Vlad Tenev
Born 1987 · Age 38
Bulgarian‑American entrepreneur; co‑founder and CEO of Robinhood; formerly created HFT/low‑latency trading software firms; involved in 2021 GameStop events; later co‑founded AI startup Harmonic.
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Life & Career Timeline
Family migrates to the United States
Tenev's parents moved the family to the U.S. when he was five; both parents later worked for the World Bank.
Graduated high school (approx.) — Thomas Jefferson HS
Attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia; estimated high school graduation year ~2005.
Began undergraduate studies at Stanford University (approx.)
Enrolled at Stanford University to study mathematics (met future co‑founder Baiju Bhatt while at Stanford).
Met Baiju Bhatt at Stanford
Tenev met Baiju Bhatt while both were mathematics students at Stanford; the relationship led to future co‑founding partnerships.
Earned degree in mathematics from Stanford (approx.)
Completed his undergraduate degree in mathematics at Stanford University (year estimated based on birth year and typical timeline).
Began graduate study at UCLA (mathematics)
Enrolled in graduate mathematics study at UCLA (pursued Ph.D. studies later reported as dropped out to pursue startup work).
Founded Celeris (high‑frequency trading software)
With Baiju Bhatt, Tenev launched an HFT software company called Celeris in New York City.
Early career: finance software entrepreneur in NYC
Tenev and Bhatt built early finance/HFT businesses in New York City prior to Robinhood; these ventures informed later product and tech choices.
Pivoted to Chronos Research
By January 2011 Celeris was abandoned and Tenev and Bhatt created Chronos Research to sell low‑latency trading software to other firms and banks.
Began founding work on Robinhood (project start)
Sources report Tenev and Bhatt began work on the Robinhood brokerage project around August 2012 (some accounts mark official founding in 2013).
Left academia for entrepreneurship
Tenev left formal academic path to focus full‑time on building Robinhood and related ventures with Bhatt.
Co‑founded Robinhood
Tenev and Baiju Bhatt officially co‑founded Robinhood, a commission‑free trading platform aimed at democratizing access to the markets.
Chronos Research sold low‑latency software to trading firms
Chronos Research (the 2011 pivot) provided low‑latency trading software to other trading firms and banks, forming Tenev's early fintech business experience.
Early‑stage fundraising & VC rejections (background)
Early reports note the founders were initially rejected by many venture capitalists before later fundraising successes (often cited as ~75 rejections).
Early Robinhood press / product coverage
Robinhood received early press coverage in April 2013 describing the new trading app and its aims to crowdsource market advice.
Dropped out of UCLA PhD program (approx.)
Tenev is reported to have studied for a mathematics PhD at UCLA but dropped out to work with Baiju Bhatt on entrepreneurial ventures; timing estimated around the time of startup formation.
Robinhood mobile app launched to the public
Robinhood launched its mobile trading app to the public, rapidly growing its userbase and disrupting the brokerage industry.
Robinhood waitlist reached roughly 1 million (press)
By mid/late 2015 Robinhood had amassed a large waitlist (~1 million people) before or shortly after mobile release; widely reported in press.
Named to Forbes '30 Under 30' (Finance / Young Traders)
Tenev was recognized in Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for his work with Robinhood.
Named in wider press as disruptive fintech leader (profile growth)
By 2017–2019 Tenev appeared widely in media as a key fintech disruptor; inclusion here reflects growing public recognition as Robinhood scaled.
Robinhood's valuation and cofounder wealth milestone reported
Media widely reported that the 2018 financing and $6B valuation made the founders billionaires.
Recognized as one of new tech billionaires (media)
Following the 2018 funding round, multiple outlets listed Tenev among new tech billionaires emerging that year.
Launched Bitcoin & Ethereum trading on Robinhood
Robinhood announced and rolled out support for cryptocurrency trading, initially Bitcoin and Ethereum, in February 2018.
Funding round valued Robinhood at $6 billion
A May 2018 fundraising round increased Robinhood's valuation to about $6 billion; media reported Tenev and Bhatt became billionaires after the round.
