Jared Hecht is an American entrepreneur, and the co-founder and CEO of Fundera, an online small business lending aggregator as well as group messaging app GroupMe.[2]
Jared Hecht | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1987, March 11th[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of Fundera, Co-founder of GroupMe |
Early life
editHecht studied political science at Columbia University, where he received his bachelor's degree in 2009.[3] While a student at Columbia, he was the managing director and publisher for the university's student-written guidebook, Inside New York.[3][4]
Career
editHecht was an early employee at Tumblr and led business development.[5][6] In 2010, Hecht co-founded group messaging app, GroupMe, which allows users to create a private group to which they can send text messages or make conference calls, with his friend Steve Martocci, founder of Blade and Splice who was then a software engineer with Gilt Groupe.[6] They won the South by Southwest breakout ward in 2011.[6] The two raised $11 million from Khosla Ventures and General Catalyst in 2011.[7] After being live for 370 days, Microsoft purchased GroupMe for $80 million.[8]
One of Hecht's early hires at GroupMe, Zach Sims, also a Columbia alumnus, went on to found the online code-learning platform Codecademy.[9]
Hecht later became an angel investor and invested in companies such as Sweetgreen, TransferWise, and Flatiron Health.[10][11] In October 2013, he launched Fundera, an online broker that helps small businesses get loans from non-bank lenders, after seeing a family member struggle with bank loans, and raised a total of $18.9 million for his platform from investors such as Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, David Tisch, and more.[12][13] A year since it was launched, the company has secured more than $60 million in credit for 1,200 small-business owners.[14]
In 2015, he was named in Forbes' "30 under 30" list for the Consumer Tech category.[15]
Personal life
editHe is married to Carrie Weprin, a film producer, and the couple live in Brooklyn with their two children.[3][16][17]
References
edit- ^ GroupMe founder on his $80M exit (and why he's building his new company differently), Published: Dec 6, 2017, Mixergy
- ^ D'Onfro, Jillian. "How 20-Something Serial Entrepreneur Jared Hecht Boosted His Startup's Success By Over 5X". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ a b c "Jared Hecht '09 - Columbia College Today". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "An Angel in New York: Jared Hecht". AlleyWatch. 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ "Jared Hecht, Co-Founder & CEO of Fundera". ventureforamerica.org. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Zimmerman, Eilene (27 June 2011). "Jared Hecht and Steve Martocci, Founders of GroupMe". Inc.com. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "GroupMe Scores $10.6 Million From Khosla Ventures And Others". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ Shontell, Alyson (Feb 6, 2014). "26-Year-Old Jared Hecht Sold His First Startup For ~ $80 Million In 370 Days, And He Has Raised $3.4 Million For A New Venture". Business Insider. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ Zhang, Maggie. "9 Startup Lessons From The Founder Of Codecademy". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
- ^ "How Jared Hecht's Fundera is transforming how small businesses find financial solutions". Built In NYC. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ Ewan (2017-06-21). "Jared Hecht of Fundera". FinTech Profile. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ Michael, del Castillo (Oct 16, 2015). "The importance of not being an arrogant jerk when raising capital". New York Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ "Jared Hecht '09CC, Founder of Fundera". Columbia Entrepreneurship. 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ Kosoff, Maya. "A 20-something sold his first company for $80 million in 370 days — now he's raising $11 million for his new startup". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ "CONSUMER TECH". Forbes.
- ^ "Carrie Weprin, Jared Hecht". The New York Times. 2011-09-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
- ^ "Bios". Once in a Blue. Retrieved 2020-06-09.