# Sahin Boydas — Press Kit

> Serial entrepreneur, 2x exited founder, #1 Most Active Angel Investor in 2024. A life dedicated in building great products.

## Overview

- **Name:** Sahin Boydas
- **Title:** 2x Exited Founder
- **Location:** Austin, TX / Silicon Valley
- **Active Since:** 2010
- **Website:** https://www.sahin.io
- **Photo:** https://images.sahin.media/ctyybdikrefdesnb/public

## Key Numbers

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Startups Founded | 3 |
| Successful Exits | 2 |
| Followers (all platforms) | 1M+ |
| Angel Investments | 180+ |
| Investors Met | 500+ |
| Investors Raised From | 100+ |
| University Talks | 250+ |
| Product Hunt Launches | 13 |
| Communities Joined | 6 |

## Bios

### 50 characters
2x exited founder. Angel investor in 180+ cos.

### 100 characters
Serial entrepreneur with 2 exits. Angel investor in 180+ startups including Anthropic and OpenAI.

### 250 characters
Sahin Boydas is a serial entrepreneur with 2 successful exits. He co-founded RemoteTeam (acquired by Gusto), Leo AR, MojiLaLa, and MovieLaLa. Active angel investor in 180+ startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI.

### 500 characters
Sahin Boydas is a serial entrepreneur from Silicon Valley with 2 successful exits. His company RemoteTeam was acquired by Gusto in 2021, just 580 days after incorporation. He co-founded Leo AR (Apple's App of the Day), MojiLaLa (1.3B+ stickers used), and MovieLaLa (acquired by Gfycat). Sahin is an active angel investor with 180+ investments including Anthropic, OpenAI, Scale AI, and Hugging Face. Named #1 Most Active Angel Investor in 2024.

### 1000 characters
Sahin Boydas is a serial entrepreneur from Silicon Valley who has co-founded 4 startups with 2 successful exits. His company RemoteTeam was acquired by Gusto in 2021, just 580 days after incorporation—with the entire investor pitching, team hiring, and M&A process conducted over Zoom with no in-person meetings. He previously co-founded Leo AR, one of the most successful consumer AR apps featured 100+ times by Apple and selected as App of the Day dozens of times, with users creating over 10M AR videos. He also co-founded MojiLaLa, the second-biggest sticker marketplace after Line where stickers were used more than 1.3 billion times, and MovieLaLa, a movie marketing platform that reached 360M people and was acquired by Gfycat. Sahin is an active angel investor with 180+ investments in companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, Scale AI, Hugging Face, Postman, and WHOOP. He was named #1 Most Active Angel Investor in 2024 by Lenny's Newsletter.

## About

Sahin Boydas is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded 4 startups in Silicon Valley. Sahin has built and managed remote teams for over a decade. As CEO and founder of RemoteTeam.com, he worked to solve HR and operational problems related to remote work.

> "Gusto acquired RemoteTeam in 2021, 580 days after RemoteTeam's incorporation. Investor pitching, team hiring, whole M&A process were over Zoom with no in-person meeting."

He is alumni of 5 accelerators such as Stanford StartX, 500 Startups, FI, Betaworks Vision, Quake Accelerator. He sold his first company MovieLaLa to Gfycat in Silicon Valley.

He co-founded the movie marketing platform MovieLaLa which was downloaded millions of times and reached 360M people with network partnerships. Later, he co-founded the second-biggest sticker marketplace after Line — MojiLaLa, where stickers were used more than 1.3B times.

He also co-founded one of the most successful consumer-facing Augmented Reality apps: Leo AR. Leo AR was featured more than 100+ times and was selected as Apple's favorite app and App of the Day dozens of times. Users created more than 10M AR videos.

## Startups

### RemoteTeam.com (Exited — Acquired by Gusto)
- **Role:** Founder & CEO
- **Years:** 2019–2021
- **Status:** Acquired by Gusto
- **Description:** HR platform for remote teams. Acquired by Gusto in 2021, just 580 days after incorporation.

