Tim Ferriss
About Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss is the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans. He hosts The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, which his X bio says has passed 1B downloads. He is also the founder of the Saisei Foundation. His site lists him as an early-stage technology investor and advisor, with Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba and 50+ others.
He has not run a venture fund. His investing is personal and angel-based, and he is on record describing it as a self-directed education: in 2007 he set aside a two-year, $120,000 budget for angel deals in $10K to $20K checks.
Ferriss has said his first angel deal was a $50K check roughly 17 to 18 years ago. Public profiles credit him with early positions in Uber (advisor in the pre-seed round), Shopify (as first advisor), Facebook, Twitter, Duolingo (Series A), Evernote and Alibaba. One secondary source says he stepped back from new startup investing in 2015. Deal databases nonetheless show recent activity: PitchBook lists 72 investments and shows deals dated into 2026, and Crunchbase lists 43 under his main profile.
Database counts differ by source, so treat them as approximate.
The Lounge deals desk records Ferriss in the Iconic seed round, $6M, in May 2026. PitchBook lists Iconic under financial software and dates the deal to 27 May 2026. We found no public statement from Ferriss about an AI-specific investment thesis, and no other AI deals we could confirm.
Ferriss has described limiting investments to areas where he has an information advantage and can add value. Older profiles describe a focus on early-stage consumer internet companies, with advice on marketing, PR and conversion. CB Insights puts his typical check at $10-25K, which matches his own description of early deals. NFX Signal lists a $25K to $500K range with a $250K sweet spot; that figure is a third-party estimate, not a statement from Ferriss. His recent deals span fintech, health, aerospace and consumer products, so he is not limited to consumer internet.
- Iconic: seed round, $6M, May 2026 (Lounge deals desk)
- Uber: ride-hailing; advisor and investor in the pre-seed round
- Shopify: e-commerce platform; he was its first advisor
- Duolingo: language learning app; Series A investor
- Twitter and Facebook: social platforms listed among his early investments
- OpenSea: NFT marketplace; Series A, March 2021 (NFX Signal)
- Harbor: seed round, September 2024 (NFX Signal, Crunchbase)
- Dawn Aerospace: appears in PitchBook as a 2026 deal
- tim.blog/about
- x.com/tferriss/status/1892753953621979259
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/106015-06
- crunchbase.com/person/tim-ferriss
- cbinsights.com/investor/tim-ferriss
- signal.nfx.com/investors/tim-ferriss
- cnbc.com/2016/12/23/why-tim-ferriss-saved-120000-and-then-planned-to-l
- hustlefund.vc/post/angel-squad-tim-ferriss-investments-what-the-4-hour
Investing activity
Tim Ferriss appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $6M. The most recent is Iconic (Seed, $6M, May 2026).
Tim Ferriss most often invests alongside Fluent Ventures, VSC Ventures, Expa and Ocean Ventures, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Tim Ferriss
Does Tim Ferriss invest in AI startups?
He took part in the Iconic seed round ($6M, May 2026), which is on the Lounge deals desk. We found no public AI-specific thesis from him.
What check size does Tim Ferriss write?
He has said he started with $10K to $20K checks, and CB Insights lists $10-25K. NFX Signal estimates $25K to $500K with a $250K sweet spot. He has not published a current check size.
What stage does Tim Ferriss invest in?
His public deals are mostly pre-seed and seed, plus some Series A, such as Duolingo. PitchBook also shows a recent later-stage deal in Dawn Aerospace.
Which companies has Tim Ferriss backed?
His site cites Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba and 50+ others. His full list is at tim.blog/portfolio.
Is Tim Ferriss still making new angel investments?
PitchBook lists him as actively seeking new investments and shows deals dated into mid-2026. He has also said he mostly stepped back from active investing to focus on creative work.
How should founders approach Tim Ferriss?
He has no public pitch process that we found. Founders can check his site and X account, and should expect him to weigh whether he has an information advantage and can help.
Is Tim Ferriss an angel investor?
Yes. Tim Ferriss invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Tim Ferriss invested in?
Tim Ferriss's AI investments include Iconic. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Tim Ferriss invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Tim Ferriss has invested at Seed, with a median round of $6M.
Who does Tim Ferriss co-invest with?
Tim Ferriss's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Fluent Ventures (1 deal), VSC Ventures (1 deal), Expa (1 deal), Ocean Ventures (1 deal) and Ram Shriram (1 deal).