Arpan Shah
Partner
I really, really enjoy working with founders who are building really innovative products that help expand what is possible here in the US when it comes to financial access or financial products.
I really, really enjoy working with founders who are building really innovative products that help expand what is possible here in the US when it comes to financial access or financial products.
Arpan is a Partner at Pear. While pursuing his Masters degree at Stanford, he was an early member of Pear Garage in 2014, where he learned the fundamentals of early-stage company building, from building a product to fundraising and more. After graduating, Arpan joined Robinhood as an early engineer on the founding team. He rose to Head of Data Platform and Data Products at Robinhood, leading a team of 40+ engineers and engineering managers. In October 2020, Arpan started FinTech startup Flannel and then sold the company to Plaid.
At Pear, Arpan is a Partner, helping FinTech practitioners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses effectively.
Arpan resides in the Bay Area with his wife and dog. He holds a Masters in Computer Science from Stanford.
What is your most used emoji?
🎉
What’s your favorite book?
This keeps changing over time, but a book that I really enjoyed not too long ago was “A Man for all Markets” by Ed Thorp. A fascinating story that combines some of my favorite things: Chasing your passions and interests, markets and investing and probability and game theory!
What career path did you want to pursue when you were a kid?
I really wanted to be a soccer player, but unfortunately quickly realized I didn’t have the aptitude to be a pro player!
What are your favorite sports teams?
In soccer: Chelsea FC. In cricket: the Indian team.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
I love introverted hobbies and quiet time in nature.
I try to find some time to play chess every day! It is very meditative for me and I try to play a game with friends / online whenever I get the chance. I also enjoy watching and analyzing games by grandmasters as fun puzzles.
I really love going to the ocean with my wife and dog, it is a great way for me to gather my thoughts as well as really get good hikes in.
Reading history is also something I really enjoy. I think there is a lot to learn from the experience of our ancestors and I love finding kernels of insight in history books.
Previous Experience
- Co-Founder, Flannel
- Head of Data Platform and Data Products, Robinhood