### Leo AR (Exited — Acquired)
- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO
- **Years:** 2017–2019
- **Status:** Featured 100+ times by Apple
- **Description:** Consumer AR app that became Apple's App of the Day. Users created over 10M AR videos.

### MojiLaLa
- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO
- **Years:** 2015–2017
- **Status:** 1.3B+ stickers used
- **Description:** Second-biggest sticker marketplace after Line. Stickers were used more than 1.3 billion times.

### MovieLaLa (Exited — Acquired by Gfycat)
- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO
- **Years:** 2012–2015
- **Status:** Acquired by Gfycat
- **Description:** Movie marketing platform downloaded millions of times, reaching 360M people through network partnerships.

## Angel Investments

### #1 Most Active Angel Investor in 2024

Featured in Lenny's Newsletter as a top angel investor in the U.S.

> "Sahin is the most surprising person on this list to me because (1) I hadn't heard of him, (2) his list of investments is incredible, and (3) as you'll see below, he was the #1 most active angel investor in 2024." — Lenny Rachitsky

### Investment Highlights
- 180+ Startups Invested In
- #1 Most Active Angel 2024
- #10 Most Active (5 Years)

### Notable Investments

| Company | Category | Valuation | Description |
|---------|----------|-----------|-------------|
| OpenAI | AI | $500B | AI research lab behind ChatGPT |
| Anthropic | AI | $190B | AI safety company behind Claude |
| Scale AI | AI | $29B | Data infrastructure for AI |
| Hugging Face | AI | $7B | Open-source ML platform |
| Postman | Developer Tools | $5.6B | API development platform |
| Mercury | Fintech | $3.5B | Banking platform for startups |
| WHOOP | Consumer | $3.6B | Performance fitness wearable |
| Front | B2B SaaS | $1.7B | Customer operations platform |
| Eight Sleep | Consumer | $1B | Smart sleep technology |
| Pika | AI | $470M | AI video generation |
| Artisan AI | AI | $250M | AI-powered sales automation |
| Brainbase | AI | $150M | Enterprise AI deployment platform |

## Book

### Becoming Top 1%: The Code of Engineering

Becoming Top 1% is a practical guide for entrepreneurs and professionals who want to stand out in their field. Drawing from years of experience building startups in Silicon Valley, Sahin shares actionable strategies for achieving exceptional results.

The book covers topics from building remote teams to raising venture capital, with real-world examples and lessons learned from multiple successful exits.

- **Buy on Amazon:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKBQ6M6G
- **Kindle Edition:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKBQ6M6G

## Communities

- **Superfounders** — Elite network of billion-dollar startup founders sharing insights (https://www.superfoundersbook.com/)
- **PEF** — Post-Exit Founders community for entrepreneurs after successful exits (https://www.postexitfounders.com/)
- **Stanford StartX** — Stanford's premier startup accelerator for founders (https://startx.com/)
- **Long Range** — Long-term focused angel investor community (https://www.longrange.com/)
- **District** — Exclusive community for tech founders and operators (https://www.district.co/)

## Press Coverage

### Major Publications
- **Wall Street Journal:** Coronavirus Recasts Startups' Courtship of Investors (https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-recasts-startups-courtship-of-investors-11585051200)
- **New York Times:** They Can't Leave the Bay Area Fast Enough (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/14/technology/san-francisco-bay-area-leaving.html)
- **Fast Company:** Does the pandemic mean the end for digital nomads? (https://www.fastcompany.com/90480894/does-the-pandemic-mean-the-end-for-digital-nomads)
- **Forbes:** Four Traits Of Companies That Successfully Shift To Remote Work (https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/04/01/four-traits-of-companies-that-successfully-shift-to-remote-work/)
- **Inc. Magazine:** 6 Innovative Startups Reshaping Hollywood (https://www.inc.com/6-innovative-startups-reshaping-hollywood)
- **Bloomberg:** Ex-Disney CFO, Former Fox Executive Invest in MovieLaLa Network (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-01-15/ex-disney-cfo-former-fox-executive-invest-in-movielala-network)
- **Mashable:** Sticker Apps Taking Over Messaging (https://mashable.com/sticker-apps-messaging)
- **VentureBeat:** The Rise of AR Consumer Apps (https://venturebeat.com/ar-consumer-apps)
- **Wired:** How Startups Are Changing Film Marketing (https://www.wired.com/startups-film-marketing)

