Max Blankfeld

Angel Investor Active Houston, United States
Visit website ↗ LinkedIn
Last updated 2026-06-24
Portfolio
1
in our dataset
Rounds participated
1
Rounds led
0
Rounds' value
$42.0M
total disclosed, rounds participated
Stages
—

About

Max Blankfeld is an entrepreneur and business executive with experience in consumer products, digital ventures, and genetics. In 1997, he founded GoCollege.com, an online education resource, which he sold in 2001.

In 1999–2000, he co-founded Gene by Gene, the parent company of FamilyTreeDNA, the first direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy company. Gene by Gene later expanded into related services, and in 2021 it was acquired by MYDNA, Inc., where Blankfeld served on the board of directors.

Alongside his business activities, he contributes as a writer and commentator and serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations.

Portfolio · 1

Phantom Auto
Remote Vehicle Operations Platform
1 round $42.0M committed Latest: 2022-01

Investment activity

Portfolio by sector

Media & Entertainment Technologies2
Health Tech & Life Sciences1
Automotive & Mobility Technologies1
Industrial Technologies1

Q&A

What is Max Blankfeld's most recent investment activity?
Max Blankfeld participated in a SAFE round for SkillReal and a Seed round for Zoog.AI, both in January 2024.
Which sectors does Max Blankfeld primarily invest in?
Max Blankfeld's portfolio shows a concentration in Media & Entertainment Technologies, Health Tech & Life Sciences, Automotive & Mobility Technologies, and Industrial Technologies.
Can you name some notable companies in Max Blankfeld's portfolio?
Notable companies in Max Blankfeld's portfolio include Verbit, an A/V captioning and transcription solutions provider, and Phantom Auto, a remote vehicle operations platform.
What is Max Blankfeld's background as an entrepreneur?
Max Blankfeld co-founded Gene by Gene in 1999–2000, the parent company of FamilyTreeDNA, which was acquired by MYDNA, Inc. in 2021. He also founded GoCollege.com in 1997, selling it in 2001.
What was Max Blankfeld's investment in Phantom Auto?
Max Blankfeld participated in a $42 million B Round for Phantom Auto in January 2022.
When did Max Blankfeld make an investment in OpenDNA?
Max Blankfeld invested in OpenDNA through a SAFE round in March 2022.
Full data — links, identifiers, deals & radar signals (jobs, patents, research, more)