We Are Kass & Mike
8
Companies Founded
100
+
Startup Investments
$
10
b
Investor Value
Meet Kass & Mike
Kass and Mike Lazerow are serial founders, visionary early-stage investors, and New York Times bestselling authors with a long-standing reputation for building, scaling, and backing successful companies.
Over the past three decades, they have launched and scaled multiple ventures, including Buddy Media, acquired by Salesforce for $745 million in 2012, and GOLF.com, which they sold to Time Warner.
As investors, Kass and Mike have backed more than 100 startups, including breakout successes like Scopely (acquired for $5 billion in 2023) and Liquid Death. Collectively, the companies they have founded and provided early-stage capital to have generated more than $10 billion in realized returns. Today, they own and operate a growing portfolio of companies across venture capital, healthcare, executive recruiting, and sports.
Their debut book, Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story About the Entrepreneur’s Messy Path to Success, became an instant bestseller, landing on the New York Times, USA Today, and LA Times bestseller lists and winning the National Non-Fiction Book Award for its honest look at what it really takes to build a business.
Kass and Mike’s recognitions include the No. 1 spot on Business Insider’s Silicon Alley 100, the Cycle for Survival Game Changer Award for helping raise more than $413 million for rare cancer research, and the Leader of the Future Award from the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute. Mike is also a New York Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® and a member of the Northwestern University Medill Hall of Achievement.
As nationally recognized keynote speakers, podcast guests, and C-level advisors, Kass and Mike help leaders cut through the noise, operate with clarity, and lead with conviction. Drawing on decades of operational excellence and high-stakes decision-making, they bring strategic insight to every stage of business from team building and capital strategy to scaling operations and competing in the innovation economy. Their philosophy is grounded in disciplined execution, strong leadership, and long-term impact.
Kass and Mike split their time between New York City and the Hudson Valley with their three kids, Myles, Cole, and Vivian, and two rescue dogs, Cece and Gizmo.
Over the past three decades, they have launched and scaled multiple ventures, including Buddy Media, acquired by Salesforce for $745 million in 2012, and GOLF.com, which they sold to Time Warner.
As investors, Kass and Mike have backed more than 100 startups, including breakout successes like Scopely (acquired for $5 billion in 2023) and Liquid Death. Collectively, the companies they have founded and provided early-stage capital to have generated more than $10 billion in realized returns. Today, they own and operate a growing portfolio of companies across venture capital, healthcare, executive recruiting, and sports.
Their debut book, Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story About the Entrepreneur’s Messy Path to Success, became an instant bestseller, landing on the New York Times, USA Today, and LA Times bestseller lists and winning the National Non-Fiction Book Award for its honest look at what it really takes to build a business.
Kass and Mike’s recognitions include the No. 1 spot on Business Insider’s Silicon Alley 100, the Cycle for Survival Game Changer Award for helping raise more than $413 million for rare cancer research, and the Leader of the Future Award from the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute. Mike is also a New York Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® and a member of the Northwestern University Medill Hall of Achievement.
As nationally recognized keynote speakers, podcast guests, and C-level advisors, Kass and Mike help leaders cut through the noise, operate with clarity, and lead with conviction. Drawing on decades of operational excellence and high-stakes decision-making, they bring strategic insight to every stage of business from team building and capital strategy to scaling operations and competing in the innovation economy. Their philosophy is grounded in disciplined execution, strong leadership, and long-term impact.
Kass and Mike split their time between New York City and the Hudson Valley with their three kids, Myles, Cole, and Vivian, and two rescue dogs, Cece and Gizmo.
Timeline
Mike and Kass Lazerow are serial entrepreneurs and investors best known as the cofounders of Golf.com and Buddy Media, the leading social media marketing platform that sold to Salesforce for $745 million. With a lifetime of stories from decades of building businesses and helping others as investors and advisors, they are in high demand as public speakers, writers, and podcast guests.
Their journey began as friends growing up in the suburbs of the nation’s capital. They started dating after reuniting at a mutual friend’s wedding in 1996. Two years later, they did what all new couples deeply in love do - cofounded a company, Golf.com, before marrying in 1999.
After selling Golf.com to Time Warner in 2006, Mike and Kass cofounded Buddy Media. And since selling Buddy Media to Salesforce in 2012, they have focused on providing capital and advice to the world’s most innovative founders.
