Wikipedia

Vlad Tenev

Vladimir Tenev (Bulgarian: Владимир Тенев; born 13 February 1987) is an American entrepreneur who is most notably the co-founder (with Baiju Bhatt), Chairman, and CEO of Robinhood, a US-based financial technology services company.

Vladimir Tenev
Tenev in 2025
Born (1987-02-13) February 13, 1987 (age 39)
Varna, Bulgaria
EducationStanford (BS)
UCLA (MS)
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forCEO and Co-founder, Robinhood
SpouseCelina Tenev
Children3

Tenev moved to the United States from his native Bulgaria at the age of five. After studying mathematics at Stanford and UCLA and getting a master's degree, he decided to partner with Baiju Bhatt to create several fintech startups. One of them, Robinhood, became a publicly-traded multibillion-dollar company.

Early life and education

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Tenev was born in Varna, Bulgaria.[1] When he was a toddler, his parents migrated to the U.S. leaving him with his grandparents before he joined them when he was five.[2] Tenev's parents both worked for the World Bank.[3] During childhood, his parents were frugal, having been influenced by financial instability in Bulgaria.[4] He attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology[5] in Fairfax County, Virginia.

He earned a bachelor's of science degree in mathematics from Stanford University, where he met Baiju Bhatt.[6] He was a member of a fraternity at Stanford.[7] In 2008, he earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of California in Los Angeles,[8][9] and originally intended to study for a PhD in mathematics at UCLA and pursue a career in academia.[10] He instead dropped out to work with Bhatt.[3][11]

Career

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Early career

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In 2010, Tenev and Baiju Bhatt started a high-frequency trading software company called Celeris, based in New York.[10][12] By January 2011 they abandoned it to create Chronos Research, which sold low-latency software to other trading firms and banks.[13] Later in 2011, they moved to California.[10]

Robinhood

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In 2013, Tenev and Bhatt co-founded the trading platform Robinhood,[6] having been inspired by the 2008 financial crisis[14] and the Occupy Wall Street movement that followed in 2011.[15] Tenev’s wife inspired the name of the company while the app was in development, describing the co-founders as "the Robin Hood of finance."[16] Tenev led the development of the technology and code to create the Robinhood app.[15] By the end of 2013, Robinhood announced a brokerage that would allow commission-free trading, which caused its waitlist to "explode", according to Tenev.[17] He stated that his goal was commission-free trading throughout the industry.[17]

Tenev and Bhatt became billionaires following a funding round in May 2018 which increased Robinhood's valuation to $6 billion.[6][18] In November 2020, Tenev became the sole CEO of Robinhood, having previously shared the co-CEO title with Bhatt.[19] The next year, Robinhood debuted on the stock market. The initial public offering (IPO) for the company placed it at a $32 billion valuation.[20]

During the January 2021 GameStop and AMC Entertainment short squeezes,[21] Robinhood restricted users from buying certain stocks and options,[22] citing an inability to meet federal clearinghouse deposit requirements.[23][24] Tenev publicly defended the decision,[25] which drew backlash from users and politicians who accused the company of protecting institutional investors.[26][27] On February 18, 2021, Tenev testified before the United States House Committee on Financial Services, apologized for the trading halt, and maintained that he had done nothing wrong.[21] Sebastian Stan portrayed Tenev in the 2023 film Dumb Money, a drama about the GameStop short squeeze.[28]

Tenev has stated that his goal for Robinhood is to become a "financial superapp"[29] rivaling Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab Corporation,[17] while incorporating AI and blockchain technology.[30]

Public speaking

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Tenev was invited to be the keynote speaker for UCLA's 2019 Math Commencement ceremony.[9] He has spoken at Fortune Brainstorm Tech,[31] All-In Summit,[32] TEDAI,[33] and TechCrunch Disrupt.[34]

