Funding The Rebels: Watch Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian discussing the surprising business opportunities brought about by the pandemic with The Wharton School

Last year, we wrote about Alexis Ohanian after the Reddit co-founder resigned from the board of directors and urged the company to replace him with a black person. Ohanian, who is married to professional tennis player Serena Williams, was the executive chairman of the social news website Reddit.

Since we last wrote about him over a year ago, it’s good to learn that Ohanian has been busy “funding the rebels” and making big impacts in the world. After leaving Reddit, Ohanian co-founded Seven Seven Six, a venture capital firm that supports founders that are changing the world. In June, Seven Seven Six raised $150 million in funding to shake things up. “I make money funding the rebels,” Ohanian said.

In the past year alone, venture capital investment has been seeing an all-time high activity. According to the National Venture Capital Association, $150 billion has been invested in startups in the first half of 2021 alone.

Last month, Ohanian spoke with Gemma Hong, the host of WhartonBizDaily, a podcast show of The Wharton School that covers the latest policy changes, shifts in the markets, tech innovation, retail trends, marketing, and advertising, and much more. During the interview with Wharton Business Daily, Ohanian discusses the surprising business opportunities brought about by the pandemic and the importance of investing in what you believe.

Ohanian also touched on other topics including the exciting prospects of venture capital and technology today.

“It is unlike anything I have seen in 11 years of doing the job, and in 15 or 16 years of being in tech. It’s an amazing time to be allocating capital in startups because the rate at which they can grow has never been faster, and the impact which they can have has never been greater. The world, post-Covid — although we’re not totally post-Covid — but this world, as it’s starting to open up again, has realized just how much software is vital to every industry, every business, and that bodes very well for people building software-enabled companies.”

Ohanian also talks about the FAANG ecosystem and the need to support the rebels.

“I’m most interested in the rebels always having a fighting chance, not just because it’s my business and my livelihood, but also because I think it’s better for innovation,” Ohanian said.

Below is a video of the entire interview. Enjoy!

Here is a quick history of Ohanian. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a German mother, Anke (née Prigge), and an Armenian father, Chris Ohanian. Chris’s grandparents came to the US as refugees after the Armenian Genocide. He went to Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland where he gave the student address for his graduating class in 2001. Ohanian’s net worth is about $70 million according to the 2019 Forbes estimate.