Kass and Mike have supported close to 100 early-stage startup founders. They served as angel investors and advisors to Scopely, which sold to Savvy Games for $5 billion in 2022, and Liquid Death, the canned water company whose “evil mission” is to make people laugh and get more of them to drink healthy beverages more often, all while helping to kill plastic pollution
Mike was named New York’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year®, and together they were ranked No. 1 on Business Insider’s Silicon Alley 100, received the Cycle for Survival Game Changer Award for their leadership in helping to raise $375 million for cancer research and were recognized with the Leader of the Future Award from the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute.
Mike and Kass live in New York City and the Hudson Valley and have three grown children (Myles, Cole, and Vivian) and two rescue dogs (Cece and Gizmo).
Kass & Mike Recognition
Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story
In this honest account, Kass & Mike will tell you the crap you can expect to find in the $h!t-filled fields, how to avoid stepping in some of it, and how to scrape off the rest.
"Kass and Mike’s transparency and expertise shine through every page—this is entrepreneurship as it’s meant to be understood."
- Ron Conway
Founder & Managing Partner, SV Angel
"If you're building a company, you want Kass and Mike in your corner. Their startup and life journey offers a rare glimpse into true resilience, ingenuity, and heart—a chance to learn from the best."
- Karin Klein
Founding Partner, Bloomberg Beta
"With their signature blend of honesty and experience, Kass and Mike deliver a powerful narrative that captures, unlike any book on the topic, what it means to be an entrepreneur."
- Kevin Colleran
Managing Director, Slow Ventures & Early Facebook Employee
"Mike and Kass have crafted a masterpiece that uses poignant stories to share invaluable lessons for anyone serious about succeeding as an entrepreneur."
- Rick Farman
Founder, Superfly
"I have lived Kass and Mike’s cheat codes for entrepreneurs as a product leader at Buddy Media. They worked for me and they will work for you. The lessons they share in Shoveling $h!t have informed my success at Sure and I will take them with me forever."
- Wayne Slavin
Cofounder & CEO, Sure
"An unflinching look at what it really takes to succeed. Kass and Mike dive into the crap every entrepreneur has to deal with building a business and emerge with hard-won lessons about starting, managing, pivoting—and learning to love the shovel along the way."
- Scott Galloway
Professor NYU Stern School of Business, Host Prof G Pod & Co-host Pivot Podcast
"Mike and Kass is the greatest partnership I've ever been lucky enough to witness in person. Not just in business but in life, they bring out the best in each other and all of those around them. This book is a wonderful map to success both personal and professional from two of the most special people I know."
- Seth Meyers
Host, Late Night with Seth Meyers
"The world needs to be exposed to Kass and Mike. Entrepreneurs who don’t devour this book are grossly negligent."
- Gary Vaynerchuk
Chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia & CEO of, VeeFriends
"Kass and Mike have been invaluable to me as a first-time entrepreneur. Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story captures the universal entrepreneurial journey in an authentic, insightful, and undeniably powerful way."
- Mike Cessario
Founder & CEO, Liquid Death
"Kass and Mike’s transparency and expertise shine through every page—this is entrepreneurship as it’s meant to be understood."
- Ron Conway
Founder & Managing Partner, SV Angel
"If you're building a company, you want Kass and Mike in your corner. Their startup and life journey offers a rare glimpse into true resilience, ingenuity, and heart—a chance to learn from the best."
- Karin Klein
Founding Partner, Bloomberg Beta
"With their signature blend of honesty and experience, Kass and Mike deliver a powerful narrative that captures, unlike any book on the topic, what it means to be an entrepreneur."
- Kevin Colleran
Managing Director, Slow Ventures & Early Facebook Employee
"Mike and Kass have crafted a masterpiece that uses poignant stories to share invaluable lessons for anyone serious about succeeding as an entrepreneur."
- Rick Farman
Founder, Superfly
"I have lived Kass and Mike’s cheat codes for entrepreneurs as a product leader at Buddy Media. They worked for me and they will work for you. The lessons they share in Shoveling $h!t have informed my success at Sure and I will take them with me forever."
- Wayne Slavin
Cofounder & CEO, Sure
"An unflinching look at what it really takes to succeed. Kass and Mike dive into the crap every entrepreneur has to deal with building a business and emerge with hard-won lessons about starting, managing, pivoting—and learning to love the shovel along the way."
