Alexa von Tobel

Alexa von Tobel
Born	(1983-10-06) October 6, 1983 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, managing partner
Known for	Founder of LearnVest, managing partner at Inspired Capital
Notable work	Financially Fearless (2013), Financially Forward (2019), Money Matters (2024)

Alexa von Tobel (born October 6, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and managing partner at Inspired Capital, a venture firm specializing in early-stage investments. She is also the founder of LearnVest, a fintech company dedicated to providing accessible financial planning tools. In 2015, Northwestern Mutual purchased LearnVest for close to $375 million.

Von Tobel has authored several New York Times bestsellers, including Financially Fearless (2013), Financially Forward (2019), and Money Matters (2024). She was named a Henry Crown Fellow in 2016 and was among the first members of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship, joining distinguished leaders such as Steve Case and Reid Hoffman.

Between 2019 and 2025, she hosted the podcast For Starters by Inc., and previously led the Financially Fearless show on SiriusXM. Von Tobel contributes regularly as a columnist for Fast Company and frequently appears on programs like the Today Show and Good Morning America.

Early life, education and family

Von Tobel hails from Jacksonville, Florida. Her mother, Darlene Marie von Tobel, works as a nurse practitioner, while her father, the late Dr. Harry M. Von Tobel, was a developmental pediatrician. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Harvard College. Von Tobel is married to Michael Ryan Jr., whom she met during their time at Harvard, and together they have three children.

Career

Following her graduation, von Tobel began her career as a trader at Morgan Stanley before taking on the role of Head of Business Development at Drop.io. While at Morgan Stanley in 2006, she identified a significant gap in formal personal finance education, which inspired her to create LearnVest. In April 2009, she successfully raised $4.5 million in Series A funding led by Accel Partners. Over time, LearnVest attracted a total of $72 million in private investments from firms including Accel Partners, American Express Ventures, and Northwestern Mutual Capital.

On March 25, 2015, Northwestern Mutual completed its acquisition of LearnVest for about $375 million. Post-acquisition, von Tobel became Northwestern Mutual’s inaugural Chief Digital Officer, where she directed product innovation and technology strategy as the company achieved $35 billion in yearly revenue. She subsequently took on the position of Chief Innovation Officer, managing the company’s venture investment division.

In 2019, von Tobel partnered with Penny Pritzker to launch Inspired Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund. Their most recent fundraise secured $330 million, raising total commitments to nearly $1 billion.

Awards and recognition

Alexa von Tobel has earned multiple honors including a cover feature in Forbes, inclusion in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women rankings, Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30, and recognition as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She was designated a Henry Crown Fellow in 2016 and was among the first cohort of President Obama’s Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship. Additional accolades include appearing on Business Insider's 2010 "Silicon Valley 100," Forbes’ “Women to Watch,” Marie Claire’s “18 Women Changing the World,” and BusinessWeek's “Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs.” In 2012, Fortune named her one of their "Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs," and she was selected as a scholar at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Von Tobel has been invited to speak at prominent industry gatherings such as SXSW Interactive in 2012, TEDxWallStreet held at NYSE, Stern Entrepreneurs Exchange Summit, Marie Claire’s Women in Business Speaker Series, Fortune Summit: Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, The George Washington University Women in Business Conference, and Inc.’s GrowCo Conference.