Moj Mahdara is an Iranian-American entrepreneur, investor, and political advisor. They are the co-founder and managing partner of Kinship Ventures, a venture capital firm founded with Gwyneth Paltrow.[1][2]
Before launching Kinship Ventures, Mahdara served as chief executive officer of Beautycon Media, a global festival and media company centered on beauty and popular culture.[3][4] They have also collaborated with former secretaries of state, diplomats, and members of royal families in the Middle East Mahdara’s work spans business, media, and technology, with an emphasis on building companies and partnerships at the intersection of culture and commerce.[5][6]
As of 2025, Mahdara has invested in over 80+ startups across technology, consumer goods, wellness, Web3, and AI, including OpenAI, MoonPay, Olipop, Public, Caddis, Seed, and more.[7]
Early life
Mahdara, a first-generation Iranian-American, was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to Iranian parents who immigrated to the United States in the early 1970s.[8] As the oldest of three children in a large Persian family, Mahdara grew up in an entrepreneurial household and developed an early interest in business and culture.[9]
In their early twenties, Mahdara worked as a sponsorship seller for the first three editions of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, hired by Goldenvoice as a consultant.[10] These experiences in the music industry, combined with her passion for brand-building, youth culture, and digital communities, influenced her entrepreneurial path and led to the eventual founding of Beautycon, a platform that merges creativity, digital innovation, and diverse representation in the beauty industry.[11]
Career
Beautycon Media
Beautycon began as a grassroots meetup for beauty enthusiasts and YouTube creators, designed to connect fans, influencers, and brands in an experiential setting.[2] Prior to Moj Mahdara becoming CEO and co-founder in 2015, the event consisted of small gatherings of a few dozen beauty bloggers at YouTube’s Los Angeles studios.[12] Starting in 2015, under Mahdara’s leadership, Beautycon evolved into a global media and live-events company, expanding its footprint with large-scale festivals in cities including Los Angeles, New York, London, Tokyo, and Dubai. The company also partnered with major consumer brands such as L’Oréal, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Target.[1] Beautycon’s flagship events began attracting more than 30,000 attendees and high-profile industry figures and celebrities, including Kylie Jenner and Bethany Mota, helping to establish its prominence in the beauty and digital entertainment sectors.[13]
Beautycon was described by The New York Times as “the Super Bowl of the beauty industry”[14] and by Women’s Wear Daily as “a mecca for beauty fans.” Under Mahdara’s direction, the platform generated over one billion annual social impressions and became one of the world’s leading consumer engagement networks for Generation Z.[15]
During their tenure, Mahdara also launched FOMO Vol. 1, a white paper analyzing the shifting mindset and conservatism of Generation Z, challenging prevailing assumptions about youth culture and their relationship to technology and commerce. The paper’s findings were cited in outlets including The New York Times and The Atlantic and have been referenced in business schools and marketing intelligence studies.[16]
In 2016, Fast Company named Mahdara to its “Most Creative People in Business” list,[17] and The Hollywood Reporter listed them among its “Top 25 Most Powerful Digital Players.”[18] Beautycon closed in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic, with its assets acquired by Essence Ventures.[19]
Venture Capital and Kinship Ventures
Following Beautycon, Mahdara transitioned into venture capital, joining Intuition Capital between 2021 and 2023 as a partner at the early-stage seed fund founded by Patrick Finnegan. At Intuition, they invested in early-stage consumer and technology companies including Poppi, Bonza, Public, Chroma, Starface, Bilt, and Owner.com. The fund focused on backing founders building bold, unconventional businesses across consumer brands, fintech, marketplaces, and deep technology.[20][1]
Kinship Ventures invests in both at the early stage, supporting founders building new consumer, health, and AI-driven platforms, and through late-stage special purpose vehicles (SPVs) providing access to transformative technology and infrastructure opportunities.[20]
Kinship’s portfolio includes several landmark holdings including OpenAI, now the world’s most valuable private company;[17] Gemini, a digital assets platform that completed its IPO in 2025;[21] Poppi, a fast-growing prebiotic soda brand using real fruit juice and apple cider vinegar, recently acquired by PepsiCo for $1.95B[2] Olipop, valued at $1.85 billion following latest funding round[22] TeraWulf, which went public as a clean-energy blockchain company in 2022;[23] and consumer innovators such as MoonPay and Caddis.