Harmonic

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Tenev co-founded Palo Alto-based artificial intelligence startup Harmonic in 2023, where he is the executive chairman.[35][36] Its aim is to reduce AI hallucinations for applications in sectors like automotive, aerospace, and medicine[36] by generating and checking Lean code,[37] and also to improve AI's mathematical skills.[36] When prompted, the company’s chatbot, Aristotle, outputs answers to mathematical queries, along with the reasoning behind its answer.[37] As of June 2024, Harmonic posted an 83% success rate on F2F, a mathematical benchmark, aided by computer algebra systems. The chatbot was trained on synthetic math proofs, a computer-generated example that’s used to teach problem solving,[36] and it displayed a "top-level performance" at the International Mathematical Olympiad in July 2025.[37]

Through November 2025, Harmonic had raised $295 million in total capital, creating a valuation of $1.45 billion.[38]

Personal life

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Tenev is married to Celina A. Tenev, a co-founder of an emergency health service, Call9.[39] They have three children.[40] Tenev is a fitness enthusiast and credits his training routine with helping him manage stress.[41]

In 2025, Tenev donated $125,000 to the TJ Partnership Fund, the largest donation in the school's history, benefiting his high school alma mater.[42]

Views

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Tenev has spoken about his immigrant upbringing as formative to his orientation towards access to capital and markets, specifically the frugality of his youth, as well as financial instability in Bulgaria.[4]

He has also discussed artificial intelligence's impact on finance and investing,[43] including during a TEDAI Talk,[33] arguing that human traders would remain central despite advances in automation.[43]

Recognition

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Year Awards Category Result Ref.
2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 Young Traders Won [44]
2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Hall of Fame [45]
2025 Fortune 100 Most Powerful People in Business [46]
2025 Forbes 400 [47]

