Ali Partovi

Co-founder, iLike; Co-founder, LinkExchange; SVP Bizdev, MySpace

Based in San Francisco, Ali is an angel investor, start-up advisor, and serial entrepreneur. He co-founded and sold two high-profile startups: iLike, acquired by MySpace in 2009, and LinkExchange, acquired by Microsoft for $265 million in 1998. His portfolio as an investor / advisor has included such successes as Zappos, Ironport, and Facebook, as well as newer ventures such as DropBox, Viagogo, and OPOWER (see complete Partovi portfolio). As a visionary, he was among the first people to see the potential of the Facebook Platform (in 2007), and among the earliest to grasp the business opportunity of search (in 1997).

Ali also co-founded “DrinkExchange,” a monthly social event that spread from San Francisco to Washington, London, Tokyo, and Sydney.