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.

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

Founder

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

1,184 people in our graph share verified history with James — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Yaryna NychunlockedJames: together at Harvard University (2016)

×2James: together at Stanford University Graduate School of Business

James: together at Harvard University

×4James: together at Dorm Room

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.

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

Hellosaurus's investors · 2

General CatalystSan Francisco · $30M checks 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.

Network6

Alex MarleyScout

Partner at Dorm Room

Alexa SpagnolaScout

Managing Partner at Dorm Room

Brett KimScout

Partner at Dorm Room

Chris QuaidooScout

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.
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.