Fred Ehrsam
Fred Ehrsam | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 10, 1988 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Co-founder of Coinbase and Paradigm |
Frederick "Fred" Ernest Ehrsam III is an American entrepreneur recognized as the co-founder of the cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase and the venture capital firm Paradigm.
Education and early life
Ehrsam was born on May 10, 1988, in Boston and grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. During his high school years, he was a competitive video gamer and an enthusiastic player of World of Warcraft, where he first came across the concept of digital currencies.
He completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University in 2010, graduating with honors with a B.S. degree in computer science and a minor in economics. While at Duke, he was affiliated with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
Career
Following his graduation from Duke, Ehrsam began his professional career as a foreign exchange trader at investment bank Goldman Sachs based in New York City. His interest in Bitcoin was sparked after reading a research paper by a professor from Georgetown University, which led him to start trading Bitcoin independently.
Coinbase
In 2012, Ehrsam co-founded Coinbase alongside Brian Armstrong in San Francisco with the goal of facilitating cryptocurrency transactions. The two connected through the Bitcoin subreddit community. Ehrsam took on the role of Coinbase's inaugural President. He announced his exit from day-to-day operations in January 2017, although he remained a board member. By April 2021, Ehrsam reportedly held an 8.9% equity stake in Coinbase and participated on its audit committee before the company went public.
Paradigm
In 2018, Ehrsam partnered with former Sequoia Capital investor Matt Huang to establish Paradigm, a firm focused on investing in cryptocurrencies and blockchain-related ventures. Both founders served as managing partners. In October 2023, Ehrsam transitioned out of his managing partner position but continues to contribute as a general partner.
Recognition
- 2013 – Ehrsam was included in TIME Magazine's list of 30 People Under 30 Who Are Changing the World
- 2014 – At age 25, Ehrsam featured on Forbes' 30 under 30 list
See also
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1988 births
- Living people
- Duke University alumni
- Businesspeople from California
- American software engineers
- American billionaires
- People associated with Bitcoin
- Goldman Sachs people
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- Businesspeople from Boston
- People from Concord, Massachusetts
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon members