Portrait of Jonathan Nelson

Rank #1208

Jonathan Nelson

Net worth $3.6B

Private equity · United States

Born
May 18, 1956
Age
69
Source
Private equity
Residence
Providence, Rhode Island
Citizenship
United States
Marital status
Widowed, Remarried
Children
3
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Brown University; Master of Business Administration, Harvard University

Net worth over time

Biography

  • Jonathan Nelson is the executive chairman of Providence Equity Partners, the private equity firm he founded in 1989.
  • Providence has invested in more than 180 companies, many in the media, communications, education and information industries.
  • The firm sold scuba-diving certification company PADI in 2017 for over $700 million, three times its initial investment.
  • In 2021, Providence sextupled its 2007 investment of $300 million in video game developer ZeniMax Media, which Microsoft acquired for $7.5 billion.
  • Nelson serves as a trustee of Rockefeller University and on the board of the Institute for Advanced Study.
  • In college, Nelson worked for a commercial radio station where he broadcast the "Jazz After Hours" program.
  • Nelson serves on the board of directors of the Newport Festival Foundation, which puts on the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals.