MV

Michael Vaughan

Co-founder & GP at Vera Equity // Operating Partner at Stripes // Former COO at Venmo

Greater Philadelphia

Work Experience

  • Co-Founder and General Partner (GP)

    2021

    Vera Equity is an early stage venture capital firm backing awesome entrepreneurs and innovative ideas at the pre-seed and seed stages. Vera offers founders not just access to capital, but also operations advisory and connections to transformative talent. The firm’s first fund has a US-focused fintech strategy, serving as a playbook for future expansion across sectors.

2022

  • Operating Partner

    2022

    As an Operating Partner, I'm focusing on the global fintech sector across both consumer and enterprise software.

  • Mentor to Startup Founder/CEOs

    2019

    I've had the privilege to mentor several great founders and be part of this amazing community that First Round has created.

  • Board Member

    2019 - 2023

2019 - 2022

  • Venture Partner

    2019 - 2022

2020 - 2021

  • Board Member

    2020 - 2021

  • Board Member

    2019 - 2020

    Served as an independent board member until Square acquired the company in June 2020.

2013 - 2019

  • Venmo, Chief Operating Officer

    2013 - 2019

2011 - 2019

  • Chief Operating Officer

    2011 - 2019

    As COO at Venmo for 8+ years, I helped lead the business from the ground floor to 40+ million active users, $300 million revenue annual run rate and a forecast of $100 billion in payments in 2019. Venmo has been recognized by Fortune as a global breakthrough brand, by TIME as a Top 50 App, by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies in Finance and Social Media and consistently ranks in the top 20 of all free apps in the iOS App Store. After I joined the five-person Venmo team in 2011, we were acquired by Braintree in 2012 and then by PayPal in 2013 as part of the $800 million Braintree deal. Venmo was originally venture backed by Accel, RRE, Greycroft and Lerer among others.

2008 - 2011

  • Vice President of Business Development & Sales

    2008 - 2011

    Grew revenue 850% cumulatively over three years to gain the #7 spot on the 2011 Philadelphia 100 list of fastest growing private companies in addition to a spot on the 2011 Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies nationwide.