Chris Larsen

Chris Larsen is an American business executive and angel investor best known for co-founding several Silicon Valley technology startups, including one based on peer to peer lending. In 1996 he co-founded the online mortgage lender E-Loan, and during his tenure as CEO E-Loan became the first company to freely provide consumers' FICO credit scores. By 2000 E-Loan's market value was estimated at $1 billion, and Larsen left the company when it was sold to Banco Popular in 2005. In 2006 he co-founded Prosper Marketplace, the first peer-to-peer lending marketplace in the United States, and he served as CEO until 2012. Later in 2012 he co-founded the company Ripple Labs, Inc., which developed Ripple, software that enables the instant and direct transfer of money between two parties. As of 2015 Larsen continues to serve as CEO.

Self-described as "radically pro-consumer," Larsen has been a vocal advocate of financial privacy in California, and in 2001 he co-founded the coalition Californians for Privacy Now. He has appeared as a speaker at industry events such as Sibos, SWIFT's flagship conference, and written articles for publications such as American Banker. He is also a board-member or advisor for organizations such as Credit Karma, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Qifang, and Betable.