### TechCrunch
- Gusto buys Remote Team in bid to support more international hiring (https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/11/gusto-buys-remote-team-in-bid-to-support-more-international-hiring/)
- Leo AR, user-facing marketplace for 3D objects, raises $3 million seed round (https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/24/leo-ar-user-facing-marketplace-for-3d-objects-raises-3-million-seed-round/)
- MojiLaLa, the sticker marketplace, lands $1.5M seed round (https://techcrunch.com/2016/02/22/mojilala-the-sticker-marketplace-lands-1-5m-seed-round/)
- Gfycat picks up movie-marketing app MovieLala (https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/05/gfycat-picks-up-movie-marketing-app-movielala/)
- Marc Benioff Funds Social Network For Film Lovers 'MovieLaLa' (https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/14/marc-benioff-funds-social-network-for-film-lovers-movielala/)
- Top Tech Investors Turned Into Emoji (https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/18/top-tech-investors-turned-into-emoji/)
- RemoteTeam Raises Seed Round
- AR Apps Dominating App Store
- The Future of Work is Remote

### Entertainment Industry
- **Variety:** MovieLaLa Closes $1.4 Million Seed Round From Hollywood Angel Investors (https://variety.com/2014/digital/news/movielala-closes-1-4-million-seed-round-from-hollywood-angel-investors-1201066099/)
- **Hollywood Reporter:** Machinima's Allen DeBevoise Funds Social Network MovieLaLa (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/machinimas-allen-debevoise-funds-social-421814/)
- **The Wrap:** MovieLaLa Brings Hollywood Into the Age of the Social Network (https://www.thewrap.com/movielala-brings-hollywood-age-social-network/)
- **ScreenDaily:** Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff invests in MovieLaLa (https://www.screendaily.com/news/salesforcecom-ceo-marc-benioff-invests-in-movielala/5052004.article)
- **Deadline:** Film Marketing Goes Social
- **IndieWire:** Startups Disrupting Hollywood

### Business Media
- **Authority Magazine:** Five Things You Need To Know To Successfully Manage a Remote Team (https://medium.com/authority-magazine/sahin-boydas-five-things-you-need-to-know-to-successfully-manage-a-remote-team-a7f0d8e8e8e8)
- **Austin Business Journal:** Why RemoteTeam.com CEO Sahin Boydas relocated to Austin from Silicon Valley (https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2020/01/15/why-remoteteam-com-ceo-sahin-boydas-relocated-to.html)
- **Austin Business Journal:** Why tech innovators, startups ditch Silicon Valley for Austin (https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2020/01/14/why-tech-innovators-startups-ditch-silicon-valley.html)
- **Business.com:** VMblog Expert Interview: Sahin Boydas talks future of remote workforces (https://www.business.com/articles/sahin-boydas-remote-work/)
- **Thrive Global:** Syncing time-zone differences the right way (https://thriveglobal.com/stories/syncing-time-zone-differences-the-right-way/)
- **US Chamber:** Tips for Cutting Overhead Business Costs (https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/finance/tips-for-cutting-overhead-business-costs)
- **HR Dive:** The Rise of Remote HR Platforms
- **People Matters:** Building Remote-First Culture
- **HR Tech Outlook:** Top HR Tech Startups to Watch
- **Remote.co:** Interview with RemoteTeam Founder
- **We Work Remotely:** Tools for Managing Distributed Teams
- **Running Remote:** Scaling Remote Operations
- **FlexJobs:** Best Practices for Remote Team Management

