Jared Hecht

Co-Founder & CEO, Fundera

New York City

Jared Hecht is a co-founder and the CEO at Fundera, an online marketplace that matches small business owners to the best possible lender. He started Fundera after his cousin experienced the frustration and lack of transparency of applying for a small business loan. Previously, Jared co-founded GroupMe, a group messaging service that in August 2011 was acquired by Skype, which was subsequently acquired by Microsoft in October 2011. Prior to GroupMe, he led Business Development at Tumblr where he focused on international expansion and strategic partnerships. Jared currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Columbia University Entrepreneurship Organization and is an investor in startups such as TransferWise, Sweetgreen, and Flatiron. Jared received his BA in Political Science from Columbia University where he served as the publisher and managing director of Inside New York. He regularly writes columns with tips for small businesses for Forbes, Inc, Entrepreneur, and Huffington Post.