Ryan Petersen, the founder of Flexport, has joined venture capital firm Founders Fund as a partner, according to Forbes. Founders Fund confirmed the move and expressed excitement about Petersen joining the team. Petersen stepped down as CEO of Flexport last August and announced his new role on Twitter. In a tweet, he mentioned his desire to connect with individuals seeking revenge, French technical founders, and Christ-like figures. Petersen explained that he chose Founders Fund because they align with his goals of supporting Flexport and backing founders. Founders Fund participated in Flexport’s recent $935 million funding round. Petersen, who has backed over 100 startups as an angel investor, will be a generalist at Founders Fund based in San Francisco.
Petersen’s journey with Flexport began in 2008 when he and his brother came up with the idea while running ImportGenius.com. Flexport raised $2.4 billion in funding since its inception in 2013 and has been praised for its growth despite being in an unsexy industry. Petersen and the company have made significant strides during the COVID pandemic. Flexport’s revenue doubled in 2021, reaching $3.3 billion, and Petersen expects revenue to reach $5 billion in 2022. Last month, Kaitlyn Glancy, the former Vice President of North America at Flexport, joined Eclipse as a partner. Founders Fund has also recently welcomed Sam Blond, former Chief Revenue Officer of Brex, as a partner.
Please note that this story has been updated to include comments from Petersen and revised figures of the number of companies he has invested in.
