Joshua Kushner

Early life and education

Joshua Kushner was born on June 12, 1985, in Livingston, New Jersey, where he grew up in a Jewish family to parents Charles and Seryl Kushner. Kushner graduated from Harvard College in 2008, and from Harvard Business School in 2011.

Career

Early career

During his second year, Kushner was founding executive editor of Scene, a new pop culture student-publication. The publication was badly received by critics upon release.

In the spring of his junior year he worked with two graduate students to pool $10,000 in order to found social network Vostu, which aimed to "fill a void left by online communities in which English is the lingua franca", like Facebook. According to Kushner, Latin America was a promising market for a Facebook-alternative and new social networking site because "[it was] a place where Internet use is increasing every year, and technology is booming at a rapid pace". Vostu laid off the majority of its employees in 2013 and significantly scaled back its operations after a copyright lawsuit from a competitor accused them of copying games.

The year after graduation he co-founded a start-up called Unithrive. Unithrive was inspired by the peer-to-peer loan model of Kiva, but aimed to "ease the crisis in paying for college" by matching "alumni lenders to cash-strapped students ... who [could] post photographs and biographical information and request up to $2,000", interest-free for repayment within five years of graduation. After graduating from Harvard, he started his career in the private equity arm at Goldman Sachs, working for a year on distressed debt.

Thrive Capital

Main article: Thrive Capital

He founded Thrive Capital in 2010, a venture capital firm that focuses on media and internet investments. Since its founding, Thrive has raised over $7.3 billion from institutional investors, including Princeton University. Thrive's capital funds include: Thrive II, which raised $40 million in 2011; Thrive III, which raised $150 million in 2012; Thrive IV, which raised $400 million in September 2014; Thrive V, raising $700 million in 2016; Thrive VI, raising $1 billion in 2018; Thrive VII, raising $2 billion in 2021; Thrive VIII, raising $3 billion in 2022; and Thrive IX, raising $5 billion in 2024.

Kushner was the second largest investor in Instagram's Series B funding round. Valued at $500 million, Thrive soon doubled its money after Instagram was sold to Facebook.

For his work with Thrive, Kushner was named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc. magazine's 35 Under 35, Crain's 40 Under 40, and Vanity Fair Next Establishment.

In 2021, it was reported by Bloomberg that Goldman Sachs had invested in Kushner's Thrive Capital at a $3.6 billion valuation. Kushner sold a 3.3% stake in Thrive to a group of investors, including Disney's Bob Iger and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts' Henry Kravis, valuing Thrive at $5.3 billion.

, Forbes estimates his net worth to be $5.2 billion, primarily from his ownership in Thrive. Fortune magazine listed Kushner in its inaugural list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business in 2024, citing Thrive's early investment in OpenAI.

Oscar Health

Kushner is a co-founder and vice-chairman of Oscar Health, a health insurance start-up. Founded in 2012, Oscar was valued at $2.7 billion in 2016. Oscar went public in 2021, with Kushner's Thrive Capital owning a stake worth $1.21 billion. Oscar reported an $87 million loss in its first quarter as a publicly traded company.

In 2020, it was revealed by The Atlantic that Jared Kushner had contracted Oscar Health to develop a coronavirus testing website that was later scrapped, even though Trump had said publicly that Google was developing the website.

Cadre

In 2015, Kushner founded a new company called Cadre with his brother Jared and their friend Ryan Williams, with Williams as Cadre's CEO. Cadre is a technology platform designed to help certain types of clients, such as family offices and endowments, invest in real estate.

JK2

Kushner and his brother, Jared, each own 50% of JK2 (also known as Westminster Management), a real estate management company,

In April 2021, a Judge ruled that JK2 was found to have committed "widespread and numerous" violations of Maryland's consumer protection laws at Baltimore-area properties by collecting debts without the required licenses, charging tenants improper fees, and misrepresenting the condition of rental units. During the COVID-19 pandemic, JK2 filed a significant number of lawsuits against tenants for debt collection and eviction, despite an eviction moratorium being in place.

Kushner's JK2 was also featured in an episode of Netflix's Dirty Money series titled "Slumlord Millionaire." The episode was based on an expose from ProPublica accusing the company of abusing tenants rights, leaving homes in disrepair, humiliating late-paying renters and suing tenants when they try and move out.

