/Investor DB

Luminari Capital

Venture capital

Palo Alto · Seed–Series A · 13 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Luminari Capital believes the video ecosystem is undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift in how video is created, distributed, and consumed, comparable to prior transitions through broadcast, cable, and satellite TV. As distribution moves to IP and wireless, incumbents must adapt via build, partner, or buy strategies while new venture-backed entrants drive much of the innovation. The firm targets early-stage startups across software and services, data and analytics, advertising technology, hardware and infrastructure, and content within the $500B+ global video market, aiming to back companies it expects to become next-generation leaders with multi-billion-dollar enterprise values.

Source: firm website, verified Aug 2, 2026.

Stage
Seed–Series A
HQ
Palo Alto, California, US
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2013
Tracked investments
24
Unicorns
1
IPOs
4
Acquisitions
4

Team · 13 people

from the firm's website & public directories
Eric Kessler

Advisor to Luminari; former President and COO of HBO.

Jacqueline Corbelli

Advisor to Luminari; Founder, Chairman, and CEO of BrightLine.

John Penneyin

Advisor to Luminari; Chief Strategy Officer at Starz.

Jorge Espinel

Advisor to Luminari; Head of Global Business Development at Spotify.

Founder mafia

4 people who came through Luminari Capital went on to found or lead other companies.

What they invest in

from 11 of 24 portfolio companies

Consumer ×5Media & Entertainment ×5AI & Machine Learning ×3Creator Economy ×2Enterprise Software ×2Sports Tech ×2AdTech ×1Cloud Computing ×1

HQs:United States×9

Who they back

founder profiles across 11 portfolio companies
45%
solo founders
5 of 11 mapped founding teams
69%
repeat founders
of 13 founders with career history

Founding team size:solo founder×52 founders×33 founders×24+ founders×1

Where their founders studiedfrom 11 founders with education data

Stanford University ×2Tel Aviv University ×2

What their founders studiedfrom 10 founders with field-of-study data

Computer Science ×4Economics ×2Finance & Accounting ×2

Where their founders worked beforefrom 13 founders with career history

Strava ×2

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Y Combinator ×3

Investments · 24 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2020 · 12016 · 12015 · 12014 · 14 dated

FuboTVfubo.tv𝕏NYSE: FUBOSeries B · Mar 2016 · $15M

Fubo is a live TV streaming service offering sports, news, and entertainment channels without a traditional cable subscription, accessible across multiple devices.

ConsumerMedia & EntertainmentSports Tech

David Gandler(Founder)inAlberto Horihuela(Founder)in

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsBAM VenturesDCM VenturesK20 FundNorthzoneWaverley CapitalDCM

Kalturakaltura.comin𝕏NASDAQ: KLTR

Kaltura provides AI-powered video platforms for live and on-demand digital experiences that enable brands and organizations to engage audiences and achieve business goals.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMedia & EntertainmentNew York, US

Ron Yekutiel(Founder)inShay David(Director)inEynav Azaria(Chief Product, Engineering and Marketing Officer)inNatan Israeli(Chief Customer and Commercial Officer)in

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investors.406 VenturesAvalon Ventures Management, LlcMitsui Global InvestmentNGP CapitalRuna CapitalSapphire Ventures+5 more

Sandforcesandforce.comin𝕏NASDAQ: STX

Seagate manufactures data storage infrastructure, including hard drives and storage systems, for enterprises and organizations managing large-scale data and AI applications.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureHardware

Alan ShugartDave Mosleyin

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsAugust CapitalCanaan PartnersOak Investment PartnersStaenberg Venture PartnersStorm VenturesTransLink Capital

1Mainstream1mainstream.cominacquired by Cisco

Video platform company acquired by Cisco Systems.

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsDCM VenturesThe Perkins Fund

DanceOndanceon.comin𝕏

DanceOn is an entertainment platform celebrating dance and music culture.

Creator EconomyMedia & EntertainmentSocial

Madonna(Founder)Guy Oseary(Co-founder)Allen DeBevoise(Co-founder)inAmanda Taylor(Co-founder)

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsLaunchpad LAWaverley CapitalAMC NetworksPLUS Capital

Dataxuroku.comin𝕏Jan 2014

Pioneered streaming TV.

Boston, US

Michael Baker(Executive Officer, Director)Steve Louden(Executive Officer)inSteve Shannon(Executive Officer)inStephen Kay(Executive Officer)inGerard Keating(Executive Officer)Sacha Berlik(Executive Officer)

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsAgman PartnersBlue Ivy VenturesCastor VenturesGlobespan Capital PartnersMenlo VenturesWaverley Capital+2 more

Elemental Technologieselementaltechnologies.comin

Video technology company acquired by Amazon.com.

