SAM YAGAN

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Corazon Capital

Linkedin Twitter

Sam Yagan co-founded Corazon Capital in 2013 and is one of its Managing Directors. He recently served as the CEO of ShopRunner, Inc., which provides its millions of members free two-day shipping and seamless checkout at over 100 leading online retailers. In 2020, he led the sale of ShopRunner to FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX). Before ShopRunner, Sam served as Vice-Chairman of Match Group (Nasdaq: MTCH), a position he assumed after leading the company as CEO through a period of explosive growth that culminated in its IPO in 2015.

Sam’s prior entrepreneurial ventures in the consumer internet sector include SparkNotes, still the dominant brand of study guides, and MetaMachine, Inc., once the largest peer-to-peer file-sharing network in the world. Sam sold SparkNotes to iTurf, Inc. and then to Barnes & Noble, Inc. He served as Publisher and oversaw the expansion of the digitally-native brand into a multi-platform media business. Sam also co-founded OkCupid in 2003, which he led as its CEO through its sale to Match Group in 2011. In 2009, Sam co-founded Excelerate Labs (now Techstars Chicago), a leading start-up accelerator, and served as its first Managing Director.

Sam sits on the board of various private companies, including SpotHero, Brilliant Worldwide, @hotel, and Songfinch. He previously served as a member of the Digital Advisory Council at Target Corp (NYSE: TGT) and the Stanford Graduate School of Business Management Board. He also provided guidance as an advisor to Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG). In addition to his corporate contributions, Sam remains committed to philanthropic endeavors, serving on the boards of three non-profit organizations: Start Early, Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy Fund Board, and Rush University Medical Center.
 
Sam has earned recognition on TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40,” Crain’s Chicago “Tech 50” and “40 Under 40,” Billboard Magazine’s “30 Under 30,” and ranked #19 on Silicon Alley Insider’s “Most Inspiring and Influential People.”

Sam holds a BA with honors in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He earned distinctions as a Siebel Scholar, an Arjay Miller Scholar, and the Henry Ford Scholar, the latter of which Stanford awards annually to each class’s valedictorian.