Meet the Silicon Valley billionaires, corporate CEOS, and founders backing Kamala Harris
Mark Cuban, Reid Hoffman, and Vinod Khosla are among the dozens of Silicon Valley leaders backing Kamala Harris.
As the once decidedly liberal Silicon Valley splinters this election, with figures like Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and David Sacks publicly backing former President Donald Trump, a group of powerful venture capitalists have combined forces to declare their support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
By late August, more than 800 venture capitalists pledged to vote and solicit donations for Harris on a new website, VCsForKamala.org. According to one of the group’s organizers, the original signatories represent a combined $150 billion in assets under management. The current signatories represent a combined $276 billion, according to the group’s founders.
“We are pro-business, pro-American dream, pro-entrepreneurship, and pro-technological progress,” reads a statement on the VCsForKamala’s website. “We also believe in democracy as the backbone of our nation.”
Harris, who was born in Oakland, has garnered support from dozens of leaders in her backyard supportive of her pro-business policies. In September, the effort by business and tech leaders stretched from coast to coast. A group of 88 prominent Wall Street and tech executives jointly signed a letter endorsing Harris, writing that she is “the best way to support continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy.” The leaders also celebrated her support for small businesses.Here are some of the biggest names on the VCsForKamala list and recent letter of corporate leaders.
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban.
The billionaire, Shark Tank star, and former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks is one of the most well-known signatories of both VCsForKamala and the corporate letter. Valued at $5.4 billion according to Forbes, Cuban voted for Nikki Haley in the 2024 GOP primaries but later attended a Biden fundraiser, ABC News reported.
He vowed to support Biden after his disastrous debate performance but said hewas interested in whether other Democrats were better positioned to beat Trump. He was one of the quickest to react when Biden dropped his reelection bid, writing on X, “Father time is undefeated.”
Cuban has retweeted various posts about Harris’ campaign, including one saying that Democrats had “some well-needed momentum.” He anticipates that she will be more open to business, artificial intelligence, and crypto, Politico reported.
Reid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman.
Reid Hoffman, a LinkedIn cofounder and longtime Democratic donor, wasted no time throwing his weight behind Harris, offering his support for her campaign the same day that Biden ended his. Of the president, he said that dropping out was “one of the most selfless acts we’ve seen from a politician in modern American history.”
In January, Hoffman poured $2 million into a super PAC that led a write-in campaign in New Hampshire for Biden’s campaign. The Information first reported that Hoffman pushed Reed Hastings, Netflix chairman, to donate $7 million to a PAC supporting Harris.
He has openly sparred with business and tech leaders, namely David Sacks, who support Trump. He plans to host a fundraiser for Harris and has signed both the VCsForKamala and letter of executives.
James Murdoch
James Murdoch broke with his father, conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, to voice his support for the vice president.
The former CEO of 21st Century Fox broke even farther away from his father, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and added his name to the list of CEOs endorsing Harris. It was the first time he publicly declared his support for the vice president.
Murdoch is far more politically moderate than his dad and his older brother, Lachlan. He has donated hundreds of thousands to Democratic congressional candidates, according the Federal Election Commission records. James Murdoch is currently locked in a real-life succession battle over the future over his family’s media empire, which includes Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.
Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla.
The OpenAI investor and founder of Sun Microsystems was quick to back Harris after an initial post on X in support of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Khosla, who endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, hosted a fundraiser for Biden in May and has donated to various Democratic candidates and super PACs. His name is among the hundreds on the VCsForKamala list.
Khosla has said on X he would not support a candidate who denies the outcomes of elections, is in favor climate policy and regulations on emissions, and supports growth-oriented economic policy.
He has been outspoken about his views contrary to other leading tech executives.
Khosla engaged in a heated exchange with Elon Musk on X the day Biden ended his 2024 campaign in which he said there was “no reason to accept depravity in his personal values.”
“Hard for me to support someone with no values, lies, cheats, rapes, demeans women, hates immigrants like me,” Khosla replied to Musk on X.