## YouTube & Interviews

### Video Interviews
- **Silicon Valley Wins: Building, Fundraising & Exiting** — The Cost of It (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J_EoiHuLc4)
- **CEO Wisdom: Sahin Boydas Interview** — CEO Wisdom Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR3xA-sFAq0)
- **Running Remote 2020 Interview** — Running Remote (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmRm1tcHdes)
- **Distributed Valley 2020: CEO of RemoteTeam** — Remo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U-CMPpsu3w)

### Podcast Appearances
- **The Future of Work & Society After COVID-19** — That Remote Life (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnGJT9JcINw)
- **OhHello: Sahin Boydas (Episode 96)** — OhHello with Jeremy Bloom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SIuDnfPmxs)
- **Getting Acquired: RemoteTeam to Gusto** — Leaders of Growth (Knight Capital) (https://www.knight.capital/podcast-episodes/55-getting-acquired-with-sahin-boydas-ceo-remoteteam-a-gusto-company)
- **Why Failure is an Essential Part of Success** — Think Business with Tyler (https://thinktyler.com/podcast_episode/failure-part-success-sahin-boydas/)
- **Remote Working & Creating Startups** — The Remote CEO Show (https://denierob.podbean.com/e/545-remote-work-and-creating-startups-with-sahin-boydas/)
- **Remote Working & Creating Startups** — 415 Stories (Spotify)
- **Are Offices Prisons of the Mind?** — Remotely Inclined
- **The Digital Workplace** — Digital Workplace Podcast (https://shows.acast.com/workminus/episodes/sahin-boydas-the-digital-workplace)
- **Streamlining Remote Work for International Teams** — Startup Foundations (Capbase) (https://capbase.com/sahin-boydas-founder-ceo-remote-team/)

## Social Media

| Platform | Handle | Followers | URL |
|----------|--------|-----------|-----|
| Twitter/X | @sahin | 50k+ | https://twitter.com/sahin |
| Instagram | @sahin | 179k+ | https://instagram.com/sahin |
| Instagram | @sahinboydas | 720k+ | https://instagram.com/sahinboydas |
| LinkedIn | sahinboydas | 41k+ | https://linkedin.com/in/sahinboydas |
| YouTube | SahinClips | 10k+ | https://youtube.com/@SahinClips |

## Software Engineering

### Technical Leadership
- 8x Startup CTO
- Hundreds of thousands of lines of code written
- Trained 100s of engineers from school to FAANG level
- Started coding at a very early age

### Open Source
- 4000+ GitHub stars
- 25+ open source projects
- 12000+ HackerNews karma points

### Programming Languages
Swift, Ruby, JavaScript, Python, C++

## Blog / Insights

### How I Became the #1 Most Active Angel Investor in 2024
- **Date:** 2026-02-27
- **Category:** Angel Investing
- **Description:** The strategy, deal flow, and decision-making framework behind 180+ angel investments in AI and tech startups.
- **URL:** https://www.sahin.io/blog/how-i-became-number-1-angel-investor-2024
- **Tags:** angel investing, AI startups, deal flow, investment strategy

### Lessons from 4 Startups and 2 Exits in Silicon Valley
- **Date:** 2026-02-26
- **Category:** Entrepreneurship
- **Description:** What I learned co-founding RemoteTeam (acquired by Gusto), Leo AR, MojiLaLa, and MovieLaLa (acquired by Gfycat).
- **URL:** https://www.sahin.io/blog/lessons-from-4-startups-2-exits
- **Tags:** startups, exits, Silicon Valley, entrepreneurship

### Why I Invest in AI Startups: My Thesis on the AI Revolution
- **Date:** 2026-02-25
- **Category:** AI and Technology
- **Description:** My investment thesis on AI, why I have backed companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI, and where I see the biggest opportunities.
- **URL:** https://www.sahin.io/blog/why-i-invest-in-ai-startups
- **Tags:** AI, investment thesis, Anthropic, OpenAI

