We invest in high-margin, fast-growing technology companies that are pursuing huge market opportunities.
TransferWise is a peer-to-peer currency exchange service that allows its users to send money overseas easily and inexpensively.
Traditionally, large financial institutions dominated cross-currency transactions, charging hefty fees (often several percent of the amount sent) and taking hours or days to settle the trade. By coordinating transfer needs within countries across its massive user base, Transferwise makes transferring money more efficient and passes considerable savings along to users.
N26 is a new European bank focused on building an innovative mobile-first banking experience.
Unlike brick and mortar banks, N26 was built with the modern customer in mind, offering the option for instant push notifications for all transactions, innovative security features, free ATM withdrawals, no foreign transaction fees, an easy to use personal financial management tool, and a remote sign up process that takes less than 10 minutes.
Stash is on a mission to empower a new generation of investors, giving everyone access to financial opportunity.
Stash is a community for people who want to start saving and investing and who don’t want to rely on a black box service to do it for them. Its platform helps people take ownership and become confident investors. Starting with as little as $5, Stash investors build a portfolio of investments that aligns with their interests, beliefs and goals.
Qonto provides digital banking services to entrepreneurs, SMEs and startups.
Qonto aims to become the next generation bank for entrepreneurs, SMEs and startups by providing an online service that allows users to create an account in less than five minutes. With Qonto, you can instantly receive an IBAN and get started managing your company’s physical and digital business cards and performing day-to-day operations.
Xero provides cloud accounting software and services for small businesses and their advisors.
Xero fills the gap between legacy accounting systems trapped on the desktop (and used by vendors primarily to peddle expensive add-ons) and ad hoc systems (paper slips; excel spreadsheets): Xero provides one clean and intuitive package with a full accrual accounting system, including cashbook, automated daily bank feeds, invoicing, payroll, sales tax and reporting.
(Initial Valar investment October 2010; final exit June 2020)
Even is the bank app that plans, so you don’t have to.
170 million Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Financial institutions charge those Americans over $100 billion each year in overdraft and payday loan fees. Even helps people break out of that cycle, with an automated financial manager, and the ability to safely withdraw wages ahead of payday. Fortune 500 companies like Walmart offer Even as a benefit to their employees.
Taxfix is a digital tax accountant on the mobile phone that makes tax filing a piece of cake.
Tax filing with forms takes hours and requires expert knowledge. Taxfix disrupts the industry by offering a smart assistant on the phone that asks users simple questions and optimizes their taxes intelligently. With its underlying tax engine, Taxfix's systems can generate the smartest questions, allowing the company to quickly scale its technology across markets.
BlockFi is an all-in-one digital wealth management solution for cryptocurrency investors.
Financial services have traditionally been fragmented based on geography and fiat currency regimes. BlockFi provides globally accessible financial products by leveraging digital assets and blockchain payment rails. Cryptocurrency investors use BlockFi for unique liquidity, payments and wealth management solutions.
Octane makes financing large purchases of powersports equipment at the point of sale as painless as cash.
Octane is a point of sale financing platform disrupting the $60B consumer recreational and agricultural vehicle market. Its mission is to become the first choice by making financing as painless as cash in markets where incumbent solutions are expensive, time consuming, and manual. Octane partners with manufacturers to offer competitive pricing and utilize technology and proprietary data models to accelerate the loan underwriting and closing process.
Cluno provides a subscription model for car ownership, a flexible way for consumers to drive their own car without buying it.
Cluno has simplified the complex process of car financing and ownership. In just three minutes, users can digitally book a car in the app for an all-inclusive, monthly subscription fee and get it delivered to their desired place. In the spirit of flexibility, drivers can switch vehicles every six months, allowing them to adapt to changing mobility needs or simply experience the newest technologies.
Starship is the modern, mobile health savings app.
Starship is an experience-driven healthcare banking platform for health savings accounts (HSAs). They are transforming the way Americans pay for healthcare by making it easy to track spending, save for today, and invest in tomorrow… all tax-free.
The app and debit card created to change your relationship with money. A simpler life just a click away.
Albo is the leading Mexican challenger bank that helps people manage their money through an honest service that cares about them. Albo offers a premium service with no fees and it takes only 3 minutes to open an account.
Petal is a new kind of credit card company on a mission to make credit honest, simple, and accessible.
Millions of Americans are locked out of credit due to the limitations of credit scoring, and millions more are trapped in debt that they don’t understand and struggle to afford. Petal expands access to safe and affordable credit by underwriting cash flows instead of just credit scores, and helps users build credit and achieve better financial outcomes with behavioral science and smart, intuitive product design.
Bestow is a smarter approach to life insurance. By marrying data with technology, Bestow can bring simple and affordable coverage to everyone.
