Jim Breyer

Jim Breyer
Born	James W. Breyer Template:Birth year and month
Birthplace	New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Venture capitalist, investor
Known for	Founder and CEO of Breyer Capital; early investor in Facebook
Education	Stanford University (BS) Harvard University (MBA)
Spouse(s)	Template:Plainlist
Awards	Forbes Midas List

James W. Breyer (born July 1961) is an American venture capitalist, the founder and chief executive officer of Breyer Capital, an investment and venture philanthropy firm based in Austin, Texas. He is also a former managing partner at Accel Partners, one of Silicon Valley's most prominent venture capital firms. Breyer is perhaps best known for his early investment in Facebook (now Meta Platforms), which became one of the most profitable venture capital investments in history. Over the course of his career, Breyer has invested in more than 40 companies that have either gone public or completed a merger, with several of those investments—including Facebook—returning more than 100 times their original cost. His investment portfolio has spanned technology, healthcare, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and media. As of 2025, Breyer's fortune was estimated at approximately $3.8 billion, having roughly doubled in value in part due to successful bets in the cryptocurrency sector. Breyer has served on numerous corporate boards, held academic posts at Harvard University and Stanford University, and has been a contributor to the World Economic Forum.

Early Life

James W. Breyer was born in July 1961 in New Haven, Connecticut. Details about his parents, family background, and childhood are not extensively documented in available public sources. New Haven, home to Yale University, is located in the southern part of Connecticut and has long been a center of academic and intellectual life in the northeastern United States.

Breyer grew up during a period of rapid technological change in the United States, and his later career trajectory suggests an early interest in business and technology. He would go on to pursue his higher education at two of the country's most prestigious institutions, Stanford University and Harvard University, positioning himself at the intersection of the technology and finance industries that would come to define the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Education

Breyer earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University, where he developed an affinity for the technology ecosystem of Silicon Valley. He later obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School. The combination of a technical undergraduate education at Stanford and a business degree from Harvard provided Breyer with the academic grounding that would underpin his career in venture capital.

Breyer maintained ties to both institutions throughout his career. At Stanford, he became involved with the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), serving on its advisory board. He was also affiliated with the Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center at Stanford as one of its supporters. His connection to Harvard deepened substantially in 2013, when he was elected to the Harvard Corporation, the university's highest governing body, becoming one of the first technology investors to serve on the centuries-old board. Breyer's appointment to the Harvard Corporation was seen as reflective of the growing influence of the technology sector on traditional academic institutions. His role at Harvard drew attention in particular given the university's endowment management challenges at the time.

He also maintained academic connections in China, serving in an advisory capacity with the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing.

Career

Accel Partners

Breyer spent much of his career at Accel Partners, a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, where he rose to the position of managing partner. During his tenure at Accel, Breyer was involved in dozens of investments across the technology sector. Accel Partners, founded in 1983, became one of the most influential venture capital firms in the world, and Breyer was central to many of its most significant deals.

One of Accel's strategic moves under Breyer's leadership was its expansion into the Chinese market. In 2005, Accel Partners established a presence in China, recognizing the growth potential of the country's rapidly expanding technology industry. This move placed the firm in a position to participate in the Chinese tech boom that followed.

Facebook Investment

Breyer's most notable investment came in 2005, when Accel Partners led a $12.7 million Series A investment in Facebook, the then-nascent social networking platform founded by Mark Zuckerberg. The investment valued Facebook at approximately $100 million at the time. As Facebook grew into one of the world's largest and most valuable technology companies, Breyer's stake generated returns exceeding 100 times the original investment, making it one of the most successful venture capital bets in history.

Breyer served on Facebook's board of directors for several years following the investment. In April 2013, it was reported that Breyer would leave the Facebook board in June of that year. His departure from the board coincided with a broader stepping back from several corporate board positions. Around the same time, it was reported that Breyer was also leaving the boards of Dell and Walmart.

The Facebook investment made Breyer a billionaire and established his reputation as one of the most successful venture capitalists of his generation.

Other Notable Investments at Accel

Beyond Facebook, Breyer was involved in numerous other investments during his time at Accel Partners. In 2009, Breyer realized significant returns from the Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, in which Accel had held a stake. Breyer also invested in Circle Internet Financial, a digital payments and cryptocurrency company founded by Jeremy Allaire. Circle's Series A funding round included participation from Accel Partners, Breyer, and General Catalyst Partners.

Breyer invested in more than 40 companies that ultimately went public or completed mergers, with many of those investments returning more than 25 times their original cost.

Breyer Capital

In 2012, Breyer founded Breyer Capital, an investment and venture philanthropy firm, marking his transition from his longtime role at Accel Partners to leading his own firm. Breyer Capital was structured to invest across a range of sectors and stages, with a focus on backing entrepreneurs building companies with significant potential for impact.

