Fred Ehrsam
InvestorUnicorn founderCo-founder at Coinbase · Co-founder and Board Member at Coinbase Ventures · Co-Founder & Senior Advisor at Paradigm · Founder at Nudge · Foreign Exchange Trader at Goldman Sachs
San Francisco, CA
Writes $1M – $100M checks · typically $25M
FoundedCoinbase$47B · YCNudge
Photo: Robyn Selman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↗
About
Fred Ehrsam co-founded Coinbase and later Paradigm, the crypto investment firm he started with Matt Huang in 2018. He stepped back from Paradigm's day-to-day management in 2023 and now serves as its senior advisor while running Nudge, the neurotechnology startup he founded to build non-invasive brain interfaces using focused ultrasound.
Contact· published on Fred's own website
Invests in
AI & Machine LearningCrypto & Web3Developer ToolsFintechGaming
Beyond investing
- Founded
- Co-founded Coinbase. Co-founded Paradigm. Co-founded Nudge, which builds brain-computer interfaces starting with ultrasound. Ehrsam co-founded Nudge, a neurotechnology startup developing non-invasive brain-computer interfaces, in 2024.
- Education
- Studied at Duke University (BS, Computer Science, 2010) Read computer science and economics at Duke University, graduating in 2010.
- Boards
- Ehrsam serves on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), to which he was appointed in 2026.
- Communities
- Hosts the Prometheus Summit, bringing together researchers and entrepreneurs focused on human enhancement. At Duke he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Appointed to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in March 2026.
- Hobbies
- In high school Ehrsam was an avid competitive World of Warcraft player, spending thousands of hours exploring its in-game virtual economy.
- More
- Supports fundamental research in fields including physics, biology, and public policy. Ehrsam grew up in Concord, Massachusetts and attended Concord-Carlisle High School. Hosts the Prometheus Summit, a gathering for researchers and founders working on human enhancement.
Mentioned above: the Duke University mafia → · the Coinbase mafia → · the Paradigm mafia →
From Fred's own website — common ground for a warm intro.
Founder at Nudge
Intro paths
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In turn, Fred can intro founders to Nudge's investors below.
Nudge's investors · 1
Co-founder at CoinbaseYC S12
Intro paths
YC
Fred went through Y Combinator (Summer 2012) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.
GP
Their group partner at YC was Garry Tan, President & CEO of Y Combinator — the partner who ran Coinbase's batch and knows the company first-hand. YC profile ↗
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In turn, Fred can intro founders to Coinbase's investors below.
Coinbase's investors · 60
1confirmationIncline Village9Yards CapitalNew York · $100K – $10M checksA.Capital VenturesSan Franciscoa16z cryptoMenlo ParkAcrew CapitalSan Francisco · $1M – $15M checksAndreessen HorowitzMenlo Park · $500K – $50M checksAnsa CapitalNew York · $5M – $15M checksARK Investment ManagementSt. PetersburgBattery VenturesBoston · $500K – $100M checksBlockchain CapitalSan Francisco · $25K – $200K checksCoinbase VenturesStamford · $100K – $10M checks · since 2026Collaborative FundNew York · $500K – $1M checksDigital Currency GroupNew YorkDraper AssociatesSan Mateo · $500K – $5M checksDraper DragonSilicon ValleyDraper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ)San MateoEast West Ventures EWVLos AngelesF-Prime CapitalCambridge · $3M – $10M checksForm CapitalMiami · $200K – $300K checksGeodesic CapitalFoster CityGreylock PartnersSan Francisco · $100K – $200M checksInertia VenturesNew York · $2M checksInterplay Ventures Early Stage Management LlcNew York · $1M checksIVP (Institutional Venture Partners)San Francisco · $15M – $75M checksK2 GlobalSingaporeKindred VenturesSan Francisco · $250K – $2M checksMastrySan FranciscoMitonC$200K – $5M checksMorgan Creek CapitalChapel Hill · $1M – $5M checksMulticoin CapitalAustin · $1M – $50M checksNelstone VenturesNext Legacy PartnersPortola ValleyNotable CapitalSilicon Valley · $5M – $50M checksNotation CapitalNew York · $400K – $750K checksOwl CapitalPantera CapitalSan Francisco · $5M – $100M checksParadigmSan Francisco · $1M – $100M checksPropel Venture PartnersSan Francisco · $500K – $5M checksQualcomm VenturesSan Diego · $5M checksRed Swan VenturesNew York · $500K – $1M checksRefactor CapitalBurlingame · $1M – $2M checksReinventure GroupSydneyRibbit CapitalPalo Alto · $100K – $15M checksRob WitoffS32Palo AltoSection 32Palo AltoSozo VenturesRedwood CitySpark CapitalSan Francisco · $500K – $25M checksSpice CapitalNew York · $100K – $250K checksSquareOne CapitalMiamiStrategxy Ventures LLCBeverly Hills · $1M – $5M checksSV AngelSan FranciscoTiger Global ManagementNew York · $1M – $100M checksTranspose Platform ManagementHoustonTusk Venture PartnersNew York · $750K – $2M checksUnion Square Ventures (USV)New York City · $1M – $8M checksValor Capital GroupNew York · $100K – $5M checksWinklevoss CapitalNew York · $100K – $5M checksWonder VenturesLos Angeles · $100K – $1.5M checksY CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K checks · since 2012
Co-founders at Coinbase
BA
Brian ArmstrongCo-founder & CEO
Foreign Exchange Trader at Goldman Sachs
Intro paths
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In turn, Fred can intro founders to Goldman Sachs's investors below.
