Alexis Ohanian

Alexis Ohanian was born on April 24, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the Baltimore, Maryland area. His interest in technology began in middle school with a dial-up modem, leading him to take programming classes, build websites for nonprofits from his parents' basement, and assemble his first computer. A history major at the University of Virginia (UVA), he graduated in 2005 alongside roommate Steve Huffman, initially considering law before pivoting to entrepreneurship after a pivotal moment at a Waffle House. In 2005, Ohanian and Huffman joined Y Combinator's first batch, initially pitching a mobile food ordering idea that was rejected by Paul Graham. They pivoted to Reddit, a social news site where users submit and vote on links, building a prototype in three weeks for $12,000-$15,000 in seed funding. Launched that summer, Reddit grew rapidly, becoming known as the 'front page of the internet' with subreddits and user comments; it was acquired by Condé Nast in 2006 for $10-20 million. Ohanian stayed on the board initially but left in 2009 for ventures like a fellowship in Armenia (his father's homeland), Breadpig (a geek marketplace donating profits), and Hipmunk (travel search). Post-Reddit sale, Ohanian became a Y Combinator partner in 2014, co-founded Initialized Capital (starting as a Y Combinator fund in 2013, spun off in 2016) with Garry Tan, and advocated against internet-restricting bills. He rejoined Reddit full-time in 2015 as executive chairman for marketing, strategy, and communications amid its independence, helping grow it from under $10 million revenue to over $10 billion valuation before stepping back in 2018 to focus on investing. In June 2020, he resigned from Reddit's board, requesting replacement by a Black candidate following George Floyd's murder; Michael Seibel was appointed. Ohanian married tennis star Serena Williams in 2017; they have two daughters. His mother, Anke, passed away from terminal brain cancer after Reddit's sale, a moment he called his proudest for validating his parents' support. He remains active in startups, serves on Ro's board, and emphasizes building user-loved companies.