Where does James Ruben work?

James Ruben is Founder of Hellosaurus.

What check size does James Ruben write?

James Ruben typically writes checks of $5K – $200K.

What companies did James Ruben found?

James Ruben founded Hellosaurus.

What companies has James Ruben invested in?

Investments tracked here include Hellosaurus.

Where did James Ruben go to school?

James Ruben studied at Harvard University (Bachelor of Arts - BA, Economics, Computer Science); Stanford University Graduate School of Business (Master of Business Administration - MBA); Y Combinator.

James Ruben

InvestorFounder

Founder at Hellosaurus

New York, New York

Writes $5K – $200K checks · typically $50K

FoundedHellosaurus · YC

30 Under 30 2019 · Consumer Technology

Find your path to James

12,843 people in our graph can introduce you to James.

Each arrow is one introduction. Sign up to fill in the first one.

Ask Harshita Arora to introduce you to James

You →Harshita · together at YC S20 (2020) →James

Ask Jamie Chen to introduce you to James

You →Jamie · together at YC S20 →James

Ask Sam Okafor to introduce you to James

You →Sam · 2 people · together at Dorm Room →James

Your email: the people you already email who know James
2nd- and 3rd-degree connections: people you know who worked, studied or invested with James
Your LinkedIn: the connections who can make the intro for you

We rank every route by how warm it is, so you raise on warm intros instead of cold emails.

About

James Ruben is a founder and CEO who has launched three companies, including Hellosaurus (YC S20), which was acquired by Brilliant.org, and HQ Trivia, a live trivia platform he helped develop from prototype to international reach. He previously served as Head of Product at Pika, where he worked on generative AI video models, and began his career as an Associate Product Manager at Google. Ruben holds degrees in Economics and Computer Science from Harvard College and an MBA from Stanford GSB.

Founder at Hellosaurus YC S20

Intro paths

James went through Y Combinator (Summer 2020) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.

→

In turn, James can intro founders to Hellosaurus's investors below.

Hellosaurus's investors · 5

BDMINew York · $500K – $5M checks · since 2020 General CatalystSan Francisco · $30M checks · since 2020 GSV VenturesSan Francisco · $250K – $15M checks · since 2020 Shrug CapitalSunnyvale · $100K – $3M checks · since 2020 Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K checks · since 2020

Experience

Remy, Inc.Founder, CEOcurrent2025 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
Self-employedAngel Investor & Product Advisorcurrent2018 — present
PikaHead of Product2024 — 2025San Francisco Bay Area
HellosaurusFounder, CEO (acquired by Brilliant.org; YC S20)2019 — 2024New York, New York, United States
HQ TriviaHead of Product2017 — 2019New York City Metropolitan Area
GoogleProduct Manager2016 — 2017New York City Metropolitan Area
Dorm Room FundInvestment Partner2015 — 2016Boston
Various StartupsCo-Founder (While In College)2012 — 2016
GoogleAssociate Product Manager Intern2015Mountain View, CA
MicrosoftProgram Manager (PM) Intern2014Redmond, Washington
Highland Capital PartnersEntrepreneur in Residence2013Menlo Park, CA
Maru-a-Pula SchoolTeacher2011Gaborone, Botswana
United States SenateSenate Page2010Washington DC-Baltimore Area

Skills & more

Entrepreneurship26

From James's professional profile.

Investments

Investor

Hellosaurus

Per curated public sources.

Leave your own feedback

Network5

Venture Partner at Griffin Gaming Partners

Daniel ApplewhiteScout

Managing Partner at Dorm Room

Daniel BessonovScout

Partner at Dorm Room

Investors connected to James in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.

Frequently asked questions

Who is James Ruben?: James Ruben is a founder and CEO who has launched three companies, including Hellosaurus (YC S20), which was acquired by Brilliant.org, and HQ Trivia, a live trivia platform he helped develop from prototype to international reach. He previously served as Head of Product at Pika, where he worked on generative AI video models, and began his career as an Associate Product Manager at Google. Ruben holds degrees in Economics and Computer Science from Harvard College and an MBA from Stanford GSB.
Where does James Ruben work?: James Ruben is Founder of Hellosaurus.
What check size does James Ruben write?: James Ruben typically writes checks of $5K – $200K.
What companies did James Ruben found?: James Ruben founded Hellosaurus.
What companies has James Ruben invested in?: Investments tracked here include Hellosaurus.
Where did James Ruben go to school?: James Ruben studied at Harvard University (Bachelor of Arts - BA, Economics, Computer Science); Stanford University Graduate School of Business (Master of Business Administration - MBA); Y Combinator.