Alex Rampell
VCGeneral Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
Fintech-focused GP at a16z, serial founder
Background
Alex Rampell is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he leads fintech investing. Before joining a16z in 2015, he founded or co-founded multiple companies including TrialPay (acquired by Visa), FraudEliminator (merged into SiteAdvisor, acquired by McAfee), and co-founded Affirm with Max Levchin. He coined the term 'O2O' (online to offline) in 2010 and was an active angel investor pre-a16z. He led a16z's investments in Plaid, OpenDoor, and Mercury, and currently serves on boards including Branch, Earnin, Propel, Rocket Companies, SentiLink, and Wise.
Investment Thesis
Fintech startups can win by building distribution before incumbents can build technology; the core tension is innovation vs. distribution.
Investment Focus
Stages
Typical check: $5M–$50M
Sectors
Based in: United States (North America)