# Mark Ein

Mark David Ein (born December 31, 1964) is an American venture capitalist and sports entrepreneur. He owns the Washington City Paper and is a limited partner of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). An enthusiast of tennis, Ein founded the World TeamTennis (WTT) team Washington Kastles in 2008, and has chaired the DC Open since 2019. He is also chairman of the President's Export Council and a member of the Federal City Council, World Economic Forum, and Gridiron Club.

## Early life

Ein was born on December 31, 1964, in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Ein is Jewish; his mother is a Holocaust survivor. He earned a degree in economics from the Wharton School in 1987 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1992. Ein is a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

## Career

Ein worked for The Carlyle Group, Brentwood Associates, and Goldman Sachs before founding Venturehouse Group in 1999. A lifelong enthusiast of tennis, Ein founded the Washington Kastles of World TeamTennis (WTT) in 2008 and is a board member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He earned an ATP ranking of 1098 at age 46 after playing in a few ATP doubles tennis tournaments. Ein bought the Washington City Paper in 2017 and became chairman and CEO of the DC Open tennis tournament in 2019. He is the chairman of the board for Kastle Systems, a security company, and CEO of Capitol Investment Corp. Ein founded the Washington Justice of the esports Overwatch League in 2018. Ein became a Washington Business Hall of Fame laureate in 2018.
In 2023, president Joe Biden appointed Ein to chair the President's Export Council, a group within the International Trade Administration that serves as a national trade advisory committee. He is also a member of the Federal City Council, World Economic Forum, and the Gridiron Club. The same year, he was a part of an investment group led by Josh Harris that bought the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL) for $6.05 billion, the highest price ever paid for a sports team. He and Harris have been close friends since elementary school; they attended Wharton and Harvard Business School together and shared beach houses during their time on Wall Street.
Notable properties owned :
| Team | Notes |
| Washington Kastles | World TeamTennis team |
| Washington City Paper | Alternative newspaper |
| Washington Justice | Overwatch League team; league folded in 2023 |
| DC Open | Tennis tournament; chairman and CEO |
| Washington Commanders | National Football League team; limited partner |

## Honors

In 2009, D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty presented Ein with the key to the city for his success with the Washington Kastles. He was inducted into the USTA Mid-Atlantic Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2013, Ein was honored for "Outstanding Public Service in Professional Sports" by the Jefferson Awards Foundation.

## Personal life

Ein was an executive producer of the 2008 documentary film Kicking It. In 2001, he purchased the home of Katharine Graham following her death in the Georgetown district of Washington, D.C. for $8 million. He never occupied it and put up for sale in 2024.
Ein married Sally Stiebel in September 2013. The wedding included a live performance of Y.M.C.A. by the Village People and was attended by over 350 guests, including Mark Warner, Ted Leonsis, Raul Fernandez, Vernon Jordan, Valerie Jarrett, Debra Lee, Gene Sperling, Larry Summers, David Bradley, Adrian Fenty, Jack Evans, Murphy Jensen, Sam Kass, Capricia Marshall, and Mitchell Rales. They spent their honeymoon at Lake Como in Italy and reside in Georgetown.