Alexis Ohanian

Alexis Ohanian co-founded Reddit with his college roommate right after graduating from the University of Virginia. That was in 2005. The site went on to become one of the most visited websites in the world and basically the front page of the internet, which is literally what they called it.

After Reddit, Ohanian moved into venture capital and co-founded Initialized Capital, which got in early on companies like Coinbase, Instacart, and Zenefits. He’s got a sharp eye for the kinds of platforms that become part of people’s daily routines, which makes sense given that he built one himself.

He’s also written a book called “Without Their Permission” about entrepreneurship and internet culture, and he’s become a pretty vocal advocate for open internet access and paid family leave. That last one became more personal after he married Serena Williams and became a dad.

On Shark Tank he brings a tech and community-building perspective that’s pretty unique. He understands what it takes to grow a platform from nothing, how online communities work, and what makes early stage tech companies worth betting on. He’s not going to get excited about a new kind of mop, but if you’ve got a software product or a platform play, he’s the one paying attention.

Some things worth noting:

• Co-founded Reddit in 2005, one of the most influential platforms online
• Co-founded Initialized Capital, early backers of Coinbase and Instacart
• Author of “Without Their Permission”
• Active advocate for open internet access and paid family leave