Josh Kushner
About Josh Kushner
Joshua Kushner was born in 1985 and holds a BA and an MBA from Harvard. He is the founder and managing partner of Thrive Capital, a New York venture firm founded in 2009. He is also co-founder and vice-chairman of Oscar Health, which he co-founded in 2012, and a co-founder of Vostu.
Thrive describes its focus as software and internet companies. Per Wikipedia, the firm manages about $50 billion as of 2026, and Kushner owns most of it. The firm also incubates companies and has started 12 so far, according to TechCrunch.
Kushner's best-documented investing is through Thrive, not personal angel checks. One secondary profile says he began angel investing as a Harvard undergraduate, but we found no primary source for that, and no public list of his personal angel investments.
His individual participation is visible in some rounds. In July 2026, press coverage of Ellis named him among the individual investors in its seed round.
On the Lounge deals desk, his AI round is Ellis, a $10M seed announced in July 2026. First Round Capital led it. Ellis builds an AI-native operations platform for private credit managers, covering reconciliation, LP reporting, SBIC compliance and document intelligence. It was founded by Ryan Williams, who previously founded Cadre.
Through Thrive, Kushner is a long-running OpenAI investor. CNBC reported that Thrive put roughly $1 billion into OpenAI at a $285 billion valuation in December 2025. TechCrunch lists Cursor among Thrive's other notable investments.
Thrive's tenth fund, Thrive X, closed at $10 billion in February 2026. TechCrunch reported that $1 billion of it is for early-stage investments and the rest for growth-stage investments. The firm backs software and internet companies.
Kushner has not published a personal check size or a personal angel thesis that we could find, so none is given here. The Ellis round suggests he will join a seed round led by an institutional fund.
- Ellis: AI-native operations platform for private credit; $10M seed, July 2026, Kushner participated as an individual investor.
- OpenAI: AI research and products company; Thrive invested about $1 billion in December 2025 at a $285 billion valuation, per CNBC.
- Cursor: AI coding tool; listed by TechCrunch as a notable Thrive investment.
- Stripe, SpaceX, Databricks, Anduril: listed by TechCrunch as notable Thrive investments.
- Oscar Health: health insurer Kushner co-founded in 2012.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Kushner
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrive_Capital
- techcrunch.com/2026/02/17/thrive-raises-10b-for-new-fund-its-largest-y
- cnbc.com/2026/02/25/thrive-capital-openai-joshua-kushner.html
- pulse2.com/ellis-raises-more-than-10-million-in-seed-funding-led-by-fi
- businesswire.com/news/home/20260730538995/en/Ellis-Emerges-From-Stealt
- valueaddvc.com/blog/josh-kushner-how-thrive-capital-quietly-became-the
Investing activity
Josh Kushner 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 Ellis (Seed, $10M, Jul 2026).
Josh Kushner most often invests alongside Initialized Capital, Sequoia Capital, First Round Capital and Westbound, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Josh Kushner
Does Josh Kushner invest as an angel in AI startups?
Yes, in at least one case. He was named as an individual investor in Ellis's $10M seed round in July 2026. Most of his known investing is through Thrive Capital.
What is Josh Kushner's check size?
No personal check size is public. Thrive's Thrive X fund is $10 billion, of which $1 billion is for early-stage investments.
What AI companies has Josh Kushner backed?
Through Thrive, he has backed OpenAI and Cursor. Personally, he joined the seed round of Ellis, an AI platform for private credit operations.
What stage does Josh Kushner invest in?
Thrive invests at both early and growth stages. His Ellis investment was in a seed round led by First Round Capital.
How should founders approach Josh Kushner?
We found no public statement of how he takes pitches or what he screens for. Thrive Capital's own channels are the documented route to the firm.
Is Josh Kushner an angel investor?
Yes. Josh Kushner invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Josh Kushner invested in?
Josh Kushner's AI investments include Ellis. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Josh Kushner invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Josh Kushner has invested at Seed, with a median round of $10M.
Who does Josh Kushner co-invest with?
Josh Kushner's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Initialized Capital (1 deal), Sequoia Capital (1 deal), First Round Capital (1 deal), Westbound (1 deal) and Westbound Equity Partners (1 deal).
How can founders reach Josh Kushner?
Founders on Lounge can see Josh Kushner's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Josh Kushner to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.