Experience
- NudgeCo-Founder and CEOcurrent2024 — presentSan Francisco, California, United States
- ParadigmCo-Founder, General Partnercurrent2024 — present
- ParadigmCo-Founder, Managing Partner2018 — 2024
- CoinbaseBoard Of Directorscurrent2017 — presentSan Francisco Bay Area
- CoinbaseCo-Founder2012 — 2017San Francisco, CA
- Goldman SachsTrader2010 — 2012New York, NY
- Duke UniversitySelf-assembling DNA Nanostructures Research2008
Investments
Board seats
Investor
AndurilAnthropicCognitionGeneral MatterOpenAISpaceXSSI
Sources: curated public sources · the investor's own website.
Podcasts & interviews
featuring Fred EhrsamFred Ehrsam: From Coinbase to Paradigm
@How-I-Got-Rich1
Paradigm founders Fred Ehrsam and Matt Huang
UpOnly
Paradigm, Led by Coinbase Co-Founder Fred Ehrsam, Looking to Raise $1.5B Fund
CoinDesk
Paradigm, Led by Coinbase Co-Founder Fred Ehrsam, Looking to Raise $1.5B Fund
finance.yahoo.com
Colleagues at Coinbase Ventures
Aklil Ibssa
Investor at Coinbase Ventures
Alesia Haas
CFO at Coinbase Ventures
Brandon Myint
Investor at Coinbase Ventures
Brian Armstrong
Co-founder & CEO of Coinbase
Brian Foster
Director, Coinbase Prime & Coinbase Ventures at Coinbase Ventures
Chris Lehane
Board Member at Coinbase Ventures
Christa Davies
Board Member at Coinbase Ventures
Emilie Choi
President and COO at Coinbase Ventures
Network14
Sam AltmanScout
Co-founder & CEO of OpenAI; former President of Y Combinator
Dylan FieldScout
Co-founder, CEO & Chair of Figma
Alana PalmedoScout
Managing Partner at Paradigm
Andrew McMahonScout
Investor at Ridgeline Ventures
Anton LevyScout
Managing Director at General Atlantic
Arjun BalajiScout
Partner, Investing & Research at Paradigm
Bradley HorowitzScout
Investor at Wisdom Ventures
Casey CarusoScout
Partner at Paradigm
Cory MoelisScout
Founding Partner at Ground Up Ventures
David StarkScout
Founding Partner at Ground Up Ventures
Eric Ver PloegScout
Partner at Tunitas Ventures
Loren SiebertScout
Angel at Paradigm
▶2 more connections
Investors connected to Fred in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Fred Ehrsam?
- Fred Ehrsam co-founded Coinbase and later Paradigm, the crypto investment firm he started with Matt Huang in 2018. He stepped back from Paradigm's day-to-day management in 2023 and now serves as its senior advisor while running Nudge, the neurotechnology startup he founded to build non-invasive brain interfaces using focused ultrasound.
- Where does Fred Ehrsam work?
- Fred Ehrsam is Co-founder of Coinbase and Co-founder and Board Member at Coinbase Ventures and Founder at Nudge and Foreign Exchange Trader at Goldman Sachs.
- What does Fred Ehrsam invest in?
- Fred Ehrsam invests in AI & Machine Learning, Crypto & Web3, Developer Tools, Fintech, Gaming.
- What check size does Fred Ehrsam write?
- Fred Ehrsam typically writes checks of $1M – $100M.
- What companies did Fred Ehrsam found?
- Fred Ehrsam founded Coinbase, Nudge.
- What boards does Fred Ehrsam sit on?
- Fred Ehrsam holds tracked board seats at Coinbase.
- What companies has Fred Ehrsam invested in?
- Investments tracked here include Anduril, Anthropic, Cognition, General Matter, OpenAI, SpaceX, SSI.
- Where did Fred Ehrsam go to school?
- Fred Ehrsam studied at Duke University (B.S., Computer Science, Economics).
- What podcasts and interviews feature Fred Ehrsam?
- Tracked appearances include "Fred Ehrsam: From Coinbase to Paradigm", "Paradigm founders Fred Ehrsam and Matt Huang", "Paradigm, Led by Coinbase Co-Founder Fred Ehrsam, Looking to Raise $1.5B Fund", and 1 more.
Paths to reach Fred
People who overlapped with Fred at the same organization — a shared school or employer with one of them is a warm way in.