Ron Conway
Ron Conway.
The venture capitalist who runs the venture firm SV Angel is a longtime Kamala Harris donor who has contributed to liberal PACs and campaigns for local Democratic leaders. Conway is known for his philanthropic contributions to the UCSF Medical Center and Children’s Hospital and other organizations protecting firearm safety, rights for trans youth, and immigration reform. He’s added his name to VCsForKamala and the letter of executives.
“She is thoughtful and collaborative, able to bring people together to solve difficult problems and accomplish critical goals,” Conway wrote about Harris on X. “She is also a fighter — for justice, fairness, and prosperity. She has proven all of that throughout her career and as vice president, and she will prove it again as the democratic nominee and as the 47th President of the United States.”
Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Johnson posted about the letter on X, saying that he was “proud” to be part of the group supporting Harris.
The NBA Hall of Famer and billionaire businessman joined the corporate executives endorsing Harris. He celebrated the effort in a post on X, writing, “I’m proud to be a part of this elite group of leaders supporting VP Harris!!”
Johnson has posted about Harris before — after her interview with CNN, he said that she was “outstanding” and “clearly explained why she changed viewpoints on a couple of issues which shows her humility, growth, and willingness to be open.” He has given money to Democrats in the past, including Obama.
Katie Stanton
Katie Stanton.
A founder of and general partner at venture capital firm Moxxie Ventures, Stanton has graced Forbes’ list of the most powerful women in technology. She was formerly Twitter’s vice president of international strategy and is a part of the VCsForKamala effort.
When Biden dropped out, she called him a “hero” on X and listed many candidates who could replace him, with Harris as the first name on her list. She quickly expressed her support for Harris on the platform, reposting a video of her and saying that she is “fired up and ready to vote.”
Shortly after Biden dropped out, Stanton told the New York Times that most of Silicon Valley does not support Trump, despite Elon Musk and others’ endorsements for the former president.
“You have people with the loudest voices claiming to speak for the broader community, and the views don’t match,” she said. “By no means do they line up with the thousands of founders and employees and investors who live and work in Silicon Valley.”
Steve Wozniak
The Apple co-founder has been a long time philanthropist to educational causes.
A co-founder of Apple, Stephen Wozniak, often referred to simply as “The Woz,” added his list to the name of venture capitalist signatories. Though he’s been relatively quiet online about this year’s election, Wozniak told Time in 2016 that Trump is “a very rude person” and made him cry aloud.
“The Republicans to me just don’t match my own personal ethics,” he said. “If I do vote, it’ll probably be for Bernie Sanders.”
Wozniak is a major philanthropist to educational causes according to his website, with a particular focus on increasing computer capabilities in schools.
Chris Sacca
Chris Sacca.
The venture investor behind the VC firm Lowercase Capital has long opposed Donald Trump and backed Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. Sacca donated $150,000 to the ACLU after Trump signed an executive order temporarily restricting the admission of citizens from seven countries. Sacca also worked for Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns.
Despite saying that he “hates politics” on his website, he noted that he and his partner Clay Dumas have “invested millions of dollars and countless hours helping build organizations and companies that we think have the best shot at giving blue candidates an edge in a game that is rigged against them.” He advocated donating to Biden’s campaign before he dropped out and has signed onto VCsForKamala.
Barry Diller
The billionaire media mogul has supported various Democratic candidates, including Barack Obama
Media mogul Barry Diller is among the 88 corporate leaders who endorsed Harris, continuing his pattern of supporting Democrats. The chairman of IAC, Diller is worth an estimated $4.5 billion and has donated to candidates like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Cory Booker, according to OpenSecrets.
In July, Diller said that he and his wife, designer Diane von Furstenberg, were no longer supporting the Biden campaign. Diller had donated $6,600 to the president’s reelection campaign in 2023, but was evidently turned off by the disastrous debate.
“Do not discount Kamala Harris,” Diller told Deadline when she entered the race. He said that business leaders could be convinced to support her candidacy.
