. He was named Business Angel of the Year 2026 by the Club degli Investitori.
What stage does Joe Zadeh invest in?
His public deals run from pre-seed to Series A. JustSolve was a pre-seed, and Lexroom was a seed followed by a Series A.
What is Joe Zadeh's check size?
He has not stated a check size publicly. Evalyze lists $25K to $500K, but that is third-party data.
What does Joe Zadeh look for in founders?
He has said he backs people more than ideas or sectors. He looks for energy and resilience, and for founders who are fanatical about their company.
Which AI startups has Joe Zadeh backed?
They include JustSolve (agentic debt collection), Lexroom (legal AI) and Nebuly. Crunchbase also lists an exit in Kits.AI, an AI audio platform.
Does Joe Zadeh invest outside Italy?
Yes. He says he invests in music technology globally, and Tracxn lists the United States among his top investment locations alongside Italy.
Is Joe Zadeh an angel investor?
Yes. Joe Zadeh invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Joe Zadeh invested in?
Joe Zadeh's AI investments include JustSolve. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Joe Zadeh invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Joe Zadeh has invested at Pre-seed, with a median round of $4M.
Who does Joe Zadeh co-invest with?
Joe Zadeh's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Base10 Partners (1 deal), Daniele Francescon (1 deal), Matteo Frigerio (1 deal), Ithaca Investments (1 deal) and Vento (1 deal).