Thomas McInerney

Thomas McInerney is a highly active and prominent angel investor based in Santa Monica, California, renowned for his strategic early-stage investments, particularly in the technology sector. With a robust background in product leadership at major tech companies like eBay and PayPal, where he served as VP of Product, McInerney brings deep operational expertise to his portfolio. He transitioned to full-time angel investing around 2012 after co-founding and leading Modest, Inc., which was acquired by PayPal. Over the past decade, he has built an impressive portfolio, having invested in over 70 companies, with more than 10 of these achieving unicorn status, underscoring his keen eye for high-growth potential.

McInerney's investment thesis primarily centers on disruptive technologies and scalable business models, with a strong inclination towards B2B SaaS, developer tools, fintech, and infrastructure plays. His portfolio boasts an impressive roster of companies that have become industry leaders, including early bets on Segment, Notion, Getaround, Tala, MemSQL (now SingleStore), and OpenSea. He also backed companies like Fivetran, Frame.io (acquired by Adobe), Front, Plaid, Ramp, Rippling, and Scale AI, demonstrating a consistent focus on foundational technologies that empower businesses and individuals. His experience building and scaling products at companies like eBay and PayPal likely informs his preference for companies with strong product-market fit and clear paths to monetization.

As an angel investor, McInerney typically focuses on seed-stage rounds, providing crucial early capital to nascent startups. He explicitly states his typical first check size ranges from $25,000 to $100,000. Beyond capital, his value proposition to founders often includes mentorship, strategic guidance, and leveraging his extensive network within the tech ecosystem. His track record of identifying and supporting companies that achieve significant valuations and exits positions him as a sought-after early-stage partner for ambitious founders.