Pier
YC W23San Francisco, US · Founded 2022 · 4 employees · Hiring · 6 known investors
Find your way into Pier
917 people in our graph share verified history with the Pier team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Mike Zakunlockedknows Jessica Zhang · together at Cornell (overlapped)
×7knows the team · via Ey
knows the team · via Cornell
×3knows the team · via Cass Business School
Pier builds financial access tools for innovators and entrepreneurs. The company focuses on customer-centric product development and support services.
Also known as Inc. · Pier Fin
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSArtificial IntelligenceB2BComplianceUnited States of AmericaAmerica / Canada
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W23)
Pier was founded in 2022 by Jessica Zhang and Alex Hegevall Clarke.
JZ
Jessica ZhanginCEO, CofounderShe previously held product and operations roles at Stilt (a YC W16 company), worked in investment banking and management consulting, and co-founded Oppti. She is a Cornell graduate with prior experience at JPMorgan and McDonald's.
AH
Alex Hegevall ClarkeinCo-Founder & CTO
Investors · 6
HorizonMiami Beach
Neer Venture Partners$25K – $500K
Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K
ACME CapitalreportedSan Francisco
Liquid VenturesreportedSan Francisco · $250K – $5M
Also in the syndicate · 1
HorizonVC
Competitors · 2
by search overlap
Prosper3 shared keywordsProsper operates an online lending marketplace connecting borrowers with investors, offering personal loans up to $50,000 (issued by WebBank), a credit card, and investment products that let individuals invest in consumer loans. It serves US consumers seeking personal financing and investors looking to allocate funds to those loans.
Penny Finance3 shared keywordsPenny provides financial wellness resources and tools, including educational content and assessments for personal finance management.
Companies competing with Pier for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
In the news
Peel votes to fund Lakeview Pier–but debate over who really pays exposes deeper rift | The Pointerthepointer.com · Jul 2026
Parents and boosters to plunge into ocean from Balboa Pier to raise funds for Newport Beach Junior Lifeguards - Los Angeles Timeslatimes.com · Jul 2026
$26 million in federal funding to rebuild most of the White Rock Pier | Daily Hive | Urbanizeddailyhive.com · Jul 2026Frequently asked questions
- What does Pier do?
- Pier builds financial access tools for innovators and entrepreneurs. The company focuses on customer-centric product development and support services.
- Who founded Pier?
- Pier was founded by Jessica Zhang, Alex Hegevall Clarke in 2022.
- Who are Pier's investors?
- Pier's investors include Horizon, Neer Venture Partners, Y Combinator, ACME Capital, Liquid Ventures.
- Where is Pier headquartered?
- Pier is headquartered in San Francisco, US.