--- title: "I passed on investing in Uber day one" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/295295763.md" description: "Tom Sosnoff, founder of thinkorswim and tastytrade, shared on 'The Drift' that he missed investing in Uber before its initial capital raise, a decision he regrets. Historically, Uber faced numerous rejections early on. Currently, Sosnoff is trading Uber by selling September $65 puts to acquire the stock at a discount or keep premiums if it stays above that price." datetime: "2026-08-08T08:24:41.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/295295763.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295295763.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/295295763.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # I passed on investing in Uber day one On a recent episode of The Drift, the weekly markets show hosted by thinkorswim and tastytrade founder Tom Sosnoff and trader Adam Mesh, Sosnoff shared a personal story about one of the most talked-about missed opportunities in modern venture history, his early chance to invest in Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER). "To this day, I'm mad because I had a chance to invest in Uber before their original capital raise. Travis Kalanick was in Chicago and he was going everywhere trying to raise money. He was like knocking on doors. And I just didn't think anybody would ever use this, you know. So I passed and I regretted that for the next 20 years." The context lines up with Uber's actual early history. In October 2010, UberCab, as it was then known, closed a $1.25 million seed round led by First Round Capital at a reported $4 million valuation, with participation from Chris Sacca's Lowercase Capital, Founder Collective, and roughly 30 angel investors. That same month, Kalanick spoke publicly in Chicago at the Tech Cocktail Startup Mixology Conference, discussing early startup lessons, and Uber's first CEO Ryan Graves had recently relocated from Chicago to San Francisco to run the young company. Uber was famously turned down by many well-known names during its early fundraising, including reportedly Mark Cuban and Jason Greathouse, along with 150 investors on AngelList. The company went public in May 2019 at a valuation of nearly $80 billion. When Mesh joked that Sosnoff was now essentially getting into the trade decades late by selling puts, Sosnoff owned it. "Well, now you're selling puts to own it. Now you're selling puts to own it. I've been trading Uber for the long side for the last couple of years. You know, I mean, I just tend, I don't usually get shorted. I'll put it that way." That comment lines up with the trade Sosnoff detailed earlier in the same episode, in which he sold September 65 puts in Uber for roughly $1.80 shortly after Uber's second-quarter earnings sent shares to a 52-week low. If Uber stays above $65 into September expiration, Sosnoff keeps the premium as pure profit. If it dips below, he becomes long the stock at an effective cost basis in the low $63s, a meaningful discount to where it was trading before earnings. Sosnoff, who now leads a new venture called Lossdog after building thinkorswim and tastytrade, has spoken often about the importance of learning from missed trades, and his Uber story is one of the sharpest examples he has publicly shared. This clip is from The Drift episode filmed Wednesday, August 5, 2026. #TomSosnoff #Uber #StockMarket Find more market-moving insights at your one-stop destination for the latest financial news, data, and expert analysis to stay ahead of the markets. Want the same tools the pros usewithout the $10K Bloomberg terminal? Benzinga Edge gives you real-time portfolio alerts, weekly stock picks, and pro-grade research in one command center. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Follow us on socials @benzinga Subscribe To The Channel: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Disclaimer: Investing in financial markets carries risk, and there are no guaranteed returns. All information is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as financial advice. Always do your own research and speak with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Only invest what you can afford to lose. 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