Quick Scoop

Who Owns GoFundMe?

GoFundMe is currently owned by Accel Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures , who acquired a majority stake in the company back in June 2015. The original co-founders, Brad Damphousse and Andy Ballester, agreed to sell their majority ownership to these venture capital firms in a deal that valued the crowdfunding platform at around $600 million. While Damphousse and Ballester stepped down from day-to-day operations, Andy Ballester remains on the board of directors and holds an undisclosed stake in the company.

The platform is now led by CEO Tim Cadogan , who took the helm in March 2020—right as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to reshape how people used the platform. Cadogan has been focused on accelerating GoFundMe's mission to "help people help each other," and under his leadership, the company has enabled users to raise over $40 billion since its launch in 2010.

The Ownership Story: From Founders to Venture Capital

GoFundMe started its journey in 2010 as the brainchild of Brad Damphousse and Andy Ballester. The platform quickly gained traction, becoming a go-to resource for individuals needing financial support for medical emergencies, personal crises, charitable causes, and everything in between. By March 2017, GoFundMe had become the biggest crowdfunding platform globally, responsible for raising over $3 billion at that time. The company was receiving over $140 million in donations per month and had generated $100 million in revenue by 2016.

The 2015 ownership transition to Accel Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures marked a significant turning point. These investment firms brought fresh capital and strategic direction, allowing GoFundMe to expand its reach and capabilities. The founders' decision to sell their majority stake while retaining a board presence (in Ballester's case) demonstrates a balance between bringing in institutional investment expertise and maintaining founder involvement.

Leadership and Corporate Structure

Current Leadership Team:

  • Tim Cadogan serves as Chief Executive Officer and is a member of the Board of Directors. He assumed his role in March 2020 and has been steering the company through significant growth and challenges, including the pandemic era when fundraising needs skyrocketed.
  • Greg Mrva joined as Chief Financial Officer in 2022, bringing over 25 years of experience in finance, strategy, and operations for technology businesses. He oversees finance, accounting, business operations, and corporate development, including Classy, a leading software platform for nonprofits that GoFundMe acquired.
  • Andy Ballester , co-founder, remains a Member of the Board of Directors and shares a board seat with co-founder Brad Damphousse. Ballester has a background in product and technology management and has been involved with mentoring startups through programs like Techstars Anywhere and EvoNexus since 2017.

GoFundMe vs. GoFundMe.org: Understanding the Distinction

It's worth noting that GoFundMe operates as a commercial, for-profit company under GoFundMe, Inc. However, there's also GoFundMe.org , which is a separate entity—an independently run registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with its own board. GoFundMe, Inc supports GoFundMe.org by sharing resources, funds, tools, and employees, enabling the nonprofit arm to distribute cash grants to individuals and nonprofits in a cost-effective manner. This dual structure allows the platform to serve both personal fundraising needs and broader charitable missions.

Platform Expansion and Growth

Since the 2015 ownership change, GoFundMe has continued to expand its footprint. In January 2017, the company acquired CrowdRise , another fundraising platform, further solidifying its position in the crowdfunding space. By May 2025, the platform celebrated its 15th anniversary with the announcement that it had helped raise over $40 billion in total donations. This milestone reflects the platform's evolution from a startup to a dominant force in online giving, now described by leadership as working to become "the internet's giving layer".

TLDR: GoFundMe is majority-owned by Accel Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures since 2015, with co-founder Andy Ballester retaining a board seat and undisclosed stake. CEO Tim Cadogan leads the company, which has raised over $40 billion since 2010 and operates as a for-profit entity under GoFundMe, Inc, with a separate nonprofit arm called GoFundMe.org. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.