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Immad Akhund
CEO & Founder of Mercury, experienced entrepreneur and software developer
Immad Akhund is the CEO and Founder of Mercury, a banking platform for startups, crypto, and e-commerce businesses.1 He has a diverse background in entrepreneurship and technology:
Professional Experience
- Mercury - Banking for Startups: Akhund founded Mercury in August 2017 and currently serves as its CEO.1
- Y Combinator: He was a part-time partner from January to December 2017.1
- Heyzap: Co-founded and served as CEO from 2008 to 2017. The company was acquired by Fyber in 2016.1
- Clickpass: Co-founded and served as CTO from 2007 to 2008.1
Education
Akhund holds a Master of Arts in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge, which he attended from 2002 to 2006.1
Personal Life
- He is married and a father of two children.2
- Akhund started his family at a relatively young age by San Francisco standards.2
Entrepreneurial Insights
Akhund is known for sharing his experiences and insights on entrepreneurship. He has emphasized the importance of:
- Choosing the right co-founders, stating that working with incompatible co-founders is a major factor in startup failures.3
- Being willing to take risks and not being afraid of failure in the startup world.5
Current Role at Mercury
Under Akhund's leadership, Mercury has:
- Raised over $160 million in funding
- Acquired more than 100,000 customers2
Akhund continues to guide Mercury through various challenges, including making difficult decisions about which countries the company can support.4
Highlights
People reading this outside SF have two reaction:
- Omg, SF sounds awful. Or
- Omg, I need to move to SF right now.
And that is the selection effect that keeps Silicon Valley what it is.
Founders in SF:
We are doing a live meetup with me (Mercury) @rauchg (Vercel) and @rajatsuri (Lima, ex-Presto/Lyft)
At the Mercury HQ on May 20th. Space is limited so we will pick the most impressive founders.
Come hang out, grab some food and chat about the founding journey!

