Ross Darwin

Growth-Stage Fintech and Financial Services Investor

📍 Palo Alto, California, United States🔄 Updated September 2026💼 17 investments📅 7 years investing🗓 Last invested Sep 2021
VC🌍 United States
17
Total investments
1
Early stage
8
Mid stage
6
Late stage
7y
Years active

Portfolio

16 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Board Observer
Sep 2021
Fiveable is powered by the idea of social accountability. Just like study groups, we believe that working with someone else is better than working alone. We built Fiveable in the interest of helping students feel like theyre working side-by-side, virtually. Fiveable helps you: • Stay focused and organized • Get motivated to be productive • Join groups studying the same topics At Fiveable we believe that students who are educated, confident, and informed will open more opportunities for their future. Fiveable aims to give equal opportunities for all students to reach their potential.
mid stageEducation
Board Observer
Jul 2021
An evidence-based, AI-powered mental health support tool that helps your patients and members live well with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Interested in learning more about Woebot, the behavioral health copilot? Connect with us here: https://woebothealth.com/partner-with-us/ #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthadvocate #mentalhealth #woebothealth #behavioralhealth #digitaltransformation
Board Observer
Jul 2021
Thrive's mission is to unlock human potential by ending the stress and burnout epidemic. We offer companies and individuals sustainable, science-based solutions to enhance both mental and physical well-being and performance, purpose and relationship with technology. We are committed to accelerating this culture shift around the world. This page is meant to be a safe place for honest, respectful conversation, and Thrive will delete comments that attack others because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political or religious affiliations, or medical or physical condition. For more information, please see LinkedIn's Professional Community Policies. https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/89880?lang=en
Investor
Jan 2021
Greenlight is a debit card and money app for families. Our mission is to shine a light on the world of money for families and empower parents to raise financially-smart kids. Millions of parents and kids use Greenlight to earn, save, spend wisely, give, and invest. Parents can set flexible spend controls, manage chores, automate allowances, and invest for their kids’ futures. The Greenlight team calls Atlanta home, but we have team members across the country. We’re pet enthusiasts, PTA presidents, fantasy football champs, kickball-mates, and volunteer dance teachers. We’re backed by Drive Capital, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, TTV Capital, Relay Ventures, NEA, Amazon, Ally Financial, SunTrust Bank, and Synchrony Financial. We were picked for CB Insights’ Fintech 250. Inspired? Apply to join our team: https://greenlight.com/careers/
Investor
Jan 2021
Stash is a personal finance app that makes investing easy and affordable for millions of Americans. From budgeting paychecks to stock rewards and saving for now or retirement, we help Stashers create more financial freedom. Stash’s Smart Portfolio was named the top-performing robo-advisor for 2023 by Condor Capital. Stash also partners with employers to offer “StashWorks,” a workplace benefit to improve financial wellness for employees. With StashWorks, employees can learn about money, contribute to their savings, and earn rewards for achieving their financial goals. See our disclosures: https://bit.ly/3Tff1jI
Board Member
Jan 2021
El software todo en uno para Recursos Humanos Más de 1,000 equipos de Recursos Humanos en LATAM confían en UBITS para acceder a 14,000 contenidos de aprendizaje, realizar diagnósticos, gestionar objetivos y evaluaciones 360.
Board Member
Jan 2021
We power people’s progress. At Preply, we’re creating life-changing learning experiences by pairing the magic of human tutors with the power of AI. We help learners discover the perfect tutor, craft a personalized learning journey, and stay motivated to keep growing – wherever they are in the world. With a global network of 100,000+ tutors teaching 90+ languages across 180 countries, Preply is shaping the future of learning. Backed by $150M in Series D funding, we’ve reached unicorn status and are scaling fast – all while staying grounded in our mission to make learning more personal, powerful, and human. Our team of 700+ Preplers brings together over 60 nationalities, working across hubs in Barcelona, London, Kyiv, New York and beyond.
