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Brandon Hoffman

Brandon Hoffman

GP at Sunset Ventures — early-stage investor in AI, Web3, gaming

bdh
Los Angeles, California
Joined February 2025
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Network

25.6K connections
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Venture Capital Investors
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Samsung Corporate Innovation
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AI Deep Tech Builders
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Morgan Stanley Finance
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Strategic Partnerships BD
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Startup Founders CEOs
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...

Summary

Early‑stage investor focused on next‑gen consumer tech: Brandon co‑founded Sunset Ventures (2022–present) and before that led venture investing and thematic research at Samsung NEXT (2018–2022). His investment coverage has emphasized gaming, Web3, fintech and AI, and he has led or seeded notable early investments (e.g., Ready Player Me, The Sandbox, Wyre/Wonder Dynamics). sunsetventures+2
Diversity & inclusion in venture: At Samsung NEXT he launched and led the Diverse Founders Initiative (DFI) and helped build Diverse Angels, actively partnering with accelerators (e.g., Techstars) to increase referrals, mentorship, and capital access for underrepresented founders. samsungnext+1
Research & operator background that informs investment thesis: Hoffman combined a prior Wall Street equity research career (Morgan Stanley Internet team) with internal strategic research at Samsung NEXT, giving him technical market diligence and product/experience thinking applied to hardware+software opportunities (examples include consumer health/wellness, kitchen/food experiences, and connected‑home scenarios). upenn+1
Community builder in Los Angeles: He founded and runs Emerging LA to connect founders, investors, and operators across Southern California—running programming, founder chats, and local initiatives that support founder talent and fundraising in SoCal. emergingla+1

Work

Education

Projects

Writing

5 Questions with Brandon Hoffman — Techstars blog

December 7, 2020

Interview/Q&A on Brandon Hoffman's role at Samsung NEXT, the Diverse Founders Initiative, and how Samsung NEXT approaches investing and supporting diverse founders.

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Why we partnered with Techstars — Samsung NEXT

December 1, 2020

Blog post explaining Samsung NEXT's partnership with Techstars and the goals of the Diverse Founders Initiative to increase access to capital, mentors, networks and education for underrepresented founders.

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AMA: Brandon Hoffman — From music producer to Wall Street to corporate venture capitalist

September 30, 2020

Long-form Q&A covering Hoffman's career path from music production to Morgan Stanley to Samsung NEXT and venture investing, including practical advice and personal background.

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Hobbies

Collector / participant in NFT projects (Bored Ape Yacht Club) — active in Web3 community nitter

Music creation and audio engineering (founder of a music production studio) republic

Notes

NCNicholas Canafaxsaid they've seen
BHBrandon Hoffman
add significant value as an LP to funds or startups in their network.

Apr 22, 2026

TZTom Zhengsaid that if they were building an art or creative AI company,
BHBrandon Hoffman
would be a top pick as an early investor.

Nov 24, 2025

AGAbhay Ghatpandesaid they've seen
BHBrandon Hoffman
make a significant positive impact in venture capital through their investments or mentorship.

Oct 22, 2025

JTJohn Taylor Garnersaid that if they were raising a round for their startup,
BHBrandon Hoffman
would be among their top picks as an LA-based VC.

Oct 22, 2025

RSRishi Sharmasaid they've seen
BHBrandon Hoffman
make especially thoughtful investments in areas like media, mobile gamification, or consumer platforms.

Oct 3, 2025

YAYehuda Atzmonsaid they've seen
BHBrandon Hoffman
make especially smart seed investments in fast-moving tech sectors like AI, mobile apps, gaming, ad tech, or martech.

Sep 30, 2025

TTTJ Taylorsaid that if they were building a new tech startup, they would want
BHBrandon Hoffman
as an angel investor on their cap table.

Sep 8, 2025

MBMatthew Brownsaid they've seen
BHBrandon Hoffman
lead successful investments in AI-powered ecommerce or marketplace startups.

Sep 3, 2025

AGAJ Greensaid they've seen
BHBrandon Hoffman
make particularly strong investments in media and entertainment funds as an LP.

Aug 28, 2025

JTJohn Taylor Garnersaid
BHBrandon Hoffman
has demonstrated a real knack for picking investments with expansion potential and strong financial upside.

Aug 7, 2025

RSRishi Sharmasaid
BHBrandon Hoffman
is one of the most thoughtful and effective allocators of capital to alternative investment funds they've worked with.

Aug 4, 2025

RSRishi Sharmasaid they've seen
BHBrandon Hoffman
make a big positive difference in the growth or success of startups they've invested in.

Aug 4, 2025