Howard Lindzon — Founder, Managing Partner

Howard Lindzon is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Social Leverage and has more than 20 yrs of experience in the financial community acting in both an entrepreneurial and investing capacity. With a differentiated vision for starting, managing, and successfully advising innovative companies, Lindzon is the public-face of Social Leverage. In 2008 Lindzon co-founded Stocktwits. Stocktwits pioneered the ‘cashtag’ and today has over 6 million monthly unique visitors to the site. In November 2021, Stocktwits raised $30M. In 2024, Howard returned to his role as CEO of Stocktwits. Previously, Lindzon founded Wallstrip (an on-line video show) which was acquired by CBS in 2007. The connection to Stocktwits gives Social Leverage access to a talented and diverse community of professionals who continuously surface and evaluate FinTech opportunities.

Howard blogs at howardlindzon.com.

Tom Peterson — Founder, Managing Partner

Tom Peterson is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Social Leverage. Early on, Tom and Howard were recognized by Institutional Investor as one of the “super angels,” where they were depicted as helping to reorganize early-stage investing with disciplined capital, uniform investing rules and a sense of community that traditional venture capital took notice of. In 2013, they subsequently raised their first micro-VC fund. Twelve years later, with six funds under management and 150+ investments closed, Peterson continues to manage the day-to-day business of all Social Leverage entities.

Gary Benitt — Managing Partner

Gary Benitt is Managing Partner at Social Leverage and a seasoned serial entrepreneur, having been a part of four founding teams in both consumer and B2B companies over the past 18 years. Most recently, he spent 3 years with Salesforce.com as the Desk.com COO after his company, Assistly, was acquired in 2011. Previously, Gary was with Aol after his prior startup (Goowy Media) was acquired in early 2008. Gary has managed various technology and go to market teams including business operations, customer service, client implementation and success, engineering and quality assurance. He brings broad knowledge across all facets of growing a business from startup into a mature organization. Gary has been an active investor in early stage companies since 2011, with over 20 investments, including notable companies like Classy, Getaround, Gyft and Gusto.

Matt ober — Managing Partner

Matt Ober is a Managing Partner at Social Leverage. Matt was most recently the Chief Data Scientist at Third Point where he built the data analytics and technology platform used to enhance the firm’s investment capabilities in equity, structured credit, venture capital andcryptocurrency. Prior to joining Third Point, Matt was the Head of Data Strategy at WorldQuant and part of the WorldQuant Ventures founding team focused on private investments in fintech, data, and technology companies. As an active angel investor for over 10 years, Matt brings his data and analytics expertise to each company with whom he partners. Matt holds a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation and sits on the board of governors for his alma mater, California State University Chico.

Matt writes a newsletter called The Rollup

Evan Rapoport — Venture Partner

Evan Rapoport is a seasoned investment and product leader, currently serving as a Venture Partner at Social Leverage joining in April 2024. Prior to Social Leverage, Evan founded and led SMArtX Advisory Solutions, an award-winning managed accounts platform that empowers financial advisors and wealth managers with institutional-grade portfolio strategies and real-time trading infrastructure. Before starting SMArtX Evan’s entrepreneurial journey began with HedgeCo Networks, one of the world’s most trafficked hedge fund information platforms, and later as CEO of HedgeCoVest.  Today, Evan sources and works with FinTech and WealthTech within the portfolio. 

Kordell Theadford — Vice President of Finance & Chief Compliance Officer

Kordell Theadford is the Vice President of Finance & Chief Compliance Officer at Social Leverage, overseeing the firm’s financial operations, regulatory compliance, and reporting infrastructure. Since joining in 2023, he has played a critical role in managing compliance protocols and ensuring robust financial stewardship across the firm’s investment activities. Kordell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Moravian University, laying a strong foundation in financial analysis and economic strategy. Before his tenure at Social Leverage, he developed deep expertise in the fund accounting space, including roles at Carta and SEI. At Carta, he advanced through key positions— Fund Controller, Senior Fund Accountant, and Fund Accountant—while shaping controls and procedures at scale.

Ethan berk — Senior Associate

Ethan Berk is a Senior Associate at Social Leverage, where he helps lead early-stage investments and supports portfolio companies across strategy, fundraising, and growth. Before joining the firm, he worked at two Social Leverage portfolio companies—Beehiiv and Koyfin—gaining hands-on experience in product, operations, and go-to-market. Ethan has a deep interest in FinTech and WealthTech with a growing focus on using and building AI tools to drive efficiency. He is based in Phoenix and holds a degree in Finance from Arizona State University.