Investor
May 2020
Launched in 2015, MasterClass is the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the worlds best. With an annual membership, subscribers get unlimited access to instructors and classes across a wide range of subjects including Arts & Entertainment, Business, Design & Style, Sports & Gaming, Writing and more. Step into Anna Wintour’s office, and Ron Finley’s garden. Get inspired by RuPaul, perfect your pitch with Shonda Rhimes, and discover your inner negotiator with Chris Voss. Each class features about 20 video lessons, at an average of 10 minutes per lesson. You can learn on your own terms — in bite-sized pieces or binge it all at once. Cinematic visuals and close-up, hands-on demonstrations make you feel one-on-one with the instructors, while the downloadable workbooks help reinforce your learning. With MasterClass, you can stream thousands of lessons anywhere, anytime, on mobile, desktop and TV.
Board Observer
Jan 2020
Degreed is a technology suite that combines lifelong learning and data-driven development so organizations can accelerate workforce capabilities for greater impact and make skills the heart of all work. Degreed is the only learning platform that makes it easy for companies to deliver daily learning, deep skill-building, education benefits, real-time insights and expert services, while connecting to a robust network of partners and integrations. More than 9 million learners from hundreds of global companies use Degreed to gain the skills to grow in their careers. Degreed, founded in 2012, launched with the mission of “jailbreaking the degree” where all skills are recognized, irrespective of how they are acquired. Degreed is headquartered in Pleasanton, California, with offices in Salt Lake City, New York, London, Amsterdam, and Brisbane. To learn more, head over to degreed.com.
Board Observer
Jan 2020
Bakpax uses AI to read handwriting and grade assignments. We save teachers the time and trouble of grading, and give students instant feedback to increase their engagement. We can convert teachers’ handwritten content to formatted digital text that can be remixed and shared with other teachers. Students simply snap a picture of their homework with their phone. Bakpax then reads their handwriting and instantly auto-grades their answers for completion and accuracy. Then teachers use this daily record of what students got right and wrong to understand their classes better than ever. At Bakpax, we believe that what education actually needs is “un-tech.” Giving computers and tablets to every primary and secondary student is too expensive, even in the U.S. But students the world over already have access to paper and phones. Paper, whether loose sheet or books, is still the fundamental technology platform of education. It stands to reason that learning technology must be based on tech that the entire world already has or can easily get. Which pretty much means just paper and phones. This is why we built Bakpax. We want to push the limit on what can be done with just ordinary paper and phones. No expensive hardware purchases that quickly become outdated. No complicated software products going down at the worst possible time. No “digital divide” between rich and poor.
Board Observer
Sep 2019
三节课是一所培养互联网核心人才的在线大学,与大多数知识付费产品和在线教育机构不同,三节课不仅提供“知识”,更关注和强调从“知识获得”到“能力提升”的转化过程,为此三节课在业内独创了体系化课程+高强度实战练习+专家助教1对1点评+班主任深度服务的教学模式,加速更多互联网人的职场成长和能力进阶,为梦想赋能。 创始团队介绍: 1、三节课创始人兼CEO-后显慧(Luke) • 中国传媒大学客座教授 •《产品的视角:从热闹到门道》作者 • 前百度、阿里巴巴、世纪佳缘产品负责人,主导负责包括阿里云、百度首页、世纪佳缘、智联招聘等网站,产品累计用户过1亿,收入规模几十亿。 前百度技术学院金牌讲师、方正商学院讲师,内训课程服务超过100家企业。 2、三节课联合创始人-徐财星(布棉) 15年互联网从业经验,10年产品设计、产品运营经验。历任百度高级产品经理,赶集网产品总监,学而思培优产品总监。 对于产品设计、产品创新、产品开发、产品规划等方面有丰富经验。 3、三节课联合创始人-黄有璨 黄有璨,三节课(sanjieke.cn)联合创始人,《运营之光》作者 互联网从业10年,曾任美国About.com运营经理,第九课堂COO,新浪微米COO助理,周伯通招聘运营合伙人。豆瓣评分最高的运营类书籍、2016豆瓣年度十大商业经管类好书《运营之光》作者。 同时担任创业黑马高管营、小饭桌创业课堂、36氪氪空间创业导师,36氪、虎嗅、百度百家等专栏作者,多篇文章被业内疯转。
Board Observer
Jul 2019
Tinkergarten helps families get outside to make the most of their kids’ early learning years. Designed by education experts and loved by busy families throughout the United States, our play-based outdoor curriculum guides parents in raising healthy, confident, and capable kids. Through instructor-led and do-it-yourself programming that spans all four seasons, Tinkergarten makes purposeful outdoor play doable for every family—rain or shine.
