Karen Pritzker Vlock

Karen Pritzker is an American businesswoman and philanthropist with a net worth of $4.2 billion. She is a member of the Pritzker family, whose fortune is derived from the Hyatt hotel chain and Marmon, a massive industrial conglomerate. Pritzker is a granddaughter of A.N. Pritzker, the founder of Marmon and Hyatt. Unlike other members of her family, Pritzker chose to hold on to her shares in the family business. She and her late husband, a career investor, maintained large holdings in Hyatt and acquired a portion of Apple. They also invested in a restaurant chain, a surfboard manufacturer, and their own venture capital firm, LaunchCapital, LLC. In 2003, Pritzker and her husband donated $3 million to her husband's brother to develop a new drug to prevent infection. They subsequently licensed the drug to Sanofi-Aventis for $375 million, the majority of which went to Pritzker and her husband as majority stakeholders. Pritzker is a generous philanthropist. She and her husband have supported a wide range of causes, including education, healthcare, and environmental protection. They have also established the Seedlings Foundation, which supports the physical and mental health of children. Pritzker serves as a Director of LaunchCapital LLC and runs the Pritzker/Vlock family office. She is also a member of the board of directors of several other companies, including Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Ouster, Inc.