# Lorenzo Thione

> Lorenzo Thione is a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, AI pioneer, and venture capitalist who sold his search engine startup Powerset to Microsoft for $100 million in 2008. As Managing Director of Gaingels, he leads one of the world's largest LGBTQ+ venture syndicates with $1B+ deployed across 2,700+ portfolio companies. He founded StartOut, the largest LGBTQ+ entrepreneur network, and has produced acclaimed Broadway shows including Hadestown, The Inheritance, and Allegiance with George Takei. An Italian-born computer engineer turned operator-investor-activist, Thione builds what he calls a flywheel of queer economic empowerment by positioning diversity as a source of better returns.

- **Role:** Managing Director at Gaingels
- **Organizations:** Gaingels, Sing Out, Louise! Productions, StartOut, Powerset (acquired)
- **From:** Milan, Italy
- **Nationality:** Italian-American
- **Education:** BSE in Computer Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, MS in Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
- **Known for:** Co-founded Powerset, sold to Microsoft for $100 million in 2008, Won two Tony Awards as Broadway producer (four nominations total), Founded StartOut, the largest LGBTQ+ entrepreneur network

## Career timeline

- **2001-2005** — AI researcher and technologist at FXPAL/PARC, researching computational linguistics
- **2005-2006** — Co-founded Powerset, an AI-powered natural language search engine startup
- **2008** — Powerset acquired by Microsoft for $100 million; became part of Bing launch
- **2009** — Founded StartOut, nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs
- **2015** — Produced Allegiance on Broadway starring George Takei and Lea Salonga
- **2015** — Married Michael Prince on January 9 in New York City
- **2019** — Won first Tony Award for producing Hadestown
- **2019** — Became Co-Founding Partner and Managing Director at Gaingels
- **2020** — Produced The Inheritance on Broadway (Tony Award winner)
- **2022** — Produced &Juliet on Broadway (ongoing)
- **2024** — Produced The Notebook and Days of Wine and Roses on Broadway

## Achievements

- Co-founded Powerset, sold to Microsoft for $100 million in 2008
- Won two Tony Awards as Broadway producer (four nominations total)
- Founded StartOut, the largest LGBTQ+ entrepreneur network
- Managing Director of Gaingels with $1B+ deployed across 2,700+ portfolio companies
- Produced Tony Award-winning shows: Hadestown, The Inheritance
- Produced hit Broadway shows: &Juliet, The Notebook, Days of Wine and Roses, Allegiance
- Named one of the most influential LGBT people in tech by Business Insider (2014)
- Built Gaingels into one of the world's largest LGBTQ+ venture syndicates
- Portfolio includes 70+ unicorns including MasterClass, Epic Games, Chime, Oura, Dapper Labs
- OG AI founder (began working in AI in 2003)
- Sixteen years of board service at StartOut including term as Board Chair

## Latest updates

- **2024** — Produced The Notebook and Days of Wine and Roses on Broadway
- **2024** — Gaingels portfolio scaled to 2,700+ companies with over $1B deployed
- **2026** — Continues leading Gaingels' AI investment strategy and portfolio construction
- **2026** — Active keynote speaker on AI adoption, risk assessment, and strategic implementation
- **2026** — &Juliet continues successful Broadway run (started November 2022)

## Links

- Website: https://lorenzo.thione.me
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzothione
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/thione
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenzosfnyc/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lorenzo-thione
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-04