Bestow is a smarter approach to life insurance. Affordable prices. A+ rated policies. Instant decisions. No medical exams required. With a brand new underwriting framework and a first-of-its-kind experience, Bestow is bringing life insurance within reach for more people than ever before.
LoanStreet offers the first fully-integrated online platform that streamlines the process of sharing, managing, and originating loans.
Today, technology makes it possible for lenders and borrowers to find partners far beyond their home markets. But the truth is, most lenders have not fully unlocked their potential to connect with other financial institutions, automate routine administrative processes, and more profitably share risk. LoanStreet is the first fully-integrated, online platform that streamlines the process of sharing, managing, and originating loans for credit unions, banks, and direct lenders.
Moss is a technology-based payment and credit card platform that enables companies to optimize their finances.
Moss is a technology-based payment and credit card platform that enables companies to optimize their finances. Startups, tech companies, and SMEs can issue employee and team credit cards and manage all company spending using the Moss software platform that is powered by a proprietary card issuing and risk engine. Time-saving accounting automation and export features complement the offering.
Coya is a full-stack European insurance challenger offering scalable protection at the point of need, with personalized predictive risk management and simple, transparent policies.
The insurance industry is broken with its legacy infrastructure, organizational design and products built for brokers rather than around the customer. Coya is a full-stack European insurance challenger that has redesigned the insurance value chain, working backward from the customer, to offer scalable protection at the point of need with personalized predictive risk management and simple, transparent, personal insurance designed to manage life’s risks and join the customer’s journey.
Jetty is a financial services company that designs insurance products and solutions to help people navigate the obstacle course of life.
Jetty is a new kind of insurance company designed to help people in cities reach their goals faster by removing obstacles and risks. Its mission is to protect its customers against setbacks of all kinds, from fire and theft to wasted time and money.
Point Card is the first card to combine the rewards of a high-end credit card, with the inherent advantages of a debit card.
Unlike credit card companies that often encourage customers to overspend, Point promotes sustainable spending by offering a debit card that prevents customers from going into debt, while simultaneously providing all the high-value benefits associated with elite credit cards. Point is delivering customers a transparent and rewarding spending experience, all paired with a seamless mobile app.
Neo Financial is reimagining the Canadian banking experience by building next generation spending and savings technology from the ground up.
Today, with just the push of a button, we can hail a ride, have hot food delivered or stream our favorite show on demand, yet, the innovations we see in these industries have failed to translate into everyday banking in Canada. Neo Financial is reimagining how spending and savings should be by building Neo from the ground-up using today’s technology. Neo offers a no-annual-fee credit card and high-interest savings account, while also giving Neo members access to instant rewards from hundreds of brands – all on one card.
Bitpanda is a leading European neobroker on a mission to democratize the complex world of investing.
Even though money is an integral part of our daily lives, there are significant barriers that limit most people's control over it. A rusty financial industry has made investing complicated, frustrating and unnecessarily difficult. Bitpanda removes these barriers by harnessing the innovative power of digitized assets and blockchain technology. With low fees, 24/7 trading, and real-time settlement, Bitpanda empowers users to shape their financial futures - on their own terms.
Syfe is building the future of consumer investment and savings.
Syfe removes barriers to investing and strives to democratize the world of wealth accumulation. By incorporating cutting edge technology, Syfe cuts out the middleman and provides unbiased, comprehensive investment and saving services - for everyone.
We seek out exceptionally talented teams with large ambitions.
We believe that founders are best positioned to lead their start-ups, and that they should retain substantial equity and control.
When we invest in a company, we expect to follow-on significantly as the business scales.
James Fitzgerald
Founding Partner
James is a founding Partner at Valar Ventures. Prior to Valar, he was COO and General Counsel of Peter Thiel’s global parent company, Thiel Capital, where he helped manage Peter’s network of investments and businesses.
Prior to joining Thiel Capital, James practiced law for seven years in the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles and his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University.
Andrew McCormack
Founding Partner
Andrew is a founding Partner at Valar Ventures. Andrew’s career in technology has included business and corporate development roles at eCount (acquired by Citicorp) and Yahoo!. He joined PayPal in 2001, where he worked closely with Peter. After PayPal’s sale to eBay, Andrew helped launch Clarium Capital and later founded a restaurant group in San Francisco.
In 2008, Andrew rejoined Peter at Thiel Capital, where he led various international initiatives for Thiel Capital and Peter personally. Andrew received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
Reuben Kobulnik
Operating Partner
Reuben is responsible for all operational and financial reporting matters at Valar.
Prior to joining Valar, Reuben was Counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where he practiced M&A, private equity, and general corporate law for nine years. Before joining Skadden, Reuben clerked for Justice Morris J. Fish of the Supreme Court of Canada.
Reuben received his law degree as well as an undergraduate degree in Finance and Strategy from McGill University.
We are built to move quickly and decisively. Every team gets the entire partnership behind them from day one.