We are on the verge of massive change where innovations in mobile, digital money, and machine learning are changing how we move money and manage our finances. An expert on these technologies is Alex Rampell, who plays a significant role in building the future of financial services.
A General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Alex also serves on the board of Branch, Brightside, Descript, Divvy, Earnin, FlyHomes, Loft, Mercury, PeerStreet, Point, Propel, Sentilink, Super Evil Mega Corp, Transferwise, and Very Good Security.
Alex additionally led the firm’s investments in OpenDoor ($OPEN), Plaid, Quantopian (acquired by Robinhood), and Rival (acquired by LiveNation).
Prior to joining the firm, Alex co-founded multiple companies, including Affirm ($AFRM), which he co-founded with Max Levchin, FraudEliminator (acquired by McAfee in 2006), Point, TrialPay (acquired by Visa in 2015), TXN (acquired by Envestnest in 2019), and Yub (acquired by Coupons.com in 2013).
Join Willy Walker and Alex Rampell on this week’s Walker Webcast as they explore the ins and outs of fintech, the right mindset in approaching investments, censorship-resistant technology, lessons from a dental software story, the future of financial services, and so much more.
Tune in to this new episode of the Walker Webcast — FinTech and Venture Capital Alex Rampell, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. ▶️
Key Points In The Webcast:
[00:11] Alex Rampell is welcomed to the show
[03:39] Willy invites Alex to share his Andover boarding school experience, how he got to Harvard, and how he started his software business when students are prohibited from doing so in their dorm room
[07:21] Alex shares what he loves about sports
[08:45] From being an undergrad to jumping right into entrepreneurship, Alex attributes luck, common sense, and not being afraid to fail as his ingredients for success
[12:14] Being a venture capitalist and having empathy for people who are starting businesses
[12:41] Learning the ropes about payment processing, going into fintech and starting TrialPay (acquired by Visa in 2015)
[17:52] On investing in the Series B round of Coinbase, which was a highly competitive round where numerous firms wanted to support
[24:02] Alex shares his view on investing in call options and underscoring a longer-term outlook
[27:47] Alex tells his Baby Tiger Woods example and the venture mindset
[30:21] Willy Walker explores the operating systems in financial services and how startup companies can break in
[35:30] On why the best product doesn’t always win, but it’s the product that figures out distribution
[47:40] Alex explains why we can disentangle crypto from the blockchain
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