Alexa von Tobel, founder & CEO of LearnVest, is one of the most important voices in the fintech revolution. After selling her personal financial planning startup, Learnvest, for $250 million to Northwestern Mutual in 2015, she’s started another venture with her new firm, Inspired Capital. This critical juncture in her career coincided with a major life change. Only a few days later, she gave birth to her first child. Since then, von Tobel has dedicated her life to creating more entrepreneurs and innovators. She co-founded Inspired Capital with Penny Pritzker, another former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and current board member of Microsoft.
Something bigger than the norm happened in January 2019 when von Tobel made the leap from Learnvest to Inspired Capital. This decision ignited her dream for the future of financial services. She is particularly passionate about helping early stage ventures thrive. As a result, she is the entrepreneur who has built, scaled and impacted more than ten businesses that have reached billions of users around the globe. Deeply Inspired Capital’s philosophy is to make long-term investments in founders with an unfair advantage understanding big important problems.
Von Tobel’s perspective as an entrepreneur deeply influences her approach at Inspired Capital. She actively seeks out founders who not only possess innovative solutions but understand the broader implications of their work. “Here’s a big problem that’s facing a billion people. Let’s go fix it,” she states, highlighting her commitment to addressing pressing issues through entrepreneurship.
Inspired Capital stands out among them with what von Tobel describes as a “cultish commitment to entrepreneurship.” This commitment shines through in the nimble, integrated structure of her team—one that works in sync to power growth and innovation. Counterpoint Global is the firm’s generalist fund, which is based in New York. It takes a dynamic, macro-oriented approach to investing that cuts across asset classes and sectors.
The firm, of course, is laser-focused on what von Tobel calls “fintech 3.0.” Like so many entrepreneurs before her, she’s convinced this latest wave of financial technology will revolutionize how Americans save, spend and invest. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the long-term value of investments over short-term gains, urging entrepreneurs to “do the harder thing, do the thing that’s creating far more long-term value and worry less about synthetic results.”
Now, Von Tobel has the chance to become the investor she all along wanted to be. Her point of view on funding is based upon a deep faith in sustaining the right ideas over the long haul. Inspired Capital provides long-duration capital of up to 20 years. This unparalleled support allows founders to dream bigger and bolder and focus on their vision without the pressure of short-term returns.
Reflecting on her journey from Learnvest to Inspired Capital, von Tobel is hopeful. She’s a true believer in the brilliant future of fintech and entrepreneurship. We’re gonna turn this into a catalyst,” said John Schlifske, CEO of Northwestern Mutual, emphasizing their desire to lead the industry towards a profound change.
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