Paul Bragiel

Paul Bragiel is an American venture capitalist and entrepreneur currently serving as Managing Partner at Bragiel Brothers and an investor at Niu Ventures. After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1999, he founded several early technology startups, including the location-based social network Meetro and the forum hosting platform Lefora, which was acquired by Crowdgather in 2010. Transitioning to venture capital, he has launched numerous seed funds and accelerators globally, such as the San Francisco-based i/o Ventures in 2010 and the Southeast Asia-focused Golden Gate Ventures in 2012. His recent investment vehicles include the $50 million SMOK Ventures fund targeting Central and Eastern Europe in 2019, and the $10 million Niu Ventures fund focused on Brazil in 2021. Bragiel maintains a strategic focus on early-stage investments across emerging international markets, gaming, and virtual reality sectors.