Other activities

Kushner became a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies after acquiring a 2.5% stake in 2019. In 2024, he purchased a small stake in the Miami Heat and consequently sold his stake in the Memphis Grizzlies.

In 2024, Kushner and his wife's media company, Bedford Media, announced plans to revive Life magazine in an agreement with Dotdash Meredith, with the first print issue scheduled for early 2025. He also joined the board of directors of A24 Films that year.

Personal life

Kushner married model Karlie Kloss in 2018. They have two sons, born in March 2021 and July 2023, and a daughter, born in September 2025.

In December 2020, the couple purchased a home in Miami, Florida, for US$23.5 million. They also bought a 7200 sqft penthouse in the Puck Building in Manhattan for $35 million in 2021, and paid $29.5 million for the Wave House in Malibu, California, in August 2024.

Kushner was included in a 2024 Washington Post article about a WhatsApp group chat from October 2023 through early May that year where some United States' business leaders discussed "chang[ing] the narrative" in favor of Israel by conveying “the atrocities committed by Hamas…to all Americans,” following Hamas's October 7th terror attack on Israel. However, a spokesperson of Kushner stated that, “Josh has not participated in [the group chat].”

References

References

1. Stern, Jeremy. (October 2025). "Josh Kushner, Thrive, and the New World".
2. Eidell, Lynsey. (July 20, 2023). "All about Joshua Kushner, Karlie Kloss' husband and Jared Kushner's brother".
3. (December 29, 2011). "Forbes features members of the tribe in 30 under 30". Jspace.com.
4. Golden, Daniel. (November 18, 2016). "The story behind Jared Kushner's curious acceptance into Harvard".
5. Alyson Shontell. (October 28, 2010). "Here is why VC and entrepreneur Joshua Kushner is bothering to get his MBA".
6. "Q+A Joshua Kushner". Details.
7. Neyfakh, Leon. (December 7, 2005). "Doordropped: Which Scene?". The Harvard Crimson.
8. "Glossies Gear Up For Second Run".
9. "The 26-Year-Old VC Who Cashed In On Instagram".
10. Benitez, Andrew M.. (March 7, 2007). "Students Start Spanish Social Site". The Harvard Crimson.
11. (March 11, 2013). "More Layoffs And Downsizing At Vostu, South America's One-Time Frontrunner in Gaming".
12. (February 14, 2012). "After Zynga Settlement, Layoffs Hit Brazilian Social Gaming Company Vostu".
13. Salkin, Allen. (June 12, 2009). "I'm Going to Harvard. Will You Sponsor Me?". The New York Times.
14. "The 26-Year-Old VC Who Cashed In On Instagram".
15. Rusli, Evelyn M.. (August 22, 2011). "Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital Raises $40 Million". [[The New York Times]].
16. "Joshua Kushner worked for Goldman Sachs before he started Thrive Capital, which invested in Instagram and Kickstarter".
17. Rusli, Evelyn M.. (September 6, 2012). "Thrive Capital raises $150 million fund, bolstering profile". [[The New York Times]].
18. (October 6, 2014). "Venture firm Thrive Capital raises another fund". The New York Times.
19. (February 24, 2023). "Josh Kushner's budding empire".
20. Matt Durot. (April 5, 2022). "Thrive's Josh Kushner: The other brother becomes family's first billionaire".
21. Jin, Berber. (August 5, 2024). "Thrive Capital raises $5 Billion for venture funds on heels of OpenAI bet". The Wall Street Journal.
22. Vardi, Nathan. "Joshua Kushner, Managing Partner, Thrive Capital, 26 - In Photos: 30 Under 30: Finance".
23. (June 24, 2014). "Insurance in the U.S. is Broken. Oscar Wants to Fix It".
24. "Crain's 40 Under Forty Joshua Kushner, 28". Crain's New York Business.
25. Deligter, Jack. (March 21, 2012). "The Next Establishment".
26. Roof, Katie. (May 20, 2021). "Goldman Sachs Is Said to Invest in Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital".
27. Shontell, Alyson. (August 30, 2024). "The rise of Joshua Kushner: How the young VC quietly built Thrive Capital into the powerhouse leading OpenAI to a $100 billion valuation".
