Managing partners Charley Ma and Mahdi Raza
Exponent Founders Capital, an early-stage venture firm established by former Plaid and Robinhood executives Charley Ma and Mahdi Raza, has launched a $75 million fund to invest in emerging startups. The firm, based in New York, is focusing on areas including fintech, payments, applied AI, vertical SaaS, and enterprise software across Europe, Canada, and the US.
The firm, co-founded by Ma and Raza, has accumulated $125 million in funding to date. Both managing partners bring a wealth of experience from their previous roles at high-growth companies like Plaid, Ramp, Codat, Alloy, and Robinhood. They first crossed paths professionally when Ma was leading fintech growth at Plaid, and Raza was overseeing growth and payments at Robinhood.
Ma emphasizes the importance of lived experience in building enduring companies, highlighting their extensive background in scaling startups from inception to significant growth phases. Exponent aims to leverage this experience to offer substantial support to its founders.
The venture firm’s current portfolio consists of 24 companies, primarily in the fintech sector. Notable investments include Latin American payment solution Clara, personal finance tool CoPilot, NFT platform Crossmint, rewards network Kard, and spend management service Moss.
Exponent Founders Capital seeks to assist startups in bridging the gap in growth, aiming to escalate their revenue from $0 to over $100 million. Raza and Ma are particularly interested in supporting “non-consensus founders” at early stages, guiding them to become leaders in their respective categories.