Personal: married to Celina A. Tenev (publicly noted)
Public biographies note Tenev is married to Celina A. Tenev (co‑founder of healthcare startup Call9); family life with three children is referenced in profiles (years of marriage/children not specified).
Keynote speaker — UCLA Math Commencement
Tenev was invited as the keynote speaker for UCLA's 2019 Mathematics commencement ceremony.
UCLA commencement keynote coverage (public engagement)
Noted as public speaker and representative of fintech entrepreneurship for university audiences.
Public profile: frequent media interviews
From 2016–2021 Tenev frequently appeared in media explaining Robinhood's mission, product features, and regulatory issues (ongoing public relations role).
Public statements on Robinhood mission and expansion
Tenev publicly discussed Robinhood's vision to expand into retirement, cards and more — signaling product roadmap beyond simple commission‑free trades.
Became sole CEO of Robinhood
In November 2020 Tenev became sole chief executive of Robinhood, moving from a prior shared co‑CEO arrangement with Baiju Bhatt.
Facing bipartisan criticism during Congressional testimony
During Feb 2021 testimony Tenev was criticized by members of both U.S. parties for Robinhood's handling of the meme‑stock events; he apologized to Congress for restrictions.
Robinhood's S‑1 disclosed cofounder incentives
Media reporting around Robinhood's IPO filings indicated that cofounders (including Tenev) stood to receive sizable incentive awards upon public listing.
Interviewed by Elon Musk on Clubhouse about GameStop
During the GameStop episode, Tenev participated in a Clubhouse conversation where Elon Musk questioned Robinhood's trade limits.
Halted buying of GameStop & other securities
On Jan 28, 2021 Robinhood and several brokerages restricted buying of GameStop and other heavily shorted securities amid a retail‑trading surge.
Public defense of trading restrictions in media
Tenev publicly defended Robinhood's decision to limit trades (interviews and press statements covered by Reuters, CNBC, Bloomberg).
Testified before U.S. House Financial Services Committee
Tenev testified to Congress about Robinhood's role in the GameStop trading surge and defended the firm's decisions and clearinghouse deposit needs.
Robinhood files for IPO (S‑1/registration)
Robinhood filed S‑1 paperwork toward an IPO (press coverage March 2021) disclosing business details and executive incentive awards.
U.S. Attorney's Office executed a search warrant for Tenev's phone (disclosed)
Robinhood's July 2021 filings disclosed that federal prosecutors had executed a search warrant for Tenev's cell phone as part of a probe into the GameStop events.
Robinhood IPO on Nasdaq at $32B valuation
Robinhood went public in July 2021 with shares sold at $38, valuing the company around $32 billion.
Forbes '30 Under 30' Hall of Fame induction
Tenev was inducted into Forbes' 30 Under 30 Hall of Fame in 2022.
Robinhood layoff (staff reductions announced)
In April 2022 Robinhood announced layoffs amid declining pandemic‑era gains; press reported reductions (articles reference roughly 9% / ~340 and additional cuts reported later).
Portrayed in feature film 'Dumb Money'
Tenev is portrayed by Sebastian Stan in the 2023 film Dumb Money, a dramatization of the GameStop short squeeze.
Co‑founded Harmonic (AI startup) — executive chairman
Tenev co‑founded Palo Alto‑based AI company Harmonic in 2023 and serves as executive chairman; company aims to reduce AI hallucinations using Lean code generation/checking.
Robinhood userbase milestone (~22M users reported)
Press and profiles reported Robinhood had grown to roughly 22 million users by early 2023, marking a major scale milestone for the platform.
Publicly backs AI reasoning/maths startup (Harmonic coverage)
June 2024 reporting noted Tenev backing a startup to boost AI math/reasoning skills and reduce hallucinations; press coverage referenced discussions with investors like Sequoia.
Forbes reports net worth around $6 billion (coverage Oct 2024)
Press coverage in Oct 2024 (Forbes) described Tenev's fortune increasing to roughly $6 billion, attributed in part to Robinhood's crypto emphasis and other business moves.
Public profile updates and continued leadership at Robinhood
Profiles and press (ongoing through 2025) continue to report Tenev's role as Robinhood CEO and his involvement in AI startup funding/strategy; company expansion plans reported.
Key Achievement Ages
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