ALEX LIEBERMAN
Co-founder of Morning Brew, media entrepreneur, angel investor
Alex Lieberman co-founded Morning Brew in his college dorm because he thought business news was painfully boring — then sold it to Business Insider for $75 million and proved that being entertaining is worth more than being encyclopedic. The man turned a campus newsletter into the most-read business email in America, and he did it before turning 28.
Net Worth
$50 Million
Nationality
American
Time Horizon
Medium-Term
Risk Appetite
7 / 10
CAREER & BACKGROUND
Alex Lieberman started Morning Brew in 2015 as a University of Michigan student who was tired of reading the Wall Street Journal. He figured if he could write a daily business email that sounded like a smart friend catching you up over coffee, people would actually read it.
He was right. Morning Brew grew to over 4 million subscribers and was acquired by Business Insider (now Insider) in 2020 for a reported $75 million.
After the acquisition, Lieberman stayed on as executive chairman before stepping back to focus on content creation and angel investing. He now runs a popular social media presence with over a million followers across platforms, hosts the Founder's Journal podcast, and makes angel investments in media and consumer startups.
COMPANIES & ROLES
Morning Brew (co-founder, sold for ~$75M), Storyarb (co-founder, content agency), angel investor in 30+ startups
INVESTING STYLE & PHILOSOPHY
Lieberman invests in what he knows best — media, content, and consumer businesses. His angel portfolio is heavy on creator economy startups, newsletters, and brands that understand distribution.
He is not trying to pick the next deep tech unicorn. He bets on founders who understand audience building, because that is the game he won.
THE PLAYBOOK
Risk Approach
Moderate to high. Lieberman took a massive risk starting a company during college instead of going the safe Goldman Sachs route.
But post-exit, his approach is more measured — angel checks are small relative to his net worth, and he keeps a significant base in safer assets. He can afford to swing on risky bets because the Morning Brew exit gave him a permanent financial cushion.
Money Habits
Post-exit, Lieberman lives comfortably but not extravagantly. He has talked about spending on experiences — travel, events, dinners with interesting people — rather than luxury goods.
He reinvests heavily into new ventures and angel deals. Not the type to buy a yacht.
BIGGEST WIN
Building Morning Brew from a campus email to a $75 million acquisition in five years. At its peak, the newsletter was adding thousands of subscribers per day through a referral program that other media companies spent years trying to copy.
The exit made Lieberman a millionaire many times over by age 27.
BIGGEST MISTAKE
Lieberman has been candid about struggling with identity and purpose after selling Morning Brew. He described a period of feeling lost despite being financially set for life — the "what now?" problem that hits founders after a big exit.
He has also talked about early angel investments where he invested based on hype rather than genuine conviction.
FINANCIAL PHILOSOPHY
Distribution is everything. Lieberman believes that the best product in the world means nothing if no one sees it.
He built Morning Brew on the insight that how you deliver information matters more than the information itself. His whole worldview is: own your audience, talk to them like humans, and the business model figures itself out.
FAMILY & PERSONAL LIFE
In a relationship. Lives in New York City.
Very public about his personal struggles with anxiety and identity post-exit.
EDUCATION
University of Michigan (BBA, Ross School of Business).
BOOKS & RESOURCES
Zero to One by Peter Thiel, Morning Brew (daily newsletter)
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QUOTES (6)
We built Morning Brew on one insight: business news does not have to be boring. That is it. That was the whole strategy.
Distribution is more important than product. The best product nobody sees is worth less than a mediocre product everyone sees.
After selling my company I felt lost for months. Nobody tells you that financial freedom can feel like an identity crisis.
The referral program at Morning Brew did more for our growth than any marketing spend ever could. Word of mouth at scale is unbeatable.
Start something while you are still in school. You will never have less to lose than right now.
The best content does not feel like content. It feels like a smart friend texting you something interesting.
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