Kevin Mayer is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Smash Capital, a growth equity firm he launched in 2021 with former Disney colleagues Eric Garland and Evan Richter and technology investor Brad Twohig. Smash backs category-defining technology companies across consumer internet, enterprise AI, financial services and healthcare, with a portfolio that includes Epic Games, Roblox, TradingView and Bilt Rewards.Through Smash Sports, Mayer and partners Tom Staggs and Evan Richter are leading a proposal to restructure college football around a consolidated national media-rights deal, a new governing body and up to $9 billion in private capital. Mayer has also made generative AI a core theme of the firm's investing: in August 2026 Smash joined the $400 million Series B in Higgsfield, the AI video and image platform valued at $5.4 billion, and its AI portfolio includes voice leader ElevenLabs and healthcare platform Ambience. Mayer is also Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Candle Media, the next-generation media company he launched with Tom Staggs in 2021 with backing from Blackstone and home to Moonbug Entertainment (CoComelon, Blippi), Hello Sunshine, Faraway Road Productions, Exile Content Studio, ATTN: and Westbrook. Previously he was a long-serving senior executive at The Walt Disney Company, where he oversaw its direct-to-consumer businesses, including Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, and architected the launch of Disney+. As Disney's Chief Strategy Officer he led the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, BAMTech and 21st Century Fox. He subsequently served as CEO of TikTok and COO of its parent company ByteDance, and as Chairman of DAZN Group.