Who Owns DuckDuckGo?
Updated onExplore the ownership hierarchy of DuckDuckGo. See parent companies, holding structures, and ultimate controllers.
Ownership Chain
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo's browser and mobile apps focus on simple, privacy-first browsing with built-in tracker blocking and privacy controls.
DuckDuckGo appears to be independent with no known parent company.
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo's browser and mobile apps focus on simple, privacy-first browsing with built-in tracker blocking and privacy controls.
DuckDuckGo appears to be independent with no known parent company.
Major Shareholders
DuckDuckGo
Major Shareholders
| Name | Type | Ownership | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
Gabriel Weinberg Founder and CEO of Duck Duck Go, Inc.; DuckDuckGo’s official help pages state that the company is majority-owned by its founder and team members, indicating Weinberg is the largest single individual shareholder, though no exact percentage is disclosed. | Founder | — | Nov 2025 |
DuckDuckGo team members (current and former employees) DuckDuckGo says it is majority-owned by founder Gabriel Weinberg and team members; this implies a significant aggregate equity stake held by current and former employees alongside the founder, but individual holdings are not public. | Other | — | Nov 2025 |
Union Square Ventures Early institutional backer that led DuckDuckGo’s $3M Series A round in October 2011 and is repeatedly cited as a core venture investor; the firm’s exact percentage ownership today is not publicly disclosed. | Institutional | — | Dec 2025 |
OMERS Ventures Venture arm of the OMERS pension fund; DuckDuckGo announced OMERS Ventures as an investor and partner in 2018 and it later participated in the roughly $100M secondary investment round in 2021, giving it a notable minority stake. | Institutional | — | Dec 2025 |
Tiger Global Management Hedge fund and venture investor identified in Crunchbase and press reports as a later-stage investor in DuckDuckGo; Tiger’s PIP 15 fund has reported markdowns on its DuckDuckGo position, confirming a direct equity stake, but no public cap-table percentage is available. | Institutional | — | Dec 2025 |
GP Bullhound Investment firm listed as a lead investor in DuckDuckGo’s June 16, 2021 roughly $100M secondary/Series B round, and as a key institutional backer in later funding databases; specific ownership share is undisclosed. | Institutional | — | Dec 2025 |
K5 Global Venture firm cited in Crunchbase and other private‑market summaries as one of DuckDuckGo’s most recent institutional investors in a later funding round (often described as Series C-II or Series D); its exact equity percentage is not public. | Institutional | — | Dec 2025 |
Impact America Fund Impact-focused venture fund named alongside GP Bullhound as a lead investor in DuckDuckGo’s June 2021 ~$100M secondary/Series B financing, implying a meaningful minority stake. | Institutional | — | Dec 2025 |
Thrive Capital Growth-stage venture firm listed in DuckDuckGo’s 2021 secondary investment syndicate; public reports confirm that Thrive participated in purchasing equity in that round, though no detailed stake size is published. | Institutional | — | Dec 2025 |
Brian Acton WhatsApp co‑founder explicitly named as an angel investor in DuckDuckGo’s approximately $100M secondary round disclosed in 2021; his stake is described as a minority holding with no public percentage. | Individual | — | Dec 2025 |
Tim Berners-Lee Inventor of the World Wide Web, cited in multiple accounts as an individual investor participating in DuckDuckGo’s 2021 secondary investment round, holding a small minority position. | Individual | — | Dec 2025 |
Mitch Kapor Lotus founder and long‑time tech investor; DuckDuckGo’s 2021 funding coverage and later investor lists identify Kapor as an angel investor in the company with a minority stake. | Individual | — | Dec 2025 |
Freada Kapor Klein Investor and diversity advocate noted in DuckDuckGo’s 2021 secondary round announcements as an individual backer, holding a small minority equity stake alongside other angels. | Individual | — | Dec 2025 |
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