Jesse Zhang

According to ForbesForbesForbes is an American business media brand that began with Forbes magazine, founded by B.C. Forbes in 1917. It is known for rankings such as the Forbes 400, the World’s Billionaires list and 30 Under 30, and operates Forbes.com, ForbesLive events and licensed editions in 81 countries. Since 2014 a majority stake has been held by the Hong Kong investment group Integrated Whale Media; a 2021 plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange through a special purpose acquisition company was terminated in 2022. It is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.Open the full entry, Zhang, a HarvardHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private research university in Massachusetts, established by the Massachusetts Bay Colony legislature in 1636 and named in 1639 for early benefactor John Harvard. Its principal campuses are in Cambridge and the Allston and Longwood neighborhoods of Boston. It includes Harvard College, graduate and professional schools, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Two governing boards share oversight. Alan M. Garber was president as of October 2026, and the endowment stood at $56.9 billion at the end of fiscal 2025.Open the full entry graduate, founded his first company, the gaming startup Lowkey. Y Combinator’s page shows Lowkey took part in the accelerator’s Summer 2018 batch, with a product for capturing, editing, and sharing gaming moments.⁠[1][2]

Y Combinator’s page says Lowkey was acquired by Niantic on November 30, 2021. PocketGamer.biz, citing GamesIndustry.biz, said Niantic did not acquire the company itself but hired most of its team.⁠[2][3]

Decagon was co-founded in 2023 by Zhang and Ashwin Sreenivas. The company’s website lists Zhang as co-founder and CEO and Sreenivas as co-founder and president.⁠[4][5]

In June 2024, Decagon disclosed that it had raised $35 million across seed and Series A rounds, led by Andreessen HorowitzAndreessen HorowitzAndreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. It invests from the seed stage through the growth stage and provides operational support to its portfolio companies.Open the full entry and Accel respectively.⁠[6]

On January 28, 2026, San Francisco–based Decagon announced a $250 million Series D round led by Coatue ManagementCoatueCoatue is a technology- and innovation-focused investment management firm founded by Philippe Laffont in 1999, operating in both public and private markets. Its current website lists Thomas Laffont as co-founder and chief investment officer of private investments; a Form ADV filed on July 29, 2026, disclosed regulatory assets under management of $92,705,722,582.Open the full entry and Index Ventures, valuing the company at $4.5 billion.⁠[7][8]

Decagon: Official website: https://decagon.ai/ (opens in a new window)⁠[5]

Decagon: Official account: https://x.com/DecagonAI (opens in a new window)⁠[5]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejessezhang (opens in a new window)⁠[5]