- Scott Galloway
Professor NYU Stern School of Business, Host Prof G Pod & Co-host Pivot Podcast
"Mike and Kass is the greatest partnership I've ever been lucky enough to witness in person. Not just in business but in life, they bring out the best in each other and all of those around them. This book is a wonderful map to success both personal and professional from two of the most special people I know."
- Seth Meyers
Host, Late Night with Seth Meyers
"The world needs to be exposed to Kass and Mike. Entrepreneurs who don’t devour this book are grossly negligent."
- Gary Vaynerchuk
Chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia & CEO of, VeeFriends
"Kass and Mike have been invaluable to me as a first-time entrepreneur. Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story captures the universal entrepreneurial journey in an authentic, insightful, and undeniably powerful way."
- Mike Cessario
Founder & CEO, Liquid Death
"Kass and Mike’s transparency and expertise shine through every page—this is entrepreneurship as it’s meant to be understood."
- Ron Conway
Founder & Managing Partner, SV Angel
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June 3, 2025
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Kass and Mike delivered an engaging, raw, and frequently hilarious keynote interview at the Primary NYC Summit that resonated deeply with both founders and investo...
Brad Svrulga
Cofounder & General Partner, Primary Venture Partners
Kass and Mike’s stories, rich with real-life examples and lessons, capture the grit and tenacity necessary to succeed as entrepreneurs. They brought a humanity and...
Erik Dochtermann
YPO Marketing Network Board Member, YPO Global Marketing Summit 2024 Champion
Kass and Mike Lazerow have created something rare - a book packed with actionable insights and refreshing authenticity that is also just fun to read. Alumni Ventur...
Jin Kim
Executive Vice President, Alumni Ventures
Mike and Kass brought humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom to our stage—shifting minds and sparking action. Their authenticity lit up the room and elevated every m...
Jennifer Sampson
President and Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
If you are not following Kass and Mike, two of the best founders and investors sharing their advice, you are missing out! [They] are insightful, inspiring, authent...
Tami Holzman
Founder, @queenconnector
Kass and Mike brought an incredible energy to the panel, engaging the audience with their insightful perspectives and genuine passion on being entrepreneurs. Their...
Ed Reitler
Managing Partner, Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP
Their story is not just inspiring; it's a testament to the power of perseverance, the impact of visionary leadership and the beauty of struggling. But most import...
Jimmy Nguyen
Founder & CEO, New Win Global
Kass and Mike are exceptional. Their combination of experience, IQ, and EQ make them the ideal speakers at any event. Our attendees are a tough crowd - every singl...
Grant Gittlin
Founder, Lasagna & ChapterX
Kass and Mike are wildly successful entrepreneurs who have been instrumental in guiding me and countless other entrepreneurs. Their mentorship and advice...
Matt Britton
CEO, Suzy
"Kass and Mike Lazerow are not only two of the greatest founders I've ever worked with, but they’re also two of the greatest humans I've ever met. Their ability to...
Josh Rahn
Cofounder and Managing Partner, Oceans Venture Capital
Kass and Mike delivered an engaging, raw, and frequently hilarious keynote interview at the Primary NYC Summit that resonated deeply with both founders and investo...
Brad Svrulga
Cofounder & General Partner, Primary Venture Partners
Kass and Mike’s stories, rich with real-life examples and lessons, capture the grit and tenacity necessary to succeed as entrepreneurs. They brought a humanity...
Erik Dochtermann
YPO Marketing Network Board Member, YPO Global Marketing Summit 2024 Champion
Kass and Mike Lazerow have created something rare - a book packed with actionable insights and refreshing authenticity that is also just fun to read...
Jin Kim
Executive Vice President, Alumni Ventures
Mike and Kass brought humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom to our stage—shifting minds and sparking action. Their authenticity lit up the room and elevated every m...
Jennifer Sampson
President and Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
If you are not following Kass and Mike, two of the best founders and investors sharing their advice, you are missing out! [They] are insightful, inspiring, authent...
Tami Holzman
Founder, @queenconnector
Kass and Mike brought an incredible energy to the panel, engaging the audience with their insightful perspectives and genuine passion on being entrepreneurs. Their...
Ed Reitler
Managing Partner, Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP
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© Kass & Mike Lazerow 2026