Chris Hollod

Hollod is one of the most active angel investors in the alcohol space and is an expert in the alternative alcohol sector. In a 2020 interview, Hollod said that he plans to “invest a couple million dollars annually” of his own money in the beyond beer space.

Fortune included Hollod in its "Meet the Uber Rich" article as an early investor in Uber and the LA Times published a feature on him entitled "How I Made It: A Billionaire's Right-Hand Man." He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and LA Times as a venture capital expert and he has also judged several start-up competitions including Global Startup Battle and Start-Up Weekend Los Angeles. Hollod is an expert in digital strategy and actively promotes brands and entrepreneurs on his Instagram page. In 2020, Hollod wrote an op-ed that was published entitled “Why This Venture Capitalist Uses Instagram To Source New Business” where he discussed using Instagram to source and diligence new investment opportunities.

In a 2020 interview, Hollod said, “I make it an unbreakable requirement to only invest in companies where I can add value. My biggest strengths are high-level strategy, connectivity, and validation.

Hollod also worked for The Yucaipa Companies for eight years and oversaw Ron Burkle's venture capital investments and was referred to in the press as "Burkle's right-hand man." Hollod became Burkle’s Traveling Chief of Staff, and the two traveled the world together for six years. Hollod was first introduced to the world of venture capital by working on a deal with Puff Daddy, Mark Wahlberg, and their bottled water start-up, AQUAhydrate.

Hollod was very active in trading cryptocurrencies. During a 2019 interview with Entrepreneur, he said that he originally purchased bitcoin in January 2013 for $15 a coin and eventually sold the majority of his position at the end of 2017 for $15,000 a coin, generating a 1,000x return. He said he then used the returns to day-trade other digital currencies.

When asked about his passion for the wellness sector in a 2019 interview, Hollod said, "I became fascinated with health and wellness trends and wanted to experience everything first-hand. I realized that there was a massive innovation gap between boutique ‘health and wellness’ stores and more mainstream ones, which were still peddling outdated, unhealthy products. I quickly realized LA was the epicenter of health and wellness, and by continuing to be an early adopter, I’ve been banking on the fact that I can predict nascent trends and behaviors that ultimately permeate the rest of the country."

Hollod was named one of the 32 most influential investors of 2013 (outside Silicon Valley) and also received a Visionary Award in 2018.

Hollod worked with Ashton Kutcher, Guy Oseary, and Ronald Burkle as the Managing Partner of their venture capital fund, A-Grade Investments. In 2012, A-Grade Investments raised money from several billionaires including David Geffen and Mark Cuban. In March 2016, Forbes released a comprehensive article on A-Grade Investments entitled "How Ashton Kutcher And Guy Oseary Built A $250 Million Portfolio With Startups Like Uber And Airbnb." The Forbes article states that the team turned $30m into $250m, representing almost an 8.5x investment multiple.

Hollod graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Economics. Hollod grew up in Atlanta and ultimately moved to Los Angeles in 2009 to start working for multi-billionaire investor Ronald Burkle. Prior to joining A-Grade Investments, Hollod worked in Investment Banking and Private Equity.

Hollod lives in Hollywood's Sunset Square neighborhood in an updated 1920s bungalow that he purchased from Glee star Lea Michele in 2015. Hollod is writing a book entitled "Big Fish Big Pond," which will encourage millennials to break free of restrictive conventional wisdom. In a 2019 interview, Hollod advocated for a minimalistic lifestyle, stating, "I truly believe that simplicity breeds tranquility, and that’s where you ultimately find sustainable happiness & fulfillment."