# Josh Kopelman

> Josh Kopelman is the co-founder and managing partner of First Round Capital, one of the world's most influential seed-stage venture firms, and a serial entrepreneur who sold Half.com to eBay for $300 million in 2000. A Wharton grad who started his first company as a sophomore in 1992, Kopelman has backed over 500 startups including Uber, Square, Warby Parker, and Notion. Known for the legendary Half.com/Halfway-Oregon PR stunt and the 'Penny Gap' essay, he is a consistent Forbes Midas List honoree who describes his career as a deliberate effort to stay permanently in the first 18-24 months of company-building - the phase he loves most.

- **Role:** Co-founder & Managing Partner at First Round Capital
- **Organizations:** First Round Capital, Philadelphia Inquirer (Chair Emeritus), Kopelman Foundation, University of Pennsylvania
- **From:** Great Neck, New York, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Entrepreneurial Management and Marketing (cum laude), The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded First Round Capital, which has backed 500+ startups including Uber, Square, Warby Parker, Notion, and LinkedIn, Sold Half.com to eBay for approximately $300 million in 2000, Took Infonautics Corporation public on NASDAQ in 1996

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Co-founded Infonautics Corporation while a sophomore at Wharton
- **1996** — Took Infonautics public on NASDAQ
- **1999** — Founded Half.com, a fixed-price marketplace for used books, music and media
- **1999** — Convinced Halfway, Oregon to rename itself 'Half.com' for a year in legendary PR stunt
- **2000** — Half.com acquired by eBay for approximately $300 million
- **2000** — Won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, Greater Philadelphia
- **2003** — Co-founded TurnTide, an anti-spam technology company; acquired by Symantec within 6 months
- **2004** — Co-founded First Round Capital, one of the first institutional seed-stage venture funds
- **2007** — Published 'The Penny Gap' essay, a foundational text on freemium business models
- **2008** — Ranked #3 top VC by New York Times; named Fortune 'Rising VC Star'
- **2010** — First Round Capital invested ~$510,000 in Uber (then UberCab)
- **2012** — Reached #6 on Forbes Midas List
- **2015** — Named #4 on Forbes Midas List; joined Philadelphia Media Network board
- **2016** — Elected Chairman of the Philadelphia Inquirer board
- **2024** — Stepped down as Philadelphia Inquirer Chairman; elected Chair Emeritus
- **2025** — Introduced the 'Venture Arrogance Score' framework, widely discussed in VC community

## Achievements

- Co-founded First Round Capital, which has backed 500+ startups including Uber, Square, Warby Parker, Notion, and LinkedIn
- Sold Half.com to eBay for approximately $300 million in 2000
- Took Infonautics Corporation public on NASDAQ in 1996
- Consistent Forbes Midas List honoree (top 100 tech investors) from 2011-2025, reaching #4 in 2015
- Ranked #3 top VC by New York Times in 2008
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Greater Philadelphia region (2000)
- Holds 16 U.S. patents for Internet technology
- Oversaw Philadelphia Inquirer's transition to nonprofit ownership; grew digital subscriptions to 98,000
- TurnTide anti-spam company acquired by Symantec within 6 months of founding (2003)
- First Round Capital's early Uber investment (~$510K in 2010) returned extraordinary multiples at 2019 IPO

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Introduced the 'Venture Arrogance Score' - a viral framework questioning whether mega-funds ($5B+) can mathematically deliver strong VC returns given historical exit concentration
- **2025-01** — Listed on the 2025 Forbes Midas List of top tech investors
- **2024-10** — Spoke at Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 event
- **2024-06** — Stepped down as Chairman of The Philadelphia Inquirer board; elected Chair Emeritus for a three-year term, succeeded by Lisa Kabnick

## Links

- Website: https://redeye.firstround.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkopelman
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/joshk

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/josh-kopelman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05