Mark Pincus

Mark Pincus
Mark Pincus
Born	February 13, 1966 (age 60); Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Internet entrepreneur, investor
Known for	Founder of Zynga, Freeloader, Inc., Tribe Networks, Support.com

Mark Jonathan Pincus (born February 13, 1966) is a prominent American internet entrepreneur, widely recognized as the founder of Zynga, a top company in the mobile social gaming sector. He also established several other startups, including Freeloader, Inc., Tribe Networks, and Support.com. Pincus held the position of Zynga's CEO until July 2013 and resumed this role from 2015 to 2016.

Acknowledged for his executive leadership, Pincus earned the title of "CEO of the Year" in 2009 and was honored as Founder of the Year in 2010 at The Crunchies technology awards. Zynga is considered a trailblazer in the realm of social gaming. The company went public in 2011 through an initial public offering valued at $1 billion.

In 2018, Pincus partnered with Reid Hoffman and hedge fund manager Michael Thompson to launch Reinvent Capital, an investment firm. Additionally, he collaborated with Professor Amir Goldberg to develop a Product Management course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Early life and education

Pincus grew up in Chicago's Lincoln Park area. His mother, Donna (née Forman), is an artist and architect, while his father, Theodore Pincus, worked as a business columnist and provided public relations counsel to CEOs and politicians. Pincus is of Jewish heritage.

He attended Francis W. Parker School from kindergarten through high school, completing his studies in 1984. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. Later, he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he co-founded the Communications Club alongside Sherry Coutu.

Financial services

Prior to launching his entrepreneurial ventures, Pincus accumulated six years of experience in venture capital and financial services. Upon graduating from Wharton, he spent two years as an analyst within the New Media Group at Lazard Freres & Co.. He then relocated to Hong Kong to serve as Vice President for Asian Capital Partners for another two years.

After returning to the United States, Pincus enrolled at Harvard Business School (HBS), graduating in 1993 with peers including Chris Hohn, Guy Spier, and Chris Shumway. During his studies, he completed an internship at Bain & Co. in 1992.

Following HBS, he took on the role of corporate development manager at Tele-Communications, Inc. (currently AT&T Cable). Within a year, he transitioned to Columbia Capital as vice president, where he led investments targeting new media and software startups based in Washington, D.C.

Freeloader

Pincus launched his inaugural startup, Freeloader, Inc., in 1995 with backing from Fred Wilson and Softbank. Just seven months after its inception, Individual, Inc. acquired Freeloader for $38 million. Notably, Sean Parker interned there during summer at age 14; Parker later co-founded Napster, becoming one of Pincus’s first investments with a $100,000 contribution.

Support.com

In August 1997, Pincus founded Support.com and assumed the roles of Chairman and CEO. Under his leadership, the company emerged as a leading provider of help desk automation software solutions. Support.com went public in July 2000 with a valuation of $1.5 billion and was rebranded as SupportSoft, Inc. in 2002.

Tribe.net

At the age of 37 in 2003, Pincus established Tribe.net, one of the pioneering social networking platforms. Tribe.net collaborated with prominent local newspapers and received backing from notable entities such as The Washington Post, Knight Ridder Digital, Mayfield Fund, and Guy Spier. In 2007, Cisco Systems acquired the core technology behind Tribe.net to create a social networking solution for its digital media services division.

Additionally, in 2003, Pincus teamed up with Reid Hoffman to acquire the Six Degrees patent—covering essential social networking technology—for $700,000. Their intention was to safeguard innovation within the social networking space and prevent interference from large corporations. Despite owning the patent, they never took legal action to enforce it.

Investing

Pincus was an early investor in several high-profile companies including Napster, Facebook, Friendster, Snapchat, Xiaomi, and Twitter. His investment portfolio also features early stakes in JD.com, Brightmail (later acquired by Symantec for $400 million), and Buddy Media (which Salesforce acquired for $800 million). In 2015, he backed HVMN (formerly known as Nootrobox), a company specializing in nootropics, as well as Diamond Foundry, a firm producing lab-grown diamonds. In 2014, he invested in Wealthfront, an automated investment platform.

Zynga

Pincus founded Zynga Inc. in July 2007, naming it after his late American bulldog, Zinga. Zynga created social games on platforms such as Facebook, Myspace, and Bebo. The company went public in 2011 through an IPO valued at $1 billion. Pincus held the CEO position from 2007 until 2013. On July 1, 2013, Don Mattrick—formerly president of Interactive Entertainment at Microsoft—assumed the CEO role. Pincus stayed on as Chairman and Chief Product Officer but relinquished the product role in April 2014 to concentrate on his chairmanship duties.

He resumed his role as CEO in April 2015 but stepped down again on March 7, 2016, remaining Executive Chairman while Frank Gibeau succeeded him as CEO. In 2018, demonstrating trust in Zynga’s leadership team, Pincus voluntarily reduced his voting power from 70% to 10% and transitioned into a non-executive chairman position.

