James Robinson
Founder and General Partner·RRE Ventures
Bio
Professional summary
James Robinson is a Founder and General Partner at RRE Ventures. RRE’s official profile says he co-founded the firm and has invested in more than sixty companies while serving on nearly fifty boards. His core investment focus is businesses transforming industries through network effects, intelligence, and decentralization, including early bets in mobile payments and blockchains. RRE lists him as a director of Abra, Netsertive, Noom, and PebblePost and a board observer at BitPay and HYPR. The profile also notes early investments in ARCA, Bitnomial, Digital Currency Group, Earn, Lightning Labs, Paxos, and Ripple, as well as recognition on the Forbes Midas List and Institutional Investor's Top Fintech Investors list. He previously worked at H&Q Venture Capital and JP Morgan and founded IV Systems. He holds an MBA from Harvard and a combined degree in Business Administration and Computer Science from Antioch College.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
Sector
Thesis
Notable companies
Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Strong fit for companies with network effects, fintech infrastructure, blockchain, decentralization, or AI-enabled market transformation.
Partneralization hooks
- 1Reference his early mobile payments and blockchain investments.
- 2For fintech or crypto-adjacent startups, connect to investments such as Paxos, Ripple, Lightning Labs, BitPay, or Venmo.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- RRE VenturesCo-Founder & General Partner1994–present
- Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT)Board Member
- Partnership Fund for New York CityBoard Member
- New York CityTaxi Driverpre-career
Education
- Harvard Business SchoolMBA
- Antioch CollegeBA, Business and Computer Science
Skills
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