As of 2025, Breyer Capital was headquartered in Austin, Texas, reflecting a broader migration of technology investors and companies to the state. The firm operates with Breyer's two sons as partners, according to a 2025 Forbes profile.

Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare

In more recent years, Breyer Capital has placed increasing emphasis on investments at the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare. In April 2025, the firm appointed Morgan Cheatham, a physician-venture capitalist, as Partner and Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences, signaling a strategic commitment to the healthcare sector. In December 2025, Breyer Capital further expanded its healthcare team with the appointment of Dr. Bret Bostwick as Venture Advisor.

Breyer Capital participated in the funding of Harbor Health, a healthcare startup co-founded by Dr. Clay Johnston, who had previously led Michael Dell's namesake medical school. Harbor Health raised $130 million from investors including Breyer and Dell.

In February 2026, Breyer was reported to be among the prominent angel investors in Circuit Holdings, a startup founded by Tyson Tuttle that raised $30 million to expand its AI platform aimed at helping manufacturers and service providers.

Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets

Breyer's investments extended into the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. His early investment in Circle Internet Financial positioned him in the digital currency ecosystem well before it reached mainstream adoption. By 2025, Breyer's cryptocurrency-related investments contributed significantly to the near-doubling of his fortune, which grew to approximately $3.8 billion. In a 2025 interview with Forbes, Breyer discussed the relationship between digital money and the AI revolution, reflecting his investment thesis linking the two sectors.

Corporate Board Service

Throughout his career, Breyer served on the boards of directors of several major corporations. In addition to his role on Facebook's board, he served on the boards of Dell Inc. and Walmart Stores, Inc.. He also served on the board of 21st Century Fox.

Breyer was involved in corporate governance networks, participating in the Tapestry Networks Lead Director Network, a forum for lead directors and governance professionals. He stepped down from many of his public company board positions around 2013, a period during which he also joined the Harvard Corporation and increased his focus on Breyer Capital.

Political and Social Engagement

Breyer was listed among the supporters of FWD.us, a political advocacy group focused on immigration reform founded by technology leaders including Mark Zuckerberg.

Personal Life

Breyer was married to Susan Z. Breyer; the couple divorced in 2004. In 2012, he married Angela Chao, a shipping executive and the sister of former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. Angela Chao died in 2024.

Breyer has at least two sons who, as of 2025, serve as partners at Breyer Capital. One of his sons, Daniel Breyer, published a debut novel in 2025 titled Smokebirds, which was described as a satirical examination of growing up in a world of wealth and privilege. The novel drew media attention for its autobiographical elements and its critique of the culture surrounding Silicon Valley affluence.

Breyer relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to Austin, Texas, joining a notable trend of technology industry figures moving to the state.

Recognition

Breyer has been recognized as one of the most successful venture capitalists in the United States. He has appeared on the Forbes Midas List, which ranks the top dealmakers in venture capital and technology investing. In the 2021 Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans, Breyer was ranked number 389. By October 2025, Forbes estimated his fortune had grown to approximately $3.8 billion, largely driven by gains in his cryptocurrency investments, and he was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine.

Breyer's election to the Harvard Corporation in 2013 was itself a form of recognition, reflecting his stature in both the business and academic communities. The Harvard Corporation, formally known as the President and Fellows of Harvard College, is the older of Harvard's two governing boards and one of the most prestigious governance positions in American higher education.

His investment track record—particularly the Facebook investment—has been frequently cited in media coverage as one of the defining venture capital deals of the early 21st century. A 2013 Harvard Business School case study examined Breyer's career and investment philosophy.

Breyer has also been recognized for his contributions to the World Economic Forum, where he has served as a contributor, participating in discussions on technology, investment, and global economic policy.

Legacy

Jim Breyer's career has spanned a transformative period in the technology industry, from the rise of the internet in the 1990s through the emergence of social media, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrency as dominant forces in the global economy. His investment in Facebook remains a landmark in venture capital history, illustrative of how a single early-stage bet can generate extraordinary returns and reshape an investor's career trajectory.

Beyond individual investments, Breyer's career reflects the evolving role of venture capitalists as figures who operate not only in finance but also in corporate governance, academic leadership, and policy advocacy. His service on the boards of companies such as Facebook, Dell, Walmart, and 21st Century Fox placed him at the nexus of technology, retail, and media industries. His election to the Harvard Corporation demonstrated the increasing influence of the technology sector on traditional institutions of American life.

Through Breyer Capital, Breyer has continued to invest in emerging technology sectors, with a particular focus in recent years on the convergence of artificial intelligence and healthcare, as well as on digital assets and cryptocurrency. The firm's expansion of its healthcare and life sciences team in 2025 suggests a strategic direction aimed at applying technology-driven investment principles to one of the economy's largest and most complex sectors.

Breyer's transition from Accel Partners to his own firm, and his relocation from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, mirror broader trends in the American technology industry—the rise of the individual investor-operator and the geographic dispersion of technology capital away from its traditional Bay Area base.