Chris Sacca

Christopher Sacca
Christopher Sacca
Born	May 12, 1975 (age 51); Lockport, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, legal professional, business advisor
Years active	1998–present
Known for	Founder of Lowercase Capital; early investments in Twitter, Uber, Instagram, Twilio, Kickstarter; guest investor on Shark Tank
Spouse	Crystal English Sacca
Children	3

Christopher Sacca (born May 12, 1975) is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, legal professional, and business advisor. He established Lowercase Capital, a venture capital firm that focused on early-stage and seed investments in technology startups including Twitter, Uber, Instagram, Twilio, and Kickstarter. His successful investments earned him the second position on the 2017 Forbes Midas List: Top Tech Investors.

During his tenure at Google Inc., Sacca held several leadership roles, overseeing the alternative access and wireless sectors while also contributing to mergers and acquisitions efforts. Between 2015 and 2020, he appeared as a recurring "Guest Shark" on ABC's Shark Tank. Although he announced his retirement from venture capital in early 2017, he made a comeback in 2021 with a renewed focus on investments targeting climate change solutions.

Early life and education

Born on May 12, 1975, Chris Sacca grew up in Lockport, close to Buffalo. His father practiced law, and his mother was a professor at SUNY Buffalo State. Of Irish and Italian heritage, his family traces its origins to Calabria, Italy. Encouraged by his parents to explore varied interests, he frequently visited science museums and participated in reading activities. His brother is actor Brian Sacca.

Sacca attended The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he studied abroad in Ecuador, Ireland, and Spain. Graduating cum laude in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in foreign service, he was awarded multiple scholarships. Known for his unconventional study methods, he collected class notes by hosting annual keg parties where classmates contributed their materials. He later earned a Juris Doctor degree with cum laude honors from Georgetown Law School in 2000, specializing in law and technology.

Stock trading and Fenwick & West

While attending law school, Sacca initially used student loans to launch a business; after its failure, he shifted to trading stocks. By exploiting a software vulnerability in online brokerage platforms in 1998 and utilizing leverage strategies, he transformed an initial investment of $10–20 thousand into $12 million by the year 2000. Following the market downturn, he incurred a debt of $4 million but successfully negotiated it down to $2.125 million, which he fully settled by 2005.

In 2000, Sacca became an associate at Silicon Valley’s law firm Fenwick & West, where he managed venture capital transactions, mergers and acquisitions, as well as licensing agreements for clients such as Macromedia, VeriSign, and Kleiner Perkins. After being laid off after thirteen months in 2001, he worked as a freelance contract attorney and voice-over artist while expanding his professional network. He founded The Salinger Group consulting firm and joined Speedera Networks in May 2002.

Roles at Google

In November 2003, Sacca joined Google as Corporate Counsel reporting directly to General Counsel David Drummond. His responsibilities included securing substantial data storage capacities worldwide through negotiating critical agreements internationally. As Head of Special Initiatives, he spearheaded projects such as the 700 MHz spectrum auction efforts, TV white spaces initiatives, the establishment of Google's data center in Oregon, and the implementation of free citywide WiFi in Mountain View. Additionally, Sacca played a key role in major business development activities and mergers and acquisitions deals while helping to establish Google’s New Business Development team. For his contributions, he was honored with the Founders’ Award, one of Google’s highest distinctions.

Angel Investments

During his tenure at Google, Sacca began providing angel investments and strategic guidance to startups, focusing on areas such as user experience, fundraising, and exit planning. His initial angel investment was in Photobucket, which was acquired by News Corp in 2007. Shortly after, he invested $25,000 in Twitter in 2006, becoming the platform’s 102nd registered user. Sacca later took part in a $5 million funding round in late 2007 and established several funds to accumulate significant Twitter equity. He departed from Google in December 2007 to dedicate himself fully to early-stage venture investments.

A pivotal moment occurred in 2007 when Sacca relocated to Truckee, California, where he hosted entrepreneurs including Travis Kalanick. Facing capital constraints, he raised a fund supported by investors such as Brad Feld, Marissa Mayer, Eric Schmidt, and JPMorgan Chase’s Digital Growth Fund.

Lowercase Capital

In 2010, Sacca launched Lowercase Capital LLC based in Truckee, initiating an $8.4 million seed fund that invested in companies like Uber, Docker, Optimizely, StyleSeat, Instagram, and Twitter. The fund’s portfolio also encompassed non-technology ventures such as Blue Bottle Coffee Company and an upscale restaurant located in Truckee. Without substantial corporate sponsorship, Sacca maintained an active involvement with his portfolio firms—participating in meetings at Twitter and Uber and negotiating ownership of the Uber.com domain.

