Max Levchin
Operator AngelCo-Founder & Partner, SciFi VC
PayPal co-founder and fintech-focused deep-tech investor
Background
Max Levchin co-founded PayPal in 1998 and subsequently founded Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM), where he serves as CEO, as well as Slide (acquired by Google) and Glow. He co-founded SciFi VC (Science Finance) with his wife Nellie Levchin in 2017, investing in hard technical problems at the intersection of fintech, AI, and science. Notable portfolio companies include Stripe, Brex, Uber, Anduril, and PsiQuantum. Levchin also served as early chairman of Yelp and has been on boards of Yahoo and Evernote. In October 2025, he was elected a director of The Coca-Cola Company.
Investment Thesis
Back founders tackling problems requiring intense technical rigor, network effects, or navigation of complex regulated industries; focus on fintech, AI, and breakthrough science commercialization.
Investment Focus
Stages
Typical check: $250K–$2M
Sectors
Based in: USA (San Francisco Bay Area) (North America)
Notable Investments
Stripe
Global payments infrastructure; early investor
Brex
Corporate cards and spend management; portfolio company
Uber
Ridesharing giant; early investor
Anduril
Defense technology; portfolio company
PsiQuantum
Photonic quantum computing; portfolio company
Coinbase
Crypto exchange; NASDAQ: COIN; SciFi portfolio exit
Opendoor
Digital real estate marketplace; NASDAQ: OPEN; portfolio company
Wise
International money transfers; LSE: WISE; portfolio company