Devin Finzer

Finzer studied computer science at Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private nonprofit research university in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the Ivy League. Chartered by Rhode Island's colonial legislature in 1764, it is known for its undergraduate Open Curriculum, which has no common required core. Christina H. Paxson, president since July 2012, announced on August 3, 2026, that the 2026–27 academic year would be her last in office. As of October 1, 2026, the search for Brown's 20th president remained underway.Open the full entry, where he started a college business called CourseKick with Dylan FieldDylan FieldDylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma and an angel investor. He studied computer science and mathematics at Brown University, explored browser-based design tools with Evan Wallace, and founded Figma in 2012 with support from the Thiel Fellowship. His personal history also includes collecting digital art and investing in companies such as Mercury and Socket.Open the full entry, who later founded Figma.⁠[1]

He later worked as a growth engineer at Pinterest and sold a company he had previously founded to Credit KarmaCredit KarmaCredit Karma is a US personal finance platform owned by Intuit. It grew from free credit scores and reports beginning in 2007 into financial-product comparisons, cash-flow and net-worth tools. It earns revenue through arrangements including referral commissions from financial partners and is not a bank.Open the full entry.⁠[1]

In late 2017 Finzer co-founded OpenSea with Alex AtallahAlex AtallahAlex Atallah is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur, the co-founder and chief executive officer of OpenRouter, and a co-founder and director of OpenSea. He studied at Stanford University and worked on software projects including at Palantir, co-founded OpenSea with Devin Finzer in 2017, and later turned to AI model access and routing infrastructure. In August 2026, Stripe announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire OpenRouter.Open the full entry, who had built cybersecurity products at PalantirPalantirPalantir is a U.S. enterprise software company founded in 2003 that provides data and artificial intelligence platforms including Gotham, Foundry, Palantir Apollo, and AIP, serving government and commercial organizations. The company went public through a direct listing in 2020 and now trades on Nasdaq under the ticker PLTR.Open the full entry and studied computer science at StanfordStanford UniversityStanford University is a research university in California founded by Leland and Jane Stanford in 1885 and opened in 1891.Open the full entry; Finzer became chief executive and Atallah chief technology officer. OpenSea is a marketplace where users discover, buy and sell NFTs and see their provenance and sales history.⁠[2][1][3]

In March 2021 Andreessen HorowitzAndreessen HorowitzAndreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. It invests from the seed stage through the growth stage and provides operational support to its portfolio companies.Open the full entry led OpenSea’s $23 million Series A, with participation from a16z’s Cultural Leadership Fund and angel investors including Ron Conway, Mark CubanMark CubanMark Cuban is an American entrepreneur and investor whose early work in computer systems and internet audio and video expanded into sports, film, venture investment and pharmaceuticals. He was the Dallas Mavericks’ controlling owner and a longstanding investor on Shark Tank, and co-founded Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company.Open the full entry, Tim Ferriss, Naval RavikantNaval RavikantNaval Ravikant is an entrepreneur and angel investor and a co-founder of AngelList. Early on he co-founded the review site Epinions; he and Babak Nivi later grew AngelList out of the startup-fundraising blog Venture Hacks, and he co-founded the cryptocurrency hedge fund MetaStable Capital and Spearhead, which backs founders to make angel investments. His views on startups and life were compiled into the book The Almanack of Naval Ravikant.Open the full entry and Ben Silbermann; a16z general partner Katie Haun wrote about the investment on March 17.⁠[1][2]

In his March 18 announcement Finzer wrote that OpenSea aimed to “build an ocean, not an aquarium,” meaning that any NFT project could plug into the marketplace, and stressed that the NFTs traded on it are owned by users.⁠[2]

On May 25, 2021, the a16z YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel released the video “NFT Uses for Today (and Tomorrow),” a conversation between Finzer, as OpenSea’s CEO and co-founder, and a16z general partner Katie Haun about current NFT use cases and the “tokenization of everything.”⁠[4]

The conversation was recorded at the a16z NFT Summit, co-hosted by Andreessen Horowitz and the Stanford Center for Blockchain Research.⁠[4]

On July 20, 2021, Finzer announced that OpenSea had raised a $100 million Series B led by a16z, with participation from CoatueCoatueCoatue is a technology- and innovation-focused investment management firm founded by Philippe Laffont in 1999, operating in both public and private markets. Its current website lists Thomas Laffont as co-founder and chief investment officer of private investments; a Form ADV filed on July 29, 2026, disclosed regulatory assets under management of $92,705,722,582.Open the full entry, Michael OvitzMichael OvitzMichael Ovitz is an American Hollywood agent and businessman, a co-founder of the talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which he chaired from 1975 to 1995, and was once regarded as one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood. He briefly served as President of The Walt Disney Company from 1995 to 1996, and his severance gave rise to shareholder litigation lasting nearly a decade; he later headed Artists Management Group and turned to technology investing and advisory work.Open the full entry, Kevin Hartz, Dylan Field, Kevin DurantKevin DurantKevin Durant is an NBA forward who entered the league in 2007 and has played for the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, the Golden State Warriors, the Brooklyn Nets, the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets. He was the 2014 league MVP, has won two NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards as well as four Olympic gold medals, and co-founded Thirty Five Ventures and Boardroom with Rich Kleiman.Open the full entry, Ashton Kutcher and Tobi LutkeTobias LütkeTobias Lütke, who also goes by Tobi Lütke, is a programmer, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Shopify, and a startup investor. He took part in the Ruby on Rails open-source community, has served as Shopify’s CEO since April 2008, and joined the board of Coinbase in 2022.Open the full entry. “NFTs are emerging as one of the first consumer-oriented killer applications for blockchains,” he wrote.⁠[5]

On January 4, 2022, Finzer announced that OpenSea had raised $300 million in Series C funding led by Paradigm and Coatue at a $13.3 billion post-money valuation.⁠[6]

On November 3, 2023, Finzer announced on X that the company was reorganizing around “OpenSea 2.0” and shifting to “a smaller team with a direct connection to users”; a company representative said about 50% of employees were affected. Finzer wrote that “at times, OpenSea feels like a follower, not a leader.”⁠[7]

On August 28, 2024, Finzer disclosed that OpenSea had received a Wells notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, signaling that the agency was considering a lawsuit against the company. He said OpenSea believed it operated legally and that users buying and selling NFTs on it were not trading securities, wrote that “Classifying NFTs as securities would not only misinterpret the law,” and announced that “OpenSea is pledging $5M to cover legal fees for NFT artists and developers that receive a Wells notice.”⁠[8]

On February 13, 2025, OpenSea introduced OS2, a platform combining NFT and token trading, and the OpenSea Foundation announced the upcoming launch of the SEA token.⁠[9]

On February 21, 2025, the SEC informed OpenSea that it was dropping its case, without having alleged fraud. Finzer said, “This outcome allows creators to continue shaping the future of digital ownership and innovation.”⁠[10]

On March 16, 2026, Finzer announced on X that the OpenSea Foundation was postponing the SEA token, which had been planned for a March 30 event, without giving a new date. Acknowledging that “A delay is a delay,” he cited difficult crypto market conditions and said, “SEA only launches once.”⁠[11]

OpenSea: Official website: https://opensea.io/ (opens in a new window).⁠[3]

X: Public account: https://x.