# Ryan Breslow

> Ryan Breslow is the founder and CEO of Bolt, the one-click checkout company he built after dropping out of Stanford in 2014. Having once reached an $11 billion valuation and briefly becoming one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires, Breslow has led the company through a dramatic 97% valuation collapse and a gritty comeback - returning as CEO in 2025 in 'wartime' mode to rebuild Bolt as an AI-first payments SuperApp with roughly 100 employees.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Bolt
- **Organizations:** Bolt, conscious.org, Eco, Love, Prism, Family (VC fund)
- **From:** North Miami Beach, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Computer Science (dropped out), Stanford University
- **Known for:** Founded Bolt, which grew to an $11 billion valuation at peak, Raised $853 million in total funding including $355 million Series E, Named Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California (2021)

## Career timeline

- **1994** — Born in North Miami Beach, Florida
- **~2006** — Taught himself to code via YouTube and online tutorials in middle school
- **~2010** — Founded an online mattress company while working as a bag boy at Publix in high school
- **~2011** — Designed websites for clients including a luxury shopping center and a LeBron James-backed streetwear brand
- **2012** — Enrolled at Stanford University as a computer science student; co-founded the Stanford Bitcoin Group
- **2013** — With classmate Eric Feldman, began developing a digital Bitcoin wallet
- **2014** — Dropped out of Stanford to pursue entrepreneurship full-time
- **2014-2015** — Spent a year researching financial regulations, compliance, and cryptocurrency with Eric Feldman before pivoting to one-click checkout
- **2016** — Officially launched Bolt as CEO
- **2019** — Bolt named to Forbes Fintech 50 list
- **2021** — Bolt ranked #64 on Inc. 5000; Breslow named Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California; launched conscious.org and 4-day workweek
- **2022-01** — Stepped down as CEO following Twitter controversy calling Y Combinator and Stripe 'mob bosses of Silicon Valley'; became executive chairman
- **2022-05** — Bolt reached $11 billion valuation; Breslow briefly became one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires
- **2023-04** — Subpoenaed by the SEC regarding Series E fundraising statements
- **2023-08** — SEC concluded investigation without recommending enforcement action
- **2024** — Bolt valuation collapsed to ~$300 million (97% decline from peak); Breslow no longer a billionaire
- **2025-03** — Returned as CEO of Bolt with unanimous board approval, entering 'wartime' operational mode
- **2026-04** — Cut ~30% of remaining workforce as part of aggressive restructuring
- **2026-05** — Eliminated entire HR department on International Human Resources Day; Bolt operating with ~100 employees as AI-first SuperApp

## Achievements

- Founded Bolt, which grew to an $11 billion valuation at peak
- Raised $853 million in total funding including $355 million Series E
- Named Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California (2021)
- Bolt ranked #64 on Inc. 5000 (2021)
- Bolt named to Forbes Fintech 50 (2019)
- Pioneered 'Conscious Culture' framework for workplaces, shared freely via conscious.org
- Briefly became one of the world's youngest self-made billionaires
- Co-founded Stanford Bitcoin Group in 2012
- Authored the book 'Fundraising'
- Launched The Movement, a dance nonprofit
- Returned as CEO in 2025 to lead Bolt's dramatic comeback

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Eliminated Bolt's entire HR department, calling it a source of manufactured problems; announced on International Human Resources Day
- **2026-04** — Cut approximately 30% of Bolt's remaining workforce; company now operates with ~100 employees
- **2025-03** — Returned as CEO of Bolt with unanimous board approval after years away; entered 'wartime' operational mode
- **2024-02** — Bolt's valuation fell to approximately $300 million, a 97% decline from $11 billion peak in 2022
- **2023-08** — SEC concluded its investigation of Bolt's Series E fundraising without recommending enforcement action

## Links

- Website: http://www.bolt.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanbreslow/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/RyanBreslow
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryantakesoff/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boltpay

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ryan-breslow
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-23