Board Observer
Jul 2019
Noodle empowers universities to transform the world through life-changing learning. Noodle offers strategic consulting to advise university partners as they navigate their futures. We provide services tailored to meet their growth aspirations and deploy technology, tools, and platforms that integrate for scale. This approach makes our partners more resilient, responsive, efficient, and interconnected.
Board Observer
Jul 2019
We prepare tomorrow's tech leaders for today's jobs. The SV Academy Tech Sales Fellowship takes students from an internship to a great job in tech in as little as 4 weeks. Kick-off your career without worrying about financial limitations. Our mission is to democratize access to the tech industry for young professionals from different backgrounds - 60% of our graduates are women, 40% are African American/Latinx, and 70% are first-generation college students. We welcome all backgrounds and experience levels - invest in your future today. Apply today: https://sv.academy/apply
Board Observer
Jul 2019
Kiddom is the creator of Learning Intelligence Technology (LIT), a new class of tech that streamlines planning, delivery, grading, and data insight—lightening the load while keeping teachers in control. With curated, standards-aligned HQIM and AI-powered support, teachers can teach immediately. No unpacking. No extra prep. Just results.
Show all 16 investments ↓
Experience · 21 entries
All (21)
Investments (17)
Board (14)
2023
Principal, Portage Capital Solutions
Feb 2023
Portage is a global investment platform focused on fintech and financial services. Our team partners with ambitious companies across all stages, providing flexible capital and deliver a global network of investors, commercial partners, advisors and value creation experts. With deep industry knowledge and entrepreneurial experience, Portage is committed to supporting the leaders who are reshaping financial services. A full list of portfolio companies is available at: www.portageinvest.com/portfolio
2021
Board Observer
Sep 2021
Fiveable is powered by the idea of social accountability. Just like study groups, we believe that working with someone else is better than working alone. We built Fiveable in the interest of helping students feel like theyre working side-by-side, virtually. Fiveable helps you: • Stay focused and organized • Get motivated to be productive • Join groups studying the same topics At Fiveable we believe that students who are educated, confident, and informed will open more opportunities for their future. Fiveable aims to give equal opportunities for all students to reach their potential.
mid stageEducation
Board Observer
Jul 2021
An evidence-based, AI-powered mental health support tool that helps your patients and members live well with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Interested in learning more about Woebot, the behavioral health copilot? Connect with us here: https://woebothealth.com/partner-with-us/ #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthadvocate #mentalhealth #woebothealth #behavioralhealth #digitaltransformation
Board Observer
Jul 2021
Thrive's mission is to unlock human potential by ending the stress and burnout epidemic. We offer companies and individuals sustainable, science-based solutions to enhance both mental and physical well-being and performance, purpose and relationship with technology. We are committed to accelerating this culture shift around the world. This page is meant to be a safe place for honest, respectful conversation, and Thrive will delete comments that attack others because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political or religious affiliations, or medical or physical condition. For more information, please see LinkedIn's Professional Community Policies. https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/89880?lang=en
Investor
Jan 2021
Greenlight is a debit card and money app for families. Our mission is to shine a light on the world of money for families and empower parents to raise financially-smart kids. Millions of parents and kids use Greenlight to earn, save, spend wisely, give, and invest. Parents can set flexible spend controls, manage chores, automate allowances, and invest for their kids’ futures. The Greenlight team calls Atlanta home, but we have team members across the country. We’re pet enthusiasts, PTA presidents, fantasy football champs, kickball-mates, and volunteer dance teachers. We’re backed by Drive Capital, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, TTV Capital, Relay Ventures, NEA, Amazon, Ally Financial, SunTrust Bank, and Synchrony Financial. We were picked for CB Insights’ Fintech 250. Inspired? Apply to join our team: https://greenlight.com/careers/
Show all 21 entries ↓
Investment activity
2019–2021 · 17 investments
201972020320217
Recent (last 2 years)Earlier