Former Disney boss Bob Iger joins Thrive Capital

Bob Iger

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger has joined investment firm Thrive Capital.

Thrive Capital is a venture capital company that focuses on building and investing in the internet, software, and technology-enabled companies. It was founded in 2009 by Joshua Kushner (son of real estate developer Charles Kushner and brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner), and closed its eighth fund with approximately US$3 billion in capital commitments earlier this year. It has backed companies including Spotify, Instagram, Stripe and Robinhood, and managed about US$15 billion in assets in 2021.

Joining as a venture partner, Iger will advise on day-to-day initiatives including mentoring startup founders and identifying new investment opportunities. He will not be working at the company full time, Kushner confirmed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Announcing Iger’s appointment in a blog post, a spokesperson for the company said: “Bob is widely recognised as one of the most visionary, innovative and successful CEOs in history, and epitomises daring leadership. Bob will bring his experience and expertise to bear in mentoring our founders as they build iconic companies spanning multiple industries, including healthcare, consumer technology, financial services, enterprise software and more. Today’s complex and dynamic times require bold leadership, and we can think of no one better suited than him to mentor Thrive companies as they forge new ground.”

Iger said: “I look forward to working with the extraordinarily talented team at Thrive as they strive to build and nurture companies that will be future industry leaders across key sectors. I have long believed that by harnessing and advancing technology we can transform businesses and ultimately change our world for the better, and this is exactly what Thrive intends to do and I’m excited to join them in this important endeavour.”

Since leaving Disney in early 2020, Iger has joined the board of crypto startup Genies Inc, invested in consumer startups such as Gopuff and Canva, and was part of a failed bid to buy West London football club Chelsea.