Andrei joined in 2014 and focuses on enterprise software, developer-oriented software, open-source, security, financial services, and Web3/crypto. Prior to Accel, he worked with Foundation Capital and KCG/Virtu, the largest equities high-frequency trading firm in the US. He also helped build an algorithmic trading startup on Wall Street focused on commodity futures. Andrei is from Romania and graduated from Princeton and Harvard.
Get to know Andrei
What was your first job?
In the old NYMEX building overlooking the Hudson, on a floor above what could have been the movie set for "Trading Places," three of us were sitting in a small room full of screens, crunching statistical models to trade commodities for our start-up fund. While we failed to build the next Renaissance Technologies, I learned a lot about how hard it is to get a new company off the ground and, more importantly, about the impact technology can have in reshaping legacy industries.
What is one thing you can’t live without?
Walking! I walk everywhere. I walk to work, I walk my kids to school, I walk during calls, I take walking meetings, and I even take my breakfast while walking. I find it's a great way to explore a city or nature, let my mind wander, and get a real sense of distance. Things that seem far are much closer, which is a mindset I apply in my day-to-day as well.
What’s your all-time favourite movie, TV show, or book?
East of Eden by John Steinbeck. This book encapsulates all of human nature, showcasing the tension between inheriting your roots and forging your own path, the choice between good and evil, the power of free will, and the value of entrepreneurial spirit.
