Suhail Rizvi

Suhail R. Rizvi
Born1965 (1965) (age 59)
India
NationalityIndian American
Alma materWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (B.S.)
OccupationVenture Capitalist
EmployerChief Investment Officer at Rizvi Traverse Management LLC
SpousePatti Blanchard Rizvi

Suhail R. Rizvi is an Indian-American businessman and co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Rizvi Traverse Management LLC.[1] He has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and sits on the Wharton Undergraduate Executive Board.[2] A venture capitalist, his investments include Twitter, Facebook, Flipboard and Square.[3] Due to his large stake in Twitter, both personally and for other investors, he was the subject of media scrutiny at the time of Twitter's IPO; he is notoriously private.[4]

Along with social media, Rizvi has invested in telecommunications and entertainment.[5] In April 2007, Rizvi Traverse acquired an equity ownership stake in Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the successful “Twilight” series. In January 2012, Lions Gate announced that it had acquired Summit Entertainment for $412.5 million.[6] In 2005, his firm acquired controlling interest in International Creative Management,[7] but sold its stake.[8] After management problems with the Hollywood talent agency, Rizvi Traverse Management exchanged its equity, "for a combination of cash, preferred non-voting shares and an ongoing interest in certain assets of the company."[8][9] The firm also helped Hugh Hefner buy back Playboy Enterprises in 2011.[10] In November 2015, the company announced the acquisition of 3D cinema technology firm RealD for $551 million.[11][12] His father Syied Humayoun Raza Rizvi, who died in July 2016, was a professor of psychology at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa.[13]

His brother, Ashraf, is a hedge fund manager.

  1. ^ "Suhail Rizvi – Rizvi Traverse Management LLC". Archived from the original on 2013-10-04.
  2. ^ "Undergraduate Executive Board – The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania". Archived from the original on 2012-05-05.
  3. ^ "Suhail Rizvi: Twitter's secret investor with 15% stake of more than $1 billion - Reuters". Archived from the original on October 10, 2013.
  4. ^ Stevenson, Alexandra; Perlroth, Nicole (8 November 2013). "At Twitter, Working Behind the Scenes Toward a Billion-Dollar Payday". The New York Times.
  5. ^ "Company Overview of Rizvi Traverse Management LLC – Bloomberg Businessweek". Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.
  6. ^ "Lions Gate Acquires Summit Entertainment for $412.5 Million - Bloomberg News". Bloomberg News.
  7. ^ "$100-Million Infusion Puts Talent Firm in Position to Deal - LA Times". Los Angeles Times. 2 November 2005.
  8. ^ a b "ICM agents complete buyout of agency from Berg and Rizvi Traverse – LA Times Reporter". Los Angeles Times. 23 May 2012.
  9. ^ Stevenson, Alexandra; Perlroth, Nicole (8 November 2013). "At Twitter, Working Behind the Scenes Toward a Billion-Dollar Payday". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  10. ^ "Hugh Hefner reaches deal to take Playboy private – LA Times". Los Angeles Times. 11 January 2011.
  11. ^ Spangler, Todd (9 November 2015). "RealD to Go Private in $551 Million Deal With Private-Equity Firm Rizvi Traverse". Variety. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  12. ^ Minaya, Ezequiel. "Rizvi Traverse to Buy RealD in $551 Million Deal". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  13. ^ "Suhail Rizvi, the newly-minted Twitter billionaire from India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10.