Jared Kushner launches AI startup with top Israeli tech entrepreneur

Jared Kushner, former White House senior advisor and son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, has partnered with Israeli-American investor Elad Gil to launch Brain Co., a San Francisco-based AI startup.

Coming to light after operating secretly since 2024, the company raised $30 million in a Series A round led by Kushner’s Affinity Partners and Gil’s Gil Capital, with backing from prominent investors like Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Stripe founder Patrick Collison and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Brain Co. aims to bridge the gap between large language models like GPT-5 and their practical application in organizations.

The venture began in February 2024 when Kushner, Gil, and former Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray met to address challenges large organizations face in integrating AI tools. Kushner, seeking to expand Affinity’s AI investments, connected with Gil, a former Google and Twitter executive turned venture capitalist, through his brother, Josh Kushner.

Videgaray, who met Kushner during Trump’s 2016 campaign, also joined. Brain Co. has secured deals with major clients like Sotheby’s, owned by Israeli-French businessman Patrick Drahi and Warburg Pincus, alongside government agencies, energy firms, healthcare systems and hospitality chains.

With 40 employees, Brain Co. collaborates with OpenAI to develop tailored applications. A recent MIT study cited by Forbes found that 95% of generative AI pilot programs failed in surveyed organizations, highlighting the gap Brain Co. targets.

CEO Clemens Mewald, a former AI expert at Google and Databricks, explained, “So far, we haven’t seen a reason to only double down on one sector. Actually, it turns out that at the technology level and the AI capability level, a lot of the use cases look very similar.”

He noted similarities between processing building permits and insurance claims, both requiring document analysis and rule-based recommendations, areas where Brain Co. is active.

Kushner, who founded Affinity Partners after leaving the White House, said, We’re living through a once-in-a-generation platform shift,” Kushner said in a press release. “After speaking with Elad, we realized we could build a bridge between Silicon Valley’s best AI talent and the world’s most important institutions to drive global impact.”

Affinity manages over $4.8 billion, primarily from Saudi, Qatari and UAE funds. In September 2024, Brain Co. acquired Serene AI, bringing in experienced founders. While Kushner will serve as an active board member, Gil said he will primarily operate through Affinity.