### From Zero to Acquisition in 580 Days: The RemoteTeam Story
- **Date:** 2026-02-24
- **Category:** Entrepreneurship
- **Description:** How we built RemoteTeam, pitched investors, hired a team, and completed an M&A process with Gusto all over Zoom.
- **URL:** https://www.sahin.io/blog/remote-team-to-gusto-580-days
- **Tags:** RemoteTeam, Gusto, acquisition, remote work

### Angel Investing Framework: How to Evaluate Early-Stage Startups
- **Date:** 2026-02-23
- **Category:** Angel Investing
- **Description:** A practical framework for evaluating early-stage startups, from team assessment to market sizing, based on 180+ investments.
- **URL:** https://www.sahin.io/blog/angel-investing-framework-for-beginners
- **Tags:** angel investing, startup evaluation, due diligence, framework

## AI-Powered Projects

- **Warren Buffett Indicator** — The definitive measure of stock market valuation. Compares total market cap to GDP. (https://www.sahin.io/warren-buffett-indicator/)
- **Tesla Buyer's Guide** — Is it the right time to buy a Tesla? Comprehensive guide based on product release cycles and refresh timelines. (https://www.sahin.io/tesla-buyers-guide/)
- **Mac CPU Value Comparison** — Find the best performance per dollar across Mac Mini and Mac Studio models using Geekbench 6 and AI benchmarks. (https://www.sahin.io/best-mac-mini)
- **PEF Austin Recommendations** — Members-only recommendations directory for the PEF Austin chapter. (https://www.sahin.io/pef-austin/)
- **Angel Investment Portfolio** — Full portfolio of 180+ angel investments. (https://www.sahin.io/angel-investments/)
- **Rare Mineral Stocks Tracker** — Track and compare rare earth mineral stocks in real-time. (https://www.sahin.io/rare-minerals-stocks/)

## Spirituality & Wellness

A journey through breathwork, meditation, plant medicine, and ancient healing practices across the world. 37 experiences across 5 categories.

### Breathwork (17 events)
Holotropic breathwork, sound baths, psychedelic breath meditation, and healing breath journeys across San Francisco, Bay Area, Palo Alto, Austin, Oakland, and Mexico.

### Meditation & Yoga (6 events)
Dream yoga programs in Santa Rosa, transcendental meditation in Istanbul, TM meditation in Switzerland, Tai Chi in Istanbul, and yoga in Palo Alto.

### Healing & Energy (8 events)
Mantak Chia workshops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Istanbul. Healing Tao practices, acupuncture, Geometry of Power, and mind control workshops in Istanbul and Mexico.

### Plant Medicine (3 events)
Cacao ceremony in Mexico. Ayahuasca ceremonies in Mexico and Costa Rica (4 sessions).

### Immersive (3 events)
Mesmerica 360 visual music experience in San Jose. UFO conference and quantum exploration workshops in Istanbul.

### Upcoming
- Mantak Chia Retreats — Advanced Taoist practices
- Dream Yoga in Colorado — Advanced lucid dreaming practice
- Wim Hof Method — Cold exposure, breathing techniques, and commitment
- Vibra Vision — Developing extrasensory perception abilities
- Oregon Cave Dark Retreats — Extended darkness retreats for deep meditation

## Media Kit

- **Profile Photo (high-res):** https://images.sahin.media/ctyybdikrefdesnb/public
- **Press Kit:** https://www.sahin.io/media-kit
- **Company Logos:** Contact via social media

## Contact & Links

- **Website:** https://www.sahin.io
- **Press Kit:** https://www.sahin.io (this page)
- **GitHub:** https://github.com/sahin
- **Twitter/X:** https://twitter.com/sahin
- **LinkedIn:** https://linkedin.com/in/sahinboydas
- **Instagram:** https://instagram.com/sahin
- **YouTube:** https://youtube.com/@SahinClips
- **Email:** Contact via social media

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*This file follows the llms.txt convention (https://llmstxt.org/) for AI-readable website content.*
*Last updated: 2026-03-06*
*For the visual press kit, visit https://www.sahin.io*