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsVoyager CapitalGeneral CatalystIn-Q-TelNorwest Venture PartnersSteamboat Ventures Asia Management, Ltd.

Matterportmatterport.comin

Matterport provides 3D imaging and digital twin technology for real estate, construction, facilities management, and property marketing, enabling clients to visualize spaces remotely and make data-driven decisions.

Construction TechConsumerEnterprise SoftwarePropTechSunnyvale, US

Matt Bell(Founder)inDavid Gausebeck(Founder/CTO)inMichael Beebe(Chief Operating Officer)inRJ Pittman(CEO)inWillian Brown(Chief Executive Officer)

BoardPeter Hebert(Director)in

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsBling CapitalBoxGroupBrighter CapitalCapria VenturesDCM VenturesFelicis Ventures+28 more

MikMakmikmak.cominJan 2020Acquired

MikMak provides an AI-driven commerce intelligence platform that helps consumer brands measure, plan, and optimize sales and media across the full funnel, drawing on shopper and retailer data.

AI & Machine LearningE-commerceMarketing TechRetail Tech

Rachel Tipograph(Founder)in

Co-investorsMiroma VenturesUTA VenturesWaverley CapitalLunch PartnersMadrona Venture GroupWavecrest Growth Partners

MikMakmikmak.tv

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Mino Gamesminomonsters.com

A mobile game developer that creates games for smartphone and tablet platforms, consistently achieving high revenue rankings in the mobile gaming market.

ConsumerGamingSan Francisco, US

Josh Buckley(Founder/CEO)in

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsGreat Oaks Venture CapitalKima VenturesStandard CryptoY Combinator32bit VenturesACE & Company+23 more

Naritivnaritiv.cominNov 2015Defunct

Powering vertical content for Snapchat

Creator EconomyLos Angeles (Venice), US

Dan Altmann(Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer)inEric Posen(Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer)Daniel Archer(Co-Founder & Founding Engineer)in

BoardAllen DeBevoise(Director (Founder & Managing Partner, Third Wave Digital, which led Naritiv's Series A))Daniel Leff(Director (Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Waverley Capital); joined board approximately November 2015)in

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsDisney AcceleratorMucker CapitalWavemaker PartnersWaverley CapitalAlpaca VCGreylock Partners

Pluto Tvpluto.tvin𝕏

Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported streaming service offering on-demand movies, TV shows, and live TV channels, including kids and family programming, at no cost to viewers.

AdTechConsumerMedia & Entertainment

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsChicago VenturesGreat Oaks Venture CapitalTenOneTen VenturesUS Venture PartnersWaverley Capital

Streamablestreamable.com

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsGreat Oaks Venture CapitalWaverley Capital

Tapptvtapptv.com

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

The Athletictheathletic.comin𝕏Acquired

The Athletic is a sports media platform that provides news, analysis, and commentary covering professional and college sports.

ConsumerMedia & EntertainmentSports TechSan Francisco, US

Alex Mather(Co-founder)inAdam Hansmann(Co-founder)in

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsAdvancit CapitalComcast VenturesCourtside VenturesFounders FundJackson Square VenturesMore Better industries+15 more

Thirty Labsthirtylabs.com

New York, US

Fred Seibert(Executive Officer, Director)

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsBloomberg Beta

Vidyovidyo.comin𝕏Acquired

Vidyo, owned by Enghouse Video, provides secure cloud-based video conferencing and enterprise video management solutions across healthcare, finance, education, government, and other industries.

Cloud ComputingDigital HealthSaaSHackensack, US

Ofer Shapiro(Director)inStephen Lehman(Executive Officer)Eran Westman(Executive Officer, Director)inDavid Kaminsky(Executive Officer)in

BoardAl Schuele(Director)Doug Carlisle(Director)in

PartnerDaniel V. Leff· solo GP

Co-investorsKaiser Permanente VenturesQuestMark PartnersSaints CapitalFour Rivers GroupMenlo VenturesRho Ventures+2 more

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

Fuisz MediaMino MonstersMOVLPlumziStreamNationTapp Media

Exits · 8

4 IPOs · 4 acquisitions · showing 4

FuboTVNYSE: FUBOKalturaNASDAQ: KLTRSandforceNASDAQ: STX1Mainstreamacq. by Cisco

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Luminari Capital made?
Luminari Capital has 24 tracked investments, 8 of which have exited.
What stage does Luminari Capital invest at?
Luminari Capital invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
What sectors does Luminari Capital focus on?
Luminari Capital focuses on AdTech, AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Media & Entertainment.
Where is Luminari Capital located?
Luminari Capital is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.
Who does Luminari Capital co-invest with?
Luminari Capital most often shares deals with Waverley Capital, DCM Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, among 65 tracked co-investors.

Images

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