Managing Partner
ParadigmCheck size: Paradigm invests at every stage, from first check through public markets. Its fourth fund is $1.2 billion, but neither the firm nor Alana publishes a personal check range; the fund size is therefore not treated as her check authority.
Alana co-leads a research- and builder-led strategy that backs ambitious technical founders from first check through public markets. Paradigm began in crypto and now targets the fastest-moving technology frontiers, including AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, autonomous systems, space and defense, while continuing to invest in crypto-native markets and financial infrastructure.
Ambitious frontier builders, steep technological exponentials, technical depth close to the underlying systems, founders willing to discard stale playbooks, and opportunities where research or open-source building can materially improve the company or ecosystem. Her board and advisory roles also indicate active interest in space, defense, AI, advanced manufacturing, and financial infrastructure.
No personal pass list is published. The firm's current language implies weaker fit for conventional businesses without a meaningful technology frontier, teams lacking technical depth, and opportunities where Paradigm cannot contribute through research, building, product, business, or policy. These are inferred filters, not stated personal exclusions.
Lead with the frontier-level technical change and why now, then show the founding team's earned insight, product or protocol architecture, initial wedge, and path to a large enduring market. Be explicit about how Paradigm's research, engineering, product, policy, or incubation capacity can accelerate the company. For regulated markets, cover market structure and policy; for physical technologies, cover validation, manufacturing, and deployment milestones.
Assess whether the relevant technology is improving fast enough to overturn incumbent assumptions and create a new product, market, or institution rather than merely optimize an existing one.
Develop conviction through direct research, code, protocols, products, or technical collaboration and identify the specific engineering, research, policy, or company-building work Paradigm can contribute.
Identify which industry assumptions no longer hold because of a steep technical exponential, then derive the market and company strategy again from current fundamentals.
Paradigm's fourth fund extends its close-to-the-metal research, building, and investing approach from crypto into AI, robotics, manufacturing, autonomous systems, space, defense, and other fast-moving frontiers.
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Alana has 20 years of asset-management experience from Cascade Investments, Russell Investments, and Boston University. She holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a B.S. in Finance from Pacific Lutheran University. She serves on the boards of Antares, Crown, and True Anomaly as an observer, advises Tempo, and serves on the CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee on emerging financial-market technologies.