References

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  1. ↑ Kolhatkar, Sheelah (May 10, 2021). "Robinhood's Big Gamble". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  2. ↑ "The founders of Robinhood, a no-fee stock-trading app, were initially rejected by 75 venture capitalists — now their startup is worth $1.3 billion". Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Vlad Tenev, 28". Forbes. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  4. 1 2 King, Hope (December 18, 2023). "Axios Finish Line: Talking leadership with Vlad Tenev". Axios.
  5. ↑ Thomas Jefferson HS. "Thomas Jefferson HS". Twitter.
  6. 1 2 3 "Robinhood Founders Are Billionaires in Silicon Valley Minute". Bloomberg News. May 11, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  7. ↑ Constine, Josh (December 11, 2014). "Robinhood Launches Zero-Fee Stock Trading App". TechCrunch.
  8. ↑ Svensson, Philip (September 15, 2025). "Vlad Tenev: Co-founder & CEO of Robinhood". Quartr.
  9. 1 2 Santil, Lance (June 17, 2019). "2019 Math Commencement Keynote Speaker: Vladimir Tenev". UCLA Mathematics.
  10. 1 2 3 Raz, Guy (April 12, 2021). "Robinhood: Vlad Tenev". NPR.
  11. ↑ Ongchoco, David (August 12, 2015). "Startup Insider: The Story Behind Stock Trading App Robinhood and Its One Million-Person Waitlist". HuffPost. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  12. ↑ Chafkin, Max; Verhage, Julie (February 9, 2018). "Brokerage App Robinhood Thinks Bitcoin Belongs in Your Retirement Plan". Bloomberg.
  13. ↑ "Win the Stock Market with Crowd Sourced Advice from New App Robinhood". April 18, 2013.
  14. ↑ Chmiel, Damian (September 11, 2025). "Robinhood CEO Reveals: "I Was Never Really Doing It for the Money"". Finance Magnates.
  15. 1 2 Popper, Nathaniel; Browning, Kellen; Griffith, Erin (February 2, 2021). "Robinhood's C.E.O. Is in the Hot Seat". New York Times.
  16. ↑ Melin, Anders (July 29, 2021). "Robinhood Duo Ride Trading Frenzy to Billionaire Riches". Bloomberg.
  17. 1 2 3 Gottsegen, Gordon (June 27, 2025). "Robinhood's Vlad Tenev has led a trading revolution to become a new Wall Street power". MarketWatch.
  18. ↑ "Meet the 11 new tech billionaires that emerged in 2018". Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  19. ↑ "This app completely disrupted the trading industry". CNN. December 13, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Robinhood valued at $32 billion after selling shares in IPO at $38 per share". CNBC. July 28, 2021.
  21. 1 2 Popper, Nathaniel; Phillips, Matt (February 18, 2021). "In GameStop Saga, Robinhood Is Cast as the Villain". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Robinhood CEO Says Trading Limits Will Protect Firm, Customers". Bloomberg.com. January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Robinhood restricts trading in GameStop, other names involved in frenzy". CNBC. January 28, 2021.
  24. ↑ Collins, Eliza (February 18, 2021). "Who Are Keith Gill and Other Key Players at the GameStop Hearing?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev speaks out on decision to restrict trading on GameStop and other stocks". CNBC. January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Robinhood founder Vlad Tenev says app blocked GameStop buys to "protect investors"". Newsweek. January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Under fire, Robinhood CEO apologizes to Congress for restricting trading". NBC News. February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  28. ↑ "'Dumb Money' First Look: The GameStop Stock Frenzy Is Now a Movie". Vanity Fair. June 21, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  29. ↑ Thomas, Daragh (March 9, 2026). "Robinhood's CEO Has A 'Super App' Vision For Prediction Markets". Benzinga.
  30. ↑ Roberts, Jeff John (July 30, 2024). "How memestock mania forced CEO Vlad Tenev to reinvent Robinhood—and himself". Fortune Magazine.
  31. ↑ Schwartz, Leo (July 15, 2024). "Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev touts crypto and tokenization as the natural transition for financial services: 'An obvious technology advantage'". Fortune.
  32. ↑ Bernard, Zoe (September 25, 2025). "First, All-In Red-Pilled the Billionaires. Now They're Coming for Everyone Else". Vanity Fair.
  33. 1 2 Zomorodi, Manoush; Lett, Phoebe; Meshkinpour, Sanaz (April 3, 2026). "AI will change work. Our history shows that's normal". NPR.
  34. ↑ Simonds, Lauren (August 15, 2023). "Vlad Tenev shares Robinhood's next chapter at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023". TechCrunch.
  35. ↑ Victor, John (August 8, 2024). "Sequoia Capital Has Discussed Funding AI Reasoning Startup Cofounded by Robinhood CEO". The Information.
  36. 1 2 3 4 Fried, Ina (June 10, 2024). "Exclusive: Robinhood CEO backs startup to boost AI's math skills". Axios.
  37. 1 2 3 Metz, Cade (September 23, 2024). "Is Math the Path to Chatbots That Don't Make Stuff Up?". The New York Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  38. ↑ Hu, Krystal (November 25, 2025). "Robinhood CEO's math-focused AI startup Harmonic valued at $1.45 billion in latest fundraising". Reuters.
  39. ↑ "Call9: Modernizing Emergency Care". Center for Health Technology Hunter College. May 15, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  40. ↑ Roberts, Jeff John; Royle, Oriana Rose (July 30, 2024). "The education of Robinhood's Vlad Tenev". Fortune. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  41. ↑ Gravesq, Ginny (January 24, 2024). "Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev Works Out for a Balanced Life". Men's Health.
  42. ↑ "An Unprecedented Gift to Secure TJ's Bright Future". TJ Partnership Fund.
  43. 1 2 Paoli, Nino (September 13, 2025). "Robinhood CEO says just like every company became a tech company, every company will become an AI company—but faster". Fortune.
  44. ↑ Vardi, Nathan. "30 Under 30 Finance: The Top Young Traders, Bankers And Dealmakers". Forbes. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  45. ↑ "Vlad Tenev". Forbes. March 28, 2022.
  46. ↑ "100 Most Powerful People in Business". Fortune.
  47. ↑ Castellanos, Martina (September 9, 2025). "The 10 Youngest Billionaires On The 2025 Forbes 400 List". Forbes.
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