28. "Forbes profile: Josh Kushner". [[Forbes]].
29. (November 12, 2024). "100 most powerful people in business".
30. Schwartz, Leo. (November 13, 2024). "Behind the curtain of Joshua Kushner's venture empire".
31. Lakritz, Talia. (June 27, 2024). "Meet Josh Kushner, the billionaire venture capitalist who's married to Karlie Kloss and just made a major investment in Hollywood".
32. "Oscar Health Gets $400 Million And A $2.7 Billion Valuation from Fidelity".
33. Livingston, Shelby. "Oscar Health, the original buzzy health insurance start-up, has filed to go public. We pored over its 208-page filing to find 4 key takeaways.".
34. Goodman, Michael. "Josh Kushner stands to make a mint on Oscar Health's much-awaited IPO, and has almost total control. Here are the venture investors who will also do well.".
35. Japsen, Bruce. "Obamacare Provider Oscar Health Reports Loss Even As Revenue Soars".
36. Meyer, Robinson. (2020-03-31). "Exclusive: Kushner Firm Built the Coronavirus Website Trump Promised".
37. (2020-08-13). "Kushner Had a Plan to Shed His Cadre Stake. Then the Pandemic Upended It.". Bloomberg.com.
38. (2020-07-17). "Jared Kushner to Retain Stake in Cadre {{!}} The Real Deal".
39. Dellatto, Marisa. (October 19, 2021). "Kushner Company Replaces Jared As CEO With First-Ever Outside The Family Pick".
40. (March 23, 2018). "Joshua Kushner Met With Government of Qatar to Discuss Financing in the Same Week Father Charles Kushner Did".
41. (April 29, 2021). "Jared Kushner's apartment company violated consumer laws in Maryland, judge rules".
42. (April 30, 2021). "Judge: Kushner's apartment company violated consumer laws".
43. (2021-04-30). "Judge: Kushner's apartment company violated consumer laws".
44. Fang, Lee. (April 4, 2020). "Coronavirus Hasn't Stopped Jared Kushner's Real Estate Empire From Hounding Tenants With Debt Collection, Eviction Lawsuits".
45. DiMauro, Morgan Pehme,Daniel. (2020-03-27). "Jared Kushner, Slumlord Millionaire, Can't Evict the Virus". The Daily Beast.
46. MacGillis, Alec. (May 23, 2017). "The Beleaguered Tenants of 'Kushnerville'".
47. Ozanian, Mike. "Memphis Grizzlies Minority Sale To Joshua Kushner Values Team At $1.32 Billion".
48. (2019-03-22). "A Kushner Is an N.B.A. Owner". [[The New York Times]].
49. Thomas Barrabi. (May 9, 2025). "Tech investor Josh Kushner quietly bought stake in NBA's Miami Heat last year: source".
50. Yang, Maya. (March 28, 2024). "Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner announce plan to revive Life magazine". [[The Guardian]].
51. Battaglio, Stephen. (March 28, 2024). "Karlie Kloss' Bedford Media will resuscitate Life magazine as a print product". [[Los Angeles Times]].
52. (June 26, 2024). "A24 raises significant new investment round, valuing company at $3.5B".
53. Kimble, Lindsay. (October 18, 2018). "Karlie Kloss is married! Supermodel weds Joshua Kushner in custom Dior gown".
54. (March 15, 2021). "Karlie Kloss gives birth to first child with Joshua Kushner". The Independent.
55. Ushe, Naledi. (April 16, 2021). "Karlie Kloss shares first photo with newborn, reveals her son's name".
56. Haffenden, Dayna. "Karlie Kloss and husband Joshua Kushner welcome second baby together".
57. Saunders, Angel. (September 21, 2025). "Karlie Kloss and husband Joshua Kushner welcome baby no. 3, a girl".
58. (December 10, 2020). "Karlie Kloss, Joshua Kushner are revealed as buyers of $23.5 million Miami estate".
59. Clarke, Katherine. (August 26, 2024). "Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss pay $29.5 million for Malibu's iconic Wave House". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
60. (May 16, 2024). "Business titans privately urged NYC mayor to use police on Columbia protesters, chats show". Washington Post.
61. John Marcus. (May 17, 2024). "Finance and business moguls held Zoom with Eric Adams urging him to bring in police on Columbia protesters".