Jonathan Milton Nelson (born 1956) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the founder of Providence Equity Partners, a global

private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

firm based in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, which manages funds with over US$45 billion in commitments. As of September 2023, Nelson's net worth is estimated by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' at $3.4 billion.

Early life and education

Nelson grew up in Providence. He graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in 1977 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in economics. After graduation, he managed the Chinese division of Wellman, Inc. On returning to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, he earned a Master of Business Administration from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

in 1983.

Career history

In 1983, Nelson joined Narragansett Capital, a private equity firm, where he was a managing director. At Narragansett, he specialized in the broadcasting, cable television and publishing sectors. In 1989, he founded Providence Equity Partners, a pioneering sector-focused private equity firm. It is the world's leading private equity investment firm focused on media, communications, education, and information investments. He was dubbed the "stealth mogul" by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' for keeping a low profile despite his firm's substantial media holdings. In 2008, Nelson and other Providence principals launched Providence's credit investment arm with Thomas Gahan of Deutsche Bank. The unit is called Benefit Street Partners, which has US$9.16 billion (inflation-adjusted) under management. Nelson is on the boards of the Chernin Group, MLS Media, the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

, Television Broadcasts Ltd and

Univision Communications TelevisaUnivision (formerly known as Univision Communications) is a Mexican-American mass media, media company headquartered in Miami and Mexico City that owns American Spanish language broadcast network Univision and free-to-air channels in Mex ...

. he has also been a director of Eircom Plc,

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

, Language Line, MetroNet (now AT&T Canada), VoiceStream Wireless (now

Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom AG (, ; often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a partially state-owned German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue. It was formed in 199 ...

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...

, (now Alltel Wireless) and Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network.

Philanthropy and other activities

Educational philanthropy

As of March 2019, Nelson is listed as a Fellow of Brown University, and has previously been a trustee. He has donated at least $36 million to the university, contributing to the construction of the Nelson Fitness Center and establishment of the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship and endowment of two professorships. As of January 2025, these professorships are held by the mathematician Brendan Hassett and the philosopher

Paul Guyer Paul Guyer () is an American philosopher and a leading scholar of Immanuel Kant and of aesthetics. From 2012, he was Jonathan Nelson Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Brown University until his retirement in 2023. In 2025, he was elected t ...

. In 2013, The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art named Nelson the winner of the Arthur Ross Award for Excellence In The Classical Tradition (Patronage) for his guidance of the design and construction of the Nelson Fitness Center. In 2018, Following a $25 million gift from Nelson, Brown established the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. Nelson is a trustee of

Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...

. In August 2014, Harvard Business School gave Nelson an Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by the school on its graduates. Nelson has committed to the Giving Pledge, a campaign led by Warren Buffett and

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...

to encourage the wealthiest people in the United States to make a commitment to give most of their wealth to philanthropic causes. He is on the board of the Newport Festivals Foundation. He is an avid

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

and big mountain skier.

References

External links