Together at ParadigmFred: Co-Founder & Senior Advisor
Matt Huang2018–2026Co-founder and Managing Partner at ParadigmAlana Palmedo2019–2026Managing Partner at ParadigmMassachusetts Institute of Technology · Pacific Lutheran UniversityDaniel Robinson2019–2026General Partner at ParadigmHarvard Law School · Harvard UniversityAlpin Yukseloglu2022–2026Partner, Investing & Research at ParadigmKent School · UC Berkeley College of Engineering · University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of BusinessArjun Balaji2019–2026Partner, Investing & Research at ParadigmNortheastern UniversityStorm Slivkoff2022–2026Research Partner at ParadigmUniversity of California, Berkeley
Together at CoinbaseFred: Co-founder
Brian Armstrong2012–2026Co-founder & CEO of CoinbaseRice UniversityBalaji Srinivasan2018–2019Angel investor and founder of The Network SchoolJanet Wolpert2018–2020Investor at Index VenturesUniversity of AberdeenKatrina Paglia2022Chief Legal Officer at Pantera CapitalBrooklyn Law School · University of MarylandSimon Cant2014–2026Investor at Reinventure GroupUNSWManish Gupta2020–2024Investor at IVP (Institutional Venture Partners)University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · University of Mumbai
Together at NudgeFred: Founder
Together at Goldman SachsFred: Trader
Sarah Guo2011–2012Founder & General Partner of ConvictionPhillips AcademyNiki Pezeshki2010General Partner at Felicis VenturesUSC Marshall School of BusinessChris Bischoff2010–2012Investment Team at General CatalystEton College · INSEAD · University of BristolJacob Jofe2011–2012Investor at Index VenturesVanderbilt UniversityMark Fiorentino2012Investor at Index VenturesUniversity of California, Berkeley, Haas School of BusinessCrystal Huang2010Investor at GV (Google Ventures)Harvard University
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Founder mafias
Y Combinator mafia8,773
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Sam AltmanPresidentFounded Tools for Humanity +3Jessica LivingstonCo-founderFounded Y CombinatorAlexis OhanianYC Summer 2005Founded RedditMatt HuangYC Winter 2011Founded HotspotsTrae StephensYC Winter 2022Founded Pursuit +1Delian AsparouhovYC Summer 2014Founded Nightingale +1
+ 8,766 more
Goldman Sachs mafia249
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Matt HuangSummer AnalystFounded HotspotsDavid VélezAnalystFounded NubankTarek MansourEquity Derivatives AnalystFounded KalshiColin WebbSummer AnalystFounded SaucepricingJeppe RindomSummer InternshipFounded PleoAlexandre ProtInternFounded Smartven +1
+ 242 more
Duke University mafia127
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Zach PerretBSFounded PlaidDavid CummingsBSFounded Undaunted +4Romesh SubramanianM.S.Founded RaNA Therapeutics +2Ian PeikonBSEFounded Cajal Therapeutics +1Carmichael RobertsDoctor of Philosophy (PhD) 1995Founded Lyratherapeutics +1Steve SemelsbergerMBAFounded YouEarnedIt +1
+ 120 more
Coinbase mafia59
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Balaji SrinivasanCTOFounded Counsyl +1Brian ArmstrongCo-founder & CEOFounded NewLimitSurojit ChatterjeeChief Product OfficerFounded Ema +1Karri SaarinenHead of DesignFounded Linear +1Paul KatsenProduct, ConsumerFounded Gym Class +1Kuberan MarimuthuEngineeringFounded Hashcube +1
+ 52 more
Same school
Also attended Duke University522
Jeremy LevinePartner at Bessemer Venture PartnersZach PerretCo-founder & CEO of Plaid; co-founder of MischiefJulie YangVice President at InvestcorpScott RaneyManaging Director at Redpoint VenturesJack Bixby LucasGeneral Partner at Lucas Venture GroupVinnie McSweeneyInvestor at OpenView Venture Partners
+ 516 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Nudge2
Also worked at Paradigm37
Matt HuangCo-founder and Managing Partner at ParadigmAlana PalmedoManaging Partner at ParadigmDaniel RobinsonGeneral Partner at ParadigmAlpin YukselogluPartner, Investing & Research at ParadigmArjun BalajiPartner, Investing & Research at ParadigmStorm SlivkoffResearch Partner at Paradigm
+ 31 more
Also worked at Coinbase146
Balaji SrinivasanAngel investor and founder of The Network SchoolBrian ArmstrongCo-founder & CEO of CoinbaseJanet WolpertInvestor at Index VenturesKatrina PagliaChief Legal Officer at Pantera CapitalSimon CantInvestor at Reinventure GroupDanny GilliganInvestor at Reinventure Group
+ 140 more
Also worked at Goldman Sachs1,505
Josh KushnerFounder & CEO of Thrive CapitalSarah GuoFounder & General Partner of ConvictionMatt HuangCo-founder and Managing Partner at ParadigmDavid VélezFounder & CEO of NubankTarek MansourCo-founder & CEO of KalshiColin WebbFounder & CEO of Avatar Robotics
+ 1,499 more