Sam Yagan serves as Co-Founder and Managing Director of Corazon Capital, an early stage

venture capital firm. He recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of ShopRunner, Inc.,

which provides its millions of members with 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). Prior to ShopRunner, Sam served as Vice-Chairman of Match Group (Nasdaq:

MTCH), a position he assumed after leading the company as Chief Executive Officer through a

period of explosive growth that culminated in its IPO in 2015.

 

In addition to its three early-stage funds, Corazon Capital also manages a fund-of-funds and two

crypto-focused special-purpose vehicles. Several of Corazon’s portfolio companies have

achieved meaningful success, including Pretty Litter, LitCharts, Brilliant Worldwide, Pinterest,

Knock, and Telnyx. Sam’s prior entrepreneurial ventures in the consumer internet sector include

SparkNotes (founded in 1999), still the dominant brand of study guides and eDonkey (founded in

2002), once the largest peer-to-peer file-sharing network in the world. He sold SparkNotes to

iTurf, Inc. and then to Barnes & Noble, Inc., where he served as Vice-President and Publisher

and oversaw the expansion of the digitally native brand into an expansive multi-platform media

business. He also co-founded OkCupid, which he led as its CEO through its sales to Match

Group in 2011.

 

Outside of work, Sam devotes himself to mentoring technology entrepreneurs and civic leaders.

In 2009, he co-founded Excelerate Labs (now TechStars Chicago), a leading start-up

accelerator, and served as its first Chief Executive Officer. Sam sits on the board of several

private companies, including SpotHero, Brilliant Worldwide, and Grindr. He also advises several

venture capital funds, including Hyde Park Venture Partners and the FireStarter Fund, which he

co- founded. He serves on the Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy Fund Board, and

previously served on Target Corp’s Digital Advisory Council, the Stanford Graduate School of

Business Management Board, Chamberlain Group and as an advisor to Procter & Gamble. He

also sits on the boards of nonprofits Start Early, Leaders in Tech, and the 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,” D Magazine’s “Dallas 500” and ranked #19 on Silicon Alley Insider’s

“Most Inspiring and Influential People.” He has received the Chicago Innovation Awards’

“Visionary of the Year Award,” IMSA’s “Distinguished Leadership Award,” the DCIA’s “Pioneer’s Award,” and admission to Chicago Innovation’s Hall of Fame. Sam has testified before the

United States Senate Judiciary Committee and has spoken at the CATO Institute, Digital

Hollywood, IRCE, the Federal Trade Commission, and numerous other industry events.

Sam has a BA with honors in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard College and

an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he earned distinction as a

Siebel Scholar, an Arjay Miller Scholar, and the Henry Ford Scholar, the award granted to each

class’s valedictorian. Sam lives in Chicago with his wife, Jessica, and three kids, Maggie, Jack,

and Max.