Number of Portfolio Companies 7
Number of Exits 
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  • Investor Type  Investment Partner, Individual/Angel
  • Investor Stage  Seed
  • Number of Exits 

Michael Lynton is CEO of Sony Entertainment, where he oversees Sony's global entertainment businesses, including Sony Music Entertainment, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Lynton is also Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), managing the studio's overall global operations, which include

motion picture, television and digital content production and distribution, home entertainment acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, and the development of new entertainment products, services and technologies.

At Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lynton has focused on digital transformation, worldwide growth, content diversity and financial discipline, leading the studio through an era of innovation and success, putting Sony Pictures on the cutting edge of an industry experiencing rapid technological and global change.

Sony Pictures' Motion Picture Group has enjoyed a remarkable run in the past several years, releasing such hits as Best Picture Oscar® nominees American Hustle, Captain Phillips, and The Social Network, as well as blockbuster franchises like The Amazing Spider-Man, Grown-Ups, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and The Smurfs.

Between movies and TV, SPE received 26 nominations for the 2014 Golden Globes® and won seven awards, more than any other studio.

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, around the world and for a multitude of platforms. In addition to one of the industry's largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, SPT boasts a current program slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. In addition to its U.S. production business, SPT has 19 wholly-owned or joint venture production companies in 13 countries.

SPT's worldwide media networks include 150 channel feeds available in 178 countries, reaching more than 1.3 billion cumulative households worldwide. Popular channel brands include AXN, Animax, and SET (Sony Entertainment Television), as well as the studio's ad-supported VOD service, Crackle.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment distributes Sony Pictures produced and third-party acquired theatrical and non-theatrical product on Blu-ray Disc, DVD and other digital media globally. Among the more than 3,500 titles in SPHE's catalog are the Spider-Man and Men In Black franchises, the Seinfeld TV series, and film classics on such as Lawrence of Arabia, Taxi Driver and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Sony Pictures is also home to Imageworks, the only major studio Academy Award®-winning in-house visual effects unit.

Under Lynton, Sony Pictures has been an industry leader in the migration to digital entertainment, from production and distribution to the introduction of new formats. The studio championed the industry's UltraViolet digital entertainment format, helped re-introduce 3D to the entertainment industry and is deeply engaged in the rapidly expanding 4K marketplace.

Prior to joining Sony Pictures, Lynton worked for Time Warner and served as CEO of AOL Europe, President of AOL International and President of Time Warner International.

From 1996 to 2000, Lynton served as Chairman and CEO of Pearson plc's Penguin Group, where he oversaw the acquisition of Putnam, Inc. and extended the Penguin brand to music and the Internet.

Lynton joined The Walt Disney Company in 1987 and started Disney Publishing, serving as its President. From 1992 to1996, he served as President of Disney's Hollywood Pictures.

Lynton holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and literature from Harvard College and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Lynton is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the American Film Institute, the Smithsonian Board of Regents, the Harvard Board of Overseers, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, J. Paul Getty Trust, USC School of Cinematic Arts and the RAND Corporation.

In addition, he sits on the board of directors of Snapchat and Ares Management, L.P.

Lynton resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Elizabeth Jamie Alter Lynton, and their three daughters, Eloise Lynton, Maisie Lynton and Lucinda Lynton.

Number of Investments 9
Michael Lynton has made 9 investments. Their latest investment was Series B - Impact on Nov 14, 2022, when Impact raised
$15M
.
Announced Date  
Organization Name  
Lead Investor  
Funding Round  
Money Raised  
Nov 14, 2022
Impact
Series B - Impact
$15M
Feb 1, 2022
OLIPOP
Series B - OLIPOP
$30M
Oct 4, 2021
Inkitt
Series B - Inkitt
$59M
Jun 24, 2021
OROS
Series A - OROS
$14.5M
Apr 1, 2021
Meadowlark Media
Series A - Meadowlark Media
$12.6M
Dec 18, 2019
Untapped
Series A - Untapped
$8.5M
Apr 17, 2018
Untapped
Seed Round - Untapped
$1M
Jan 4, 2018
Untapped
Seed Round - Untapped
$1.6M
Jan 20, 2016
Citymapper
No
Series B - Citymapper
$40M
Number of Partner Investments 1
Announced Date  
Organization Name  
Investor Name  
Lead Investor  
Funding Round  
Money Raised  
Jun 16, 2016
eko
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Yes
Venture Round - eko
$45M
Number of Exits 
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Michael Lynton has exits. Their most notable exits are Untapped and Citymapper.
  • Untapped Untapped is a diversity recruiting platform that helps companies hire diverse teams.
  • Citymapper Citymapper is a transportation app created to address urban mobility challenges.
Number of Current Jobs 2
Number of Past Jobs 6
Michael Lynton has 2 current jobs as Chairman and CEO at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Co-Founder at 25madison. Additionally, Michael Lynton has had 6 past jobs including CEO at Sony.
Organization Name  
Title At Company  
Start Date  
End Date  
Sony
CEO2016
Penguin Group
CEO19962000
Disney Publishing Worldwide
President of Disney's Hollywood Pictures19921996
AOL
CEO of AOL Europe, President of AOL International
WarnerMedia
President of Time Warner International
WarnerMedia
Team Member
Number of Current Board & Advisor Roles 10
Number of Past Board & Advisor Roles 2
Michael Lynton holds 10 board and advisor roles including Member of the Board of Overseers at The J. Paul Getty Trust, Member of the Board of Overseers at USC School of Cinematic Arts, and Member of the Board of Overseers at Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Organization Name  
Title At Company  
Start Date  
End Date  
Penguin Group
Chairman of the Board of Directors19962000
Untapped
Member of the board
Number of Events 2
Michael Lynton has participated in 2 events. They most recently attended, or will attend, Code/Media 2016 on Feb 17, 2016.
Number of News Articles 418
Funding RoundNov 14, 2022
Impact raised $15,000,000 / Series B from Anthony Wood and 8 other investors
Funding RoundFeb 1, 2022
OLIPOP raised $30,000,000 / Series B from Adam Eskin and 33 other investors
Funding RoundOct 4, 2021
Inkitt raised $59,000,000 / Series B from Axel Springer and 7 other investors
Funding RoundJun 24, 2021
OROS raised $14,500,000 / Series A from Brandon Shainfeld and 8 other investors
Funding RoundApr 1, 2021
NewsApr 1, 2021
NewsDec 19, 2019
Funding RoundDec 18, 2019
Untapped raised $8,500,000 / Series A from Joshua Steiner and 2 other investors