Start-ups

In 2014, Pincus launched Superlabs, an incubator dedicated to product innovation; Zynga acquired this incubator in 2015.

In 2017, together with Reid Hoffman and Adam Werbach, Pincus co-founded Win the Future—a political movement operating within the Democratic Party.

Reinvent Capital and SPACs

In 2018, Pincus co-established Reinvent Capital alongside Reid Hoffman and Michael Thompson. This investment firm focuses on companies within internet technology, software development, and media sectors. Reinvent’s investments include Zipline, goPuff, Dataminr, Nimble Robotics, Oscar Health, Lyft, all.Health, Convoy, SpaceX, and Aurora Innovation.

Reinvent launched its first SPAC in September 2020 called Reinvent Technology Partners (RTP), which raised $690 million through its IPO. By February 2021, RTP announced a $5 billion merger with Joby Aviation—a leader in eVTOL aircraft—supported by investors such as Uber Technologies, The Baupost Group, BlackRock, Fidelity Management & Research, and Baillie Gifford.

In November 2020, Reinvent introduced its second SPAC named Reinvent Technology Partners Z (RTPZ), raising $230 million. RTPZ declared a merger with Hippo Insurance in March 2021; Hippo is a U.S.-based home insurance provider utilizing AI and big data for property risk assessment.

February 2021 saw the launch of Reinvent’s third SPAC: Reinvent Technology Partners Y (RTPY), which raised $977.5 million. By July 2021, RTPY announced a merger with Aurora Innovation—a Pittsburgh-based company developing Level 4 autonomous driving systems for trucks and passenger vehicles.

Presidio Trust

Pincus previously served on the board of the Presidio Trust, a federal entity responsible for managing the Presidio within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. His appointment to this position was made by President Obama in 2017.

Zynga.org

In October 2009, Pincus launched Zynga.org, an initiative aimed at generating funds through the sale of virtual social goods. Through this platform, more than $20 million has been raised for upwards of 50 nonprofits worldwide by offering virtual items tied to charitable efforts. Under Pincus’s guidance, Zynga implemented mechanisms enabling users to contribute to organizations such as the San Francisco SPCA and Haitian groups FATEM and Fonkoze, collecting $427,000 in fewer than three weeks during 2009. In early 2010, Zynga.org secured $1.5 million within five days for earthquake relief in Haiti, with funds distributed within 48 hours. Overall donations for Haiti relief reached $3 million in 2010, followed by an additional $2 million raised in 2011 to support rescue operations after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

On March 11, 2011, Zynga pledged all proceeds from virtual goods across more than seven games to Japan's Save the Children Earthquake Emergency Fund. During the 2012 holiday period, Zynga.org collaborated with Toys for Tots on its largest campaign unrelated to disaster relief, generating $745,000 through virtual goods sales.

In 2014, Zynga contributed $1 million to Water.org to aid clean water access projects in developing nations.

Zynga match

In June 2020, Zynga created a $25 million fund dedicated to supporting charitable organizations and educational initiatives that advance diversity and inclusion.

Oakland Undivided Campaign

In May 2020, Pincus provided a $700,000 donation to both the Oakland Unified School District and City of Oakland to assist their $12.5 million campaign aimed at bridging the digital divide impacting local students.

Roden Crater Project

Pincus gave $3 million in February 2020 toward James Turrell’s Roden Crater, an extensive land art installation located in Northern Arizona. This contribution helped progress the project toward its planned public opening within five years.

Bolinas COVID-19 testing

In April 2020, together with Finnish entrepreneur Jyri Engeström and biotech leader Cyrus Harmon, Pincus coordinated and financed comprehensive COVID-19 testing for the entire community of Bolinas, California. This effort provided free tests to all approximately 1,600 residents, with Pincus initially covering $100,000 due to lack of government funding.

Canal Alliance

In June 2020, Pincus donated over $100,000 to Canal Alliance to support its COVID-19 relief initiatives aimed at assisting families in need.

Political views

Pincus identifies as a libertarian. He co-hosted a fundraiser supporting Kamala Harris’s Senate campaign in 2016 and, alongside other Silicon Valley billionaires, contributed the maximum allowable amounts to Joe Biden’s presidential bid in 2020. However, in July 2024, he expressed concerns that "Biden appears even riskier than Trump," opposed substituting Harris for Biden on the Democratic ticket, and commended selected policies from Donald Trump’s administration.

Personal life

In 2008, Pincus wed Alison Gelb, the creator of One Kings Lane, which was acquired by Bed Bath & Beyond in 2016. The couple has three children and previously resided in San Francisco's Pacific Heights area before their separation in March 2017.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Pincus spends quality time with his daughters and pursues activities such as cycling, surfing, soccer, and yoga.

In 2022, he became a member of The Giving Pledge, pledging to allocate the majority of his fortune to philanthropic causes.

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