Chris Larsen is an American entrepreneur, angel investor, and the self-made billionaire co-founder of Ripple (cryptocurrency/payments platform) and E-Loan (online mortgage pioneer). His background is rooted in humility and practicality: he was a first-generation college student, and his father was an airline mechanic in San Jose. Larsen initially studied aeronautics before transferring to San Francisco State University (SF State), where he graduated in 1984 with a B.S. in accounting and business administration—majors he chose because he viewed them as intensely practical.

His financial education was cemented at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was mentored by entrepreneurship expert Jim Collins. Larsen's commitment to aggressively pursuing transformative ideas (often summarized as cut the lifeboats) led him to pioneer the democratization of finance in the internet age.

Chris Larsen's career is marked by three successive major disruptions in financial technology. 1991: E-Loan. He co-founded E-Loan, one of America's first online mortgage lending service providers. While there, he pioneered the open-access to credit scores movement, making E-Loan the first company to show consumers their FICO scores, aiming to democratize lending. 2005: Prosper. He co-founded Prosper, the first peer-to-peer (P2P) lending marketplace in the United States, inspired by hui, a traditional Vietnamese group lending practice.

2012: Ripple. His biggest venture: co-founding Ripple Labs, a global decentralized network that uses the digital asset XRP to facilitate instant, low-cost cross-border payments for financial institutions. Ripple is built to solve the same international payment inefficiency he witnessed years earlier. Larsen’s pioneering role in blockchain technology secured his multi-billion dollar fortune. He has also committed massively to philanthropy, signing the Giving Pledge.

Chris Larsen is a major philanthropist, focusing on digital inclusion, global health, and technology innovation. He and his wife, Lyna Lam, have made massive donations to his alma mater, SF State, establishing the Lam Family College of Business (named in honor of his father-in-law, a Cambodian immigrant). He also founded Rippleworks, a non-profit that supports social entrepreneurs globally.

His structural social impact is the successful creation of platforms that democratize access to credit (E-Loan, Prosper) and international payments (Ripple), aiming to build an open financial system for the world.

Chris Larsen maintains the pragmatic, intellectual style of a seasoned Silicon Valley founder. His attire is consistently professional and high-quality, favoring business casual wear that reflects his focus on engineering and financial integrity. His aesthetic is one of confident, measured risk.

Residing in San Francisco, California, his luxury is the profound financial security and autonomy derived from his dominance in the crypto and fintech world. His life is defined by his commitment to innovation and his dedication to creating a more accessible and efficient global financial system.