Anton Levy earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce with degrees in Finance and Computer Science from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. Levy graduated from both with highest honors. Levy began his career in 1996 as an analyst and investment banker at Morgan Stanley, working with the investment bank's technology clients. In 1998 Levy joined growth equity firm General Atlantic, with a focus on internet and technology companies. Levy was promoted to Managing Director in 2006 and today oversees the firm's global Internet & Technology sector. He also serves on the firm's Investment and Executive Committees, co-chairs it's Human Resources Committee, and chairs the Emerging Growth Investment Committee. Levy has been instrumental in a number of General Atlantic's internet & technology investments, including Alibaba in 2009, Red Ventures in 2010, Facebook in 2011, Vox Media in 2014, and Airbnb in 2015. In November, 2019, General Atlantic announced that Levy, along with colleagues Gabriel Caillaux and Martín Escobari, would serve as Co-President of the firm effective January 1, 2020.
Alibaba investment
In 2009, Levy led an investment in Chinese ecommerce site, Alibaba. The company's founder Jack Ma was seeking growth guidance from an experienced firm, and the General Atlantic team saw the potential for growth in the Chinese ecommerce industry. Alibaba went public on the New York Stock Exchange with one of the largest initial public offerings ever at $90 a share, delivering an 18x return for General Atlantic. This was one of General Atlantic's most successful investments in its 35-year history.
Levy appeared at #31 on the Forbes Midas List, a ranking of the top technology investors, in 2019. Levy was also named to the Midas List in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. His appearances on the list were attributed to investments in Alibaba in 2014 and Uber, Airbnb, Vox, and Buzzfeed.
Philanthropy and community involvement
Levy is Chairman of Streetwise Partners, a nonprofit organization in New York City and Washington, D.C., that helps low-income individuals gain employment and develop careers. He also serves on the boards of University of Virginia's endowment, UVIMCO and WNYC, New York'spublic radio station. Levy was awarded the Alan C. Greenberg Young Leadership Award at the UJA-Federation of New YorkWall Street Dinner on December 10, 2018.