By 2009, his investments included Kickstarter, Twilio, and Lookout. The following year, Lowercase launched a $1 billion fund that aggressively acquired Twitter shares; by early 2011, it held approximately 9%, increasing to nearly 18% at Twitter’s IPO in 2013—placing the value of Sacca’s holdings near $1 billion.

In 2013, Matt Mazzeo became a partner to spearhead Lowercase Stampede, a branch concentrating on early-stage investments from Los Angeles. By March 2015, Sacca owned a 4% stake in Uber along with positions in Stripe, Lookout, and Automattic. Forbes estimated his net worth at $1.2 billion; his initial Twitter fund had multiplied fifteenfold, delivering $5 billion back to investors. Fortune recognized Lowercase as one of the most successful venture capital funds ever.

By 2017, Lowercase’s portfolio had expanded to include roughly 80 startups and established companies such as Medium and Uber. That year, Sacca fully exited his Twitter holdings and announced his retirement from venture investing and participation on Shark Tank, acknowledging he was "two years late" in retiring at age 40. Although Lowercase would continue supporting existing investments, it would cease raising new capital or making new investments.

Lowercarbon Capital

In 2020, Sacca founded Lowercarbon Capital, a climate-focused investment firm initially financed by himself and his wife. By August 2021, the firm completed its first external funding round totaling $800 million. At that point, it had invested in about 50 startups predominantly developing carbon dioxide removal technologies.

Shark Tank and Media

Sacca is widely recognized as a venture capital authority featured by outlets including Business Week, Fortune, CNBC, BBC, CNN, Fox, and NPR. His appearance on the Startup podcast inspired ABC’s series Start Up, where he portrayed himself. He also appeared as himself in the "Overton Window" episode of Billions.

In 2015, Sacca joined ABC's reality series Shark Tank as a guest investor during season 7, funding businesses such as HatchBaby, Bee Free Honee, Rent Like a Champion, and Brightwheel. He returned for five episodes in season 8 with investments including a lemonade stand enterprise and ToyMail—a plush toy linked to a messaging app. Additionally, Sacca played himself on the ABC sitcom Alex, Inc., reenacting his interactions with founder Alex Blumberg.

Recognition

Chris Sacca has consistently been listed on the Forbes' Midas List of leading technology investors since 2011. In 2015, he graced the cover of Forbes magazine, securing the No. 3 position on the Midas List, and advanced to No. 2 by 2017. BusinessWeek recognized him as one of the top 10 angel investors, while Vanity Fair included him among its "New Establishment" honorees.

Personal life

Sacca's spouse, Crystal English Sacca, serves as a partner at Lowercase Capital and previously worked as an advertising creative. She is the author of titles such as The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert and The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All. The couple lives with their three children in Jackson, Wyoming and Big Sky, Montana.

Frequently seen sporting Western-style shirts, Sacca was once listed on GQ's "Worst Dressed List." According to Forbes, his first impulsive purchase of a cowboy shirt occurred at Reno airport, and on a subsequent visit, he bought nearly half the store’s inventory. He delivered the commencement speech at the University of Minnesota in 2011, which was later highlighted by NPR as one of the “Best Commencement Speeches, Ever.” In athletic pursuits, Sacca completed an Ironman in 2008 and undertook a 40-day charity bike ride from Santa Barbara, California to Charleston, South Carolina in 2009.

In 2017, the New York Times reported an incident from 2009 where Sacca was accused of touching a woman’s face without her consent. While he denied this allegation, Sacca expressed regret for contributing to an "inhospitable" atmosphere toward women within the technology and venture capital sectors.

Philanthropy

Sacca is a supporter of charity: water, an organization dedicated to providing safe drinking water worldwide, and also contributes to The Tony Hawk Foundation. His roles have included Associate Fellow at Oxford University's Saïd Business School and Global Trustee for the MIT Enterprise Forum. Additionally, he is recognized as a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

In 2019, Chris and Crystal Sacca became signatories of The Giving Pledge, committing to allocate the majority of their wealth toward charitable endeavors.

Political involvement

Sacca played an advisory role on Telecommunications, Media, and Technology during Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. He co-chaired finance efforts for Obama's Presidential Inaugural Committee and participated actively in Obama's 2012 reelection campaign as a member of the National Finance Committee and co-chair of "Tech for Obama."

Throughout the 2016 U.S. presidential election cycle, Sacca was a vocal supporter of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, organizing fundraisers across the country. He openly opposed Donald Trump and contributed $150,000 in matching donations to the ACLU after Trump issued an executive order in 2017 restricting travel from seven predominantly Muslim nations. Furthermore, Sacca financially supported the Lincoln Project—a Republican-led super PAC opposing Trump’s reelection and backing Republican Senators critical of Trump.

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