Ted Leonsis
About Ted Leonsis
Ted Leonsis was born in 1957 and graduated from Georgetown University in 1977. In his 20s he founded LIST, a personal computing magazine. He later started a company that he sold to America Online, then joined AOL. He retired in 2006 after 13 years there, where his roles included vice chairman and president.
He is the founder, chairman, majority owner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. The company owns the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics. He is also a co-founder and partner at Revolution, the firm started by Steve Case, and a founder of Revolution Growth. He founded the documentary site SnagFilms and was chairman of Revolution Money, which American Express bought in 2009.
He sits on the boards of American Express, Tempus AI and Groupon, and has served as Groupon's interim co-CEO.
Crunchbase lists 32 personal investments and PitchBook lists 28. Both classify him as an individual angel investor. The deals they list include OxiWear (pre-seed and seed, around 2021), HumanFirst (Series A, 2021), Professional Fighters League (Series C), StockX (Series B), Kiswe (2021) and Cllct (April 2024, a $4M round with other investors). He has also funded Georgetown Venture Lab through a grant. The Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize at Georgetown, which includes the Bark Tank competition, carries his family's name.
Proxy Foods AI is the AI investment on Lounge's deals desk, where it appears twice as a seed round led by him. In August 2026 he led its $6M seed, with Robert G. Hisaoka and SWaN & Legend Venture Partners also in the round. Proxy Foods AI is a Washington, D.C. company that builds an AI-native R&D platform for food and beverage makers. It is used for formulation and product development, and it predicts how a formulation will perform before lab testing.
He had taken part in the company's earlier $2.3M seed round, reported in 2024. A company announcement identifies him as co-founder and lead board director of Proxy Foods AI. He is also a board director at Tempus AI.
His public deals run from pre-seed and seed through Series A to later rounds. He has led and joined rounds. Most of his companies are based in the Washington, D.C. area or are tied to it. Press coverage of the Proxy Foods AI deal described his interest in enterprise software that applies data and predictive technology to established industries, not consumer apps. His typical check size is not public, and no statement from him on what he looks for in founders turned up in these sources.
- Proxy Foods AI: AI platform for food and beverage R&D. He joined the 2024 seed and led the $6M seed in August 2026.
- OxiWear: wearable health company. He invested in its pre-seed and seed rounds, including one in November 2021.
- HumanFirst: Series A investor, May 2021.
- Professional Fighters League: Series C investor, per Crunchbase.
- StockX: Series B investor, per Crunchbase.
- Cllct: participated in a $4M round in April 2024.
- synbiobeta.com/read/proxy-foods-ai-secures-6-million-seed-round-to-enh
- citybiz.co/article/885089/ted-leonsis-backs-6m-seed-round-for-proxy-fo
- pulse2.com/proxy-foods-ai-raises-6-million-seed-round-to-expand-ai-nat
- moneybuzz.gr/ai-powered-foodtech-startup-proxy-foods-secures-usd-2-3m-
- crunchbase.com/person/ted-leonsis
- cbinsights.com/investor/ted-leonsis
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/105894-01
- signal.nfx.com/investors/ted-leonsis
Investing activity
Ted Leonsis appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the Lounge deals desk, and led 2 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $6M. The most recent are Proxy Foods AI (Seed, $6M, Aug 2026) and Proxy Foods (Seed, $6M, Aug 2026).
Ted Leonsis most often invests alongside Jeff Skoll, Ike Grigoropoulos, Alexander Georgiadis and Grant Verstandig, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Ted Leonsis
Does Ted Leonsis invest in AI startups?
Yes. He led the $6M seed round for Proxy Foods AI in August 2026 and also joined its earlier 2024 seed. He is a board director at Tempus AI.
What stage does Ted Leonsis invest in?
His public deals include pre-seed, seed and Series A rounds, as well as later rounds such as Series B and C. He has led seed rounds, including Proxy Foods AI.
What is Ted Leonsis's check size?
No check size is public. The only amounts in the sources are whole-round totals, such as the $6M Proxy Foods AI seed that he led.
What sectors does Ted Leonsis back?
His investments span food-tech AI, health tech, sports and media, e-commerce and fintech. Coverage of the Proxy Foods AI deal says he is interested in enterprise software that applies AI to established industries.
Where is Ted Leonsis based?
He lives in the Washington, D.C. area, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment is based there. Proxy Foods AI is also headquartered in Washington, D.C.
How do founders reach Ted Leonsis?
The only public channel found is his LinkedIn profile. He also keeps a personal site at tedstake.com. No pitch process or submission form has been published.
Is Ted Leonsis an angel investor?
Yes. Ted Leonsis invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Ted Leonsis invested in?
Ted Leonsis's AI investments include Proxy Foods AI and Proxy Foods. The 2 rounds on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Ted Leonsis invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Ted Leonsis has invested at Seed, with a median round of $6M. Ted Leonsis led 2 of those rounds.
Who does Ted Leonsis co-invest with?
Ted Leonsis's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Jeff Skoll (2 deals), Ike Grigoropoulos (2 deals), Alexander Georgiadis (2 deals), Grant Verstandig (2 deals) and SWaN & Legend Venture Partners (2 deals).