# Henrique Dubugras

> Henrique Dubugras is the Brazilian co-founder of Brex, the corporate card and spend management company he built from a Y Combinator pivot at age 21 into a $12.3B peak-valuation fintech unicorn - ultimately acquired by Capital One for $5.15 billion in 2026. He taught himself to code at 12 to avoid paying for a Korean MMO, sold his first payments company (Pagar.me) at 20 while processing $1.5B annually, dropped out of Stanford after 8 months, and found his billion-dollar idea by simply failing to get a credit card for his own startup. Now operating in stealth, he has said he found his 'calling' again.

- **Role:** Founder at Stealth Startup; Chairman at Brex
- **Organizations:** Brex, Pagar.me, Expedia Group, MercadoLibre, Instituto Alpha Lumen
- **From:** São Paulo, Brazil
- **Nationality:** Brazilian
- **Education:** Computer Science (dropped out), Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Brex, reaching $12.3B peak valuation — the highest-valued corporate spend management startup, Sold Brex to Capital One for $5.15 billion in 2026 — largest fintech acquisition by a traditional US bank, Built Pagar.me to $1.5B in annual transaction volume at age 20

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Age 12: Taught himself to code to build a free private server of Korean MMORPG Ragnarok
- **2009** — Age 14: Built a gaming platform; shut down after receiving patent infringement notices
- **2012** — Age 16: Won $50,000 at hackathon with matchmaking app AskMeOut; connected with Pedro Franceschi on Twitter via programming debate
- **2013** — Age 17: Co-founded Pagar.me ('the Stripe of Brazil') with Pedro Franceschi
- **2014** — Pagar.me wins Microsoft Startup of the Year at Spark Awards
- **2016** — Pagar.me sold to StoneCo; processing $1.5B in annual transactions with 100+ employees. Enrolled at Stanford University.
- **2017** — Dropped out of Stanford after ~8 months; applied to YC W17 with a VR startup; pivoted to fintech after failing to get a corporate credit card. Founded Brex on January 3.
- **2018** — Brex raises $57M Series A; $125M Series B at $1.1B valuation — becomes a unicorn at age 22
- **2019** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance; Bloomberg reports $860M fortune at age 23
- **2021** — Brex raises $300M at $12.3B valuation; 80% of YC companies using Brex
- **2022** — Forbes Billionaires List at age 26; controversial exit from SMB market; 11% staff layoffs; joins Expedia Group board
- **2023** — Married Laura Fiuza; Brex deposits surge during SVB collapse
- **2024** — January: Brex lays off 20% of staff. June: Transitions from co-CEO to Chairman; Pedro Franceschi becomes sole CEO. October: Launches podcast 'HD in HD'. Brex revenue hits $370M.
- **2026** — Capital One acquires Brex for $5.15 billion (closed April 7). Announces stealth startup on LinkedIn.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Brex, reaching $12.3B peak valuation — the highest-valued corporate spend management startup
- Sold Brex to Capital One for $5.15 billion in 2026 — largest fintech acquisition by a traditional US bank
- Built Pagar.me to $1.5B in annual transaction volume at age 20
- Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance (2019)
- Forbes Billionaires List (2022) at age 26
- Bloomberg: $860M fortune at age 23
- 80% of Y Combinator portfolio companies used Brex at peak
- Board member of MercadoLibre (one of the youngest in company history) and Expedia Group
- YC W17 alumni
- World Economic Forum Young Global Leader

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Capital One acquisition of Brex closes for $5.15 billion
- **2026-01** — Capital One announces definitive agreement to acquire Brex for ~$5.15B
- **2025-12** — Posts on LinkedIn announcing new stealth startup, says he 'found his calling'
- **2024-10** — Launches podcast 'HD in HD' featuring CEOs of Uber, Affirm, Klarna, Robinhood, MercadoLibre
- **2024-06** — Transitions from co-CEO to Chairman of Brex; Pedro Franceschi becomes sole CEO
- **2024-01** — Brex lays off 20% of staff (~282 employees) amid slowing growth

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriquedubugras/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/hdubugras
- GitHub: https://github.com/hdubugras
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hdubugras/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/henrique-dubugras
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-04