Mahdara’s investment track record exceeds 80+ companies as an advisor, investor, and partner. Through both Kinship and prior funds, they have focused on closing the founder-investor gap and diversifying access to venture capital across gender, ethnicity, and geography.[2]
Their approach emphasizes not only financial performance but also cultural and behavioral impact. Mahdara is also recognized as an operator-turned-investor whose experience as a founder is cited as contributing to a more empathetic and practical advisory style when supporting the companies they back.[23]
Media Intelligence and Political Advisor
In addition to their work in venture capital and consumer strategy, Mahdara has served as a consultant and advisor to executives, political figures, and organizations on media intelligence, audience behavior, and narrative strategy. Their experience in communications and digital ecosystems has been used by institutions and leaders engaged in technology, commerce, and public diplomacy.[24]
Mahdara’s work has included advising former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton[25] and collaborating on initiatives with Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States. Mahdara has also spoken publicly about the role of behavioral data and cultural trends in political communication, including a keynote address at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit focused on how digital ecosystems can influence contemporary civic participation.[26]
Cultural Impact
Mahdara has described the music and arts culture of Los Angeles as an early influence, noting that festivals, concerts, and visual art provided a formative environment for entrepreneurial and creative exploration. Exposure to artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Banksy, as well as events like Coachella, contributed to their interest in community-focused and culture-driven ventures later in their career.[11]
Throughout their career, Mahdara has collaborated with leaders at the intersection of business and culture, including Serena Williams[27], athlete and investor; Gwyneth Paltrow, actress and entrepreneur[28]; founder of Goop and co-founder of Kinship Ventures; and Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global and The Huffington Post.[29]
Mahdara’s professional network spans technology, entertainment, fashion, and public leadership, reflecting work that connects entrepreneurship with contemporary cultural spaces[10]. Drawing on influences from music, visual art, and digital communities, Mahdara has engaged in projects that bring together figures from different sectors and audiences. This cross-industry engagement has supported initiatives in consumer behavior, public communication, and cultural participation. [1]
Public Speaking and Thought Leadership
Mahdara is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusive leadership. They have delivered keynotes at the Milken Institute Global Conference[36], Aspen Ideas Festival[37], Maker’s Conference, Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovators Summit, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit[38], FII (Future Investment Initiative) Summit and Upfront Summit.[39]
In early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, Mahdara and entrepreneur Kendra Bracken-Ferguson co-founded BeautyUnited in direct response to the crisis.[44] Their immediate goal was to unite the beauty and wellness industries to support frontline healthcare workers, providing personal care products and supplies in a time of global need. By mobilizing over 40 major brands, including The Estée Lauder Companies, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Goop, Huda Beauty, and more, BeautyUnited helped supply vital resources and funds to hospitals and workers.[45][44]
As the organization’s network grew, BeautyUnited began holding weekly founder and executive calls, providing practical support, solidarity, and information for entrepreneurs and operators facing unprecedented industry challenges.[45]
By late 2020 and into 2021, BeautyUnited shifted toward long-term systemic change, establishing a structured fellowship and mentorship program designed to foster executive leadership and create better access to funding for underrepresented, especially BIPOC, founders.[44]
Mahdara and BeautyUnited also dedicated themselves to bridging the gap between founders and investors through sustained networking, advocacy, and education.[46] Initiatives highlighted in S&P Global show that Mahdara further expanded BeautyUnited’s mission to address systemic racism and promote diversity and inclusion, advocating for industry-wide transformation and greater opportunity for the next generation of beauty leaders.[23]
Activism and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement
Mahdara is a founding member of the Iranian Diaspora Collective (IDC), a global advocacy organization focused on elevating Iranian voices and promoting democracy, human rights, and freedom of information.[47] They are also a founding partner of Global Freedoms, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit coalition that supports marginalized communities and social justice initiatives.[48] Both organizations have been featured in major media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC[49], Vogue[50] and Forbes, in connection with their efforts to advance public awareness, policy reform, and international solidarity with movements for freedom in Iran and other regions.[51]
IDC was formed in 2022 during worldwide protests following the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini. Its central goal is to raise international awareness of gender apartheid in Iran and amplify the voices of Iranian activists. IDC contributed to successful policy advocacy, most notably supporting the campaign to remove Iran from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.[50]
Major Campaigns and Initiatives
IDC 2022 Billboard Media Campaign
Spearheaded by Mahdara and IDC, this campaign launched in September 2022 in response to the Iranian government’s internet shutdown. Billboards in Times Square (New York City), Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. spotlighted the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, raising global visibility and solidarity. The project achieved over 136 media activations, generated tens of millions of views, and became a backdrop for solidarity rallies in multiple major cities, boosting morale for Iranian youth and drawing international press.[52][53]
IDC 2023 Times Square Commemoration
To mark the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, Mahdara and IDC unveiled new digital billboards in Times Square featuring Amini, Nika Shakarami, Sarina Esmailzadeh, and Kian Pirfalak, each representing martyrs of Iran’s resistance movement. This campaign sustained global attention on Woman, Life, Freedom protests.[54]
IDC “Keep Iran Online” Connectivity Initiative
In collaboration with tech and privacy experts (including Yasmin Green, CEO of Jigsaw/Google, and Reza Ghazinouri), IDC raised funds to provide VPNs to Iranians. The project aimed to bypass government censorship and keep vital communications open during internet blocks, partnering with a range of digital rights activists.[55]
Global Freedoms focuses on education and advocacy for marginalized groups, particularly supporting freedom of expression and information rights for activists and persecuted minorities, including Iranian democracy advocates. Mahdara co-founded Global Freedoms to expand direct support and solidarity actions alongside IDC efforts.[56]
Through these coordinated campaigns, Mahdara acted as strategist, media spokesperson and activist, working alongside journalists, artists, technologists, and policy leaders to raise the women and human rights dimensions of the Iranian movement.[53] As a frequent commentator and speaker, Mahdara has appeared in interviews with outlets including MSNBC, framing Woman, Life, Freedom as a global struggle for bodily autonomy, sovereignty, and gender parity.[56]
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