Alexa von Tobel, founder of LearnVest, wants to change the face of fintech. She hopes to bring about this change from every angle through her new venture firm, Inspired Capital. After a wildly successful run, von Tobel sold LearnVest to Northwestern Mutual for $250 million in 2015. These days, she’s directing her efforts at what she terms “fintech 3.0.” Her vision for this new era of financial technology is one that prioritizes solving our greatest global challenges. It encourages long-term value creation by the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
In 2015, von Tobel sold LearnVest—which at that point was doing $40 billion a year in annual transactions—to Northwestern Mutual. The acquisition was a major breakthrough in her career. Her work catalyzed her selection in July 2015 to become the first-ever chief digital officer of a Fortune 500 company. Later, she moved up to become chief innovation officer. After almost four years with Northwestern Mutual, von Tobel took that leap of faith, leaving in January 2019. He then went on to start Inspired Capital, a New York-based early stage venture firm.
Through Inspired Capital, von Tobel wants to invest in the kind of companies that command $10 billion valuations. Her approach has been described as a “cultish commitment to entrepreneurship,” meaning that she has deep commitment to finding and nurturing creative new startups. Under a collaborative firm structure that functions as an interdisciplinary learning incubator, the creative engagement extends to its portfolio companies as well, thanks to innovative weekly stand-up meetings.
Penny Pritzker, the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, has joined Inspired Capital’s board. This strategic shift increases the firm’s brand cachet and deepens its ties to the local business community. This new strategic partnership with Luminate furthers von Tobel’s ambitions for the venture firm. Her job is to find, fund and foment the best, most transformative ideas.
Here’s a huge challenge that is affecting a billion people. Let’s go build that,” von Tobel said, speaking to what drives her desire to use entrepreneurial efforts to solve big problems facing society. She urges aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on the hard stuff. In turn, they’ll be better positioned to drive the initiatives that deliver real value rather than pursuing feel-good metrics.
Inspired Capital is focused on being a true generalist fund, writing checks across any sector—not just fintech adjacent companies. Von Tobel’s definition of fintech 3.0 reflects her belief that this next wave will prioritize meaningful innovation over mere financial transactions.
Looking back over her arc, von Tobel smirked as she described the day she ended up selling LearnVest, on a Wednesday. On that same weekend, she went into labor with her first child. This personal anecdote underscores her ability to balance professional success with personal milestones.
CEO of Northwestern Mutual, John Schlifske, sounded confident about the acquisition of LearnVest. He thinks it’s going to be a huge catalyst for them to innovate. He saw a huge opportunity for the two combined firms to change the way financial services were delivered by leveraging technology.
