Welcome, Ivan Zhou!

We’re so excited to welcome Ivan Zhou as our newest early-stage partner

This is a homecoming for Ivan, who was founder and CEO of Mayhem, a social gaming platform we’d backed building AI-insights and analytics for gamers. Following their acquisition by Niantic, he led product for their game platform and built out new social and community features natively across their ecosystem. Put simply, Ivan has spent years thinking about the formative themes shaping how we build consumer applications and technology today.

I was fortunate to back Ivan with my first series A check at Accel, and feel even more so today as he begins as a partner with our early-stage team. His journey to Accel maps to a common pattern for us: a deep, trusted relationship, a history of collaboration, and a mutual drive for excellence.

Ivan is already a trusted advisor to our early investments and company-building efforts. His blend of persistent truth-seeking and infectious optimism makes him a natural partner to founders. It’s why so many have found their way to him for guidance and why we’re confident in the impact he’ll make on our firm and the companies he invests in.

We’re thrilled to welcome Ivan to the team, and excited for the road ahead.

– Amit and the Accel Partners