David Gottesman is an American businessman and billionaire with an estimated net worth of $1.65 billion as of March 2013. He is the 285th richest person in the “Forbes 400” list and was ranked 922nd in the list of World Billionaires.

Born David Sanford Gottesman on April 26, 1926 in New York City, he is also known as Sandy. He has developed a friendship with Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway where he was an early investor at Buffet’s company. He now owns 19,000 shares worth $2 billion in 2007. He joined the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway in 2003.

Gottesman founded the investment advisory firm, First Manhattan Co., in 1964. It specializes in providing professional investment management services to individuals, partnerships, trusts, retirement accounts, and institutional clients. Currently, it manages investments in securities for accounts that range from $1 million to more than $100 million.

A dedicated philanthropist within the Jewish community, David Gottesman and his wife donated $25 million to the Yeshiva University Medical School in 2008. They are also funding the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo’s planned aquarium, the would-be largest in Israel. It is expected to open in 2015. He is also one of the generous donors to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City where he is the vice chairman of its board of trustees.