Jeffrey Katzenberg
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Jeffrey Katzenberg has raised a lot of money for his holding company, WndrCo.
The former Disney Studios chairman and DreamWorks founder and CEO has raised $460 million in both seed and venture funding for the investment firm he co-founded with Sujay Jaswa. WndrCo says it will use the money to invest in “high-potential companies solving big problems in the future of work, consumer technology, cybersecurity and developer infrastructure.”
Katzenberg and Jaswa founded WndrCo in 2016 and the company has approximately $1.3 billion in assets under management. The company’s investments include 1Password, Airtable, Aura, Databricks, Figma and Super Unlimited.
Of course, since founding the investment firm, the entertainment industry veteran also founded and shuttered the ill-fated short-form video platform Quibi.
More recently, Katzenberg has spoken out about the impact of artificial intelligence on society and business, including the entertainment industry, and has worked with President Biden’s re-election campaign.
“Imagination has always been in my DNA. When Sujay and I founded WndrCo, we set out to be ‘founders behind founders’ – to help entrepreneurs realize their vision and navigate the challenges necessary to create something truly groundbreaking,” Katzenberg said in a statement. “Today, with our latest fund, we further that mission by investing in bold founders who are redefining how we live, work, and protect ourselves. Each of WndrCo’s partners has built companies with global impact, and we stand ready to share and act on our hard-won lessons alongside entrepreneurs.”
“We go beyond investing to actively start companies, so we are attuned to the full range of challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs face,” Jaswa adds. “Jeffrey is a master storyteller who can open doors that no one else can. Chengli Wang is one of Silicon Valley’s leading product thinkers. Jeff Naikoon leverages his analytical muscle from public and private markets to drive growth in our portfolio companies, and Anthony Saleh is at the heart of culture and consumer behavior. Together, we will leverage our collective expertise to turn ambitious visions into reality. We have the perseverance and expertise to start world-changing companies, and with this latest funding, we are excited to inspire the next wave of breakthrough innovation.”