Aileen Lee
Aileen Lee.
The Cowboy Ventures founder, VC angel investor, and VCsForKamala signatory coined the term “unicorn” and cofounded the nonprofit All Raise to advocate for women in venture capital.
Though Lee hasn’t written much publicly about her support for Harris, she responded to a conservative activist suing a VC firm supporting Black women owners last year on LinkedIn, writing, “With every opportunity we have – let’s vote in folks who are going to create and support more opportunities for economic empowerment and achievement, not spend their energy trying to crush opportunities for deserving, under represented folks.”
Deven Parekh
Deven Parekh.
In addition to being the managing director at Insight Partners, a global venture capital and private equity firm, Parekh is a philanthropist and Democratic donor. He was included on the guest list for the White House State Dinner in June 2023, and he was a key fundraising organizer for Democrats during the 2018 midterms, the New York Times reported.
Though Parekh has been relatively quiet online in recent weeks, he did retweet an announcement that Salman Rushdie, an author, had endorsed Harris. He pledged to support Harris through VCsForKamala and the letter of CEOs.
Hamilton “Tony” James
James was an outspoken Biden supporter.
Hamilton “Tony” James is the former president, COO, and executive vice chairman of Blackstone, the New York-based asset management firm. With a network of $4.5 billion, he signed the letter of corporate executives endorsing Harris.
In May, James hosted a fundraiser for Biden and the Democratic National Committee at his New York apartment, Bloomberg reported. At a separate fundraiser, James said that “Donald Trump is destroying the fabric of America.”
Jesse Draper
Draper retweeted Harris’ statement announcing that she was the presumptive nominee and a post from the VCsForKamala account
A fourth generation venture capitalist, Draper is a founding partner of a Los Angeles-based firm, Halogen Ventures, according to her website. She has also received an Emmy nomination for her television series, The Valley Girl Show. Draper is a gender equality advocate and focuses on empowering women in the workforce, making her support for VCsForKamala in line with her brand.
Draper reposted Harris’ statement announcing that she was the presumptive Democrat nominee, as we well as post from VCsForKamala.
Mark Suster
Mark Suster.
Suster, a VCsForKamala signatory, is a well-known face in the Los Angeles venture capital scene, where he is a partner at the firm Upfront Ventures. He thanked Biden for dropping out in a post on X and has reshared various statements from Harris. In particular, he has posted about her stance on Israel and her condemnation of Hamas.
In his role at Upfront, Suster oversees more than $3 billion in assets and has enmeshed himself in the LA tech world.
Leslie Feinzaig
VCsForKamala may not have launched without Feinzaig, one of the primary organizers. She said that she formed the group partly in response to a cascade of tweets from Silicon Valley leaders supporting Trump and characterized it as a grass-roots effort.
Feinzaig is the managing director of the firm Graham & Walker and the cofounder of Female Founders Alliance, according to her LinkedIn. She celebrated the VCsForKamala launch on Twitter and posted updates throughout Wednesday, noting that by the late afternoon, 400 people had signed their names.
When Biden dropped out, Fainzaig retweeted his letter breaking the news with the caption, “It’s done.” She announced her support for Harris in a tweet the following day, and the day after posted a screenshot proving that she purchased a now-widespread domain name: vsforkamala.
Chris Larsen
The billionaire crypto executive and Ripple co-founder signed onto the letter endorsing Harris, publicly signaling his support for the vice president for the first time.
“Proud to support the Harris campaign — she’s the right leader for our fast-changing world,” Larsen told B-17 in a statement. “And I’m confident that she will reset the misguided Biden policies that were too anti-business and anti-innovation. At the same time, I’m confident she will maintain Biden’s strong leadership on our energy transition.”
Larsen told B-17 that he appreciated Harris’ speech at the Democratic National Convention and hopes that she’ll appoint individuals who establish clear crypto guidelines. He also said that he recently donated $1 million in crypto Future Forward, a PAC supporting Harris.
