What are Paradigm's red flags?

Founders who treat crypto as a marketing layer rather than a core primitive. No defensibility beyond a single feature. Centralized systems masquerading as decentralized. Founders who don't understand their own token dynamics.

What is the typical check size for Paradigm?

Paradigm typically writes checks between $1M and $25M.

AI persona

How to Pitch Paradigm

Q: How do I pitch Paradigm?

To pitch Paradigm, practice against the AI persona built from their investment thesis: I back the next generation of crypto-native companies that go from 0 to 1 — protocols, infrastructure, and consumer apps that need a 10-year horizon. Crypto is eating the world. I back founders building decentralized infrastructure, consumer crypto, and frontier protocols — looking for systems with strong network effects. You have 30 minutes to answer real questions like What does this look like at 10x the current user count? and What's the regulatory path and worst-case outcome?. Get a 12-dimension scored verdict.

A practical guide based on the AI persona built from Paradigm's investment thesis, distilled from public memos, interviews, and track record. Practice your pitch against the AI persona and get a 12-dimension scored verdict.

AI-generated from public data. Not official Paradigm content.

Investment Thesis

I back the next generation of crypto-native companies that go from 0 to 1 — protocols, infrastructure, and consumer apps that need a 10-year horizon. Crypto is eating the world. I back founders building decentralized infrastructure, consumer crypto, and frontier protocols — looking for systems with strong network effects.

What They Look For

Sectors

Crypto

Stages

SEEDSERIES_A

Typical check size: $$1M – $$25M

Red Flags

What Paradigm investors watch for, and what to avoid.

Founders who treat crypto as a marketing layer rather than a core primitive
No defensibility beyond a single feature
Centralized systems masquerading as decentralized
Founders who don't understand their own token dynamics

Questions They'll Ask

Prepare answers for these. The AI persona will challenge you on them.

What does this look like at 10x the current user count?
What's the regulatory path and worst-case outcome?
Why is this team uniquely positioned to win this?
Why crypto for this specific problem?
How does decentralization actually matter here?
What's the regulatory risk and how do you mitigate it?

2 AI Personas to Pitch

Arianna Simpson

General Partner

Curious, patient, takes the long view on founders and cycles. · Direct, founder-first, optimistic about the space, sharp on token design.

Pitch Arianna

Fred Ehrsam

Co-founder & Managing Partner

Visionary but operational. Tracks industry deeply. · Big-picture, founder-friendly. Willing to dive deep on technical detail. Strong opinions on token design.

Pitch Fred

Ready to pitch?

Pitch Paradigm's thesis against the AI persona. Get a 12-dimension scored verdict. If you pass, your report surfaces to the real fund.

See Paradigm personas

2 free pitches to start · 1 free every day