# David Helgason

> David Helgason is an Icelandic entrepreneur and investor who co-founded Unity, served as its CEO until October 2014, and helped build a business around accessible game-development tools. Now a partner at Transition in Reykjavik, he backs climate and deep tech companies spanning energy, computing and industrial systems. He also founded Foobar and co-founded Cleanplay. His Unity board service ended in February 2026.

- **Role:** Partner at Transition Ventures
- **Organizations:** Unity, Transition Ventures, Foobar, Cleanplay, Nordic Makers, Sustainable Games Alliance
- **Nationality:** Icelandic
- **Education:** Studied physics, Arabic and psychology; no completed degree reported, University of Copenhagen
- **Known for:** Co-founded Unity and led it as CEO through October 2014., Helped commercialise game-development software aimed at lowering barriers for independent creators., Co-founded Transition, whose $150 million second fund took assets under management above $300 million in May 2026.

## Career timeline

- **2002-2003** — Early collaboration with Nicholas Francis and Joachim Ante on the technology that became Unity.
- **2004** — Co-founded Over the Edge Entertainment, later Unity; became president and CEO in August.
- **2005** — GooBall released for Mac; Unity 1.0 launched in June.
- **2014** — Handed the CEO role to John Riccitiello in October; became executive vice president for strategy and communications.
- **2016-2021** — Partner at Nordic Makers.
- **2020** — Unity listed on the NYSE in September.
- **2021** — Became a founding general partner at Transition.
- **2026** — Left Unity’s board on February 5; Transition announced its $150 million Fund II in May.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Unity and led it as CEO through October 2014.
- Helped commercialise game-development software aimed at lowering barriers for independent creators.
- Co-founded Transition, whose $150 million second fund took assets under management above $300 million in May 2026.
- Founded Foobar, a long-term investment company focused on technology, decarbonisation and resilience.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Transition closed a $150 million Fund II, bringing assets under management above $300 million and focusing on AI and physical systems.
- **2026-02** — Unity’s 2026 proxy confirms he left its board on February 5, 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://foobar.vc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhelgason/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/davidhelgason

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-helgason
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27