# Geoff Ralston

Founder, SAIF. TIME100 AI 2026, Shapers. The man who built RocketMail, which became Yahoo Mail, later ran Y Combinator and is now focused on SAIF, a fund steering AI toward a good future. ([tryterra.co](https://tryterra.co/podcast/Early-to-Every-Wave-Former-Y-Combinator-President-Geoff-Ralston))

- Born: Buffalo, United States ([pogonacreative.com](https://www.pogonacreative.com/blog/2026/2/16/geoff-ralston-college-education-forging-leadership-in-safe-ai))
- Education: MBA, Business, INSEAD, 1992; MS, Computer science, Stanford University, 1987; BA, Computer science, Dartmouth College, 1982 ([imaginek12.com](http://www.imaginek12.com/team.html), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffralston))
- Career: SAIF (Founder, 2025 to now); Y Combinator (President, 2011–2022); Imagine K12 (Co-founder, 2011–2016); Lala (CEO, 2007–2009); Yahoo (Chief Product Officer, 1997–2006); Four11 (VP Engineering, 1995–1997); Hewlett-Packard (1982–1992) ([time.com](https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/geoff-ralston/), [saif.vc](https://www.saif.vc/blog), [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffralston), [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Ralston), [imaginek12.com](http://www.imaginek12.com/team.html))
- TIME profile: https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/geoff-ralston/
- Profile: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/most-influential-people-in-ai/geoff-ralston

- Created RocketMail, the email service that became Yahoo Mail, and went on to be Yahoo's chief product officer. ([tryterra.co](https://tryterra.co/podcast/Early-to-Every-Wave-Former-Y-Combinator-President-Geoff-Ralston))
- Ran Lala, a cloud music startup he calls a precursor to Apple Music; a deal with Facebook fell apart before Apple bought it in 2009. ([tryterra.co](https://tryterra.co/podcast/Early-to-Every-Wave-Former-Y-Combinator-President-Geoff-Ralston))
- Succeeded Sam Altman as president of Y Combinator after Altman left to go all in on OpenAI. ([coeuscollective.beehiiv.com](https://coeuscollective.beehiiv.com/p/the-agi-mirror-our-interview-with-former-y-combinator-president-geoff-ralston))
- Started his AI safety fund with his own money in 2025; it has backed nearly 30 companies. ([time.com](https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/geoff-ralston/))
- In 2026 he launched a nonprofit behind a Bio Action Plan that calls for $2.5 billion in philanthropy to defend against AI-enabled pandemics. ([time.com](https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/geoff-ralston/))
- Says that for the most part "every frontier lab is being incredibly irresponsible." ([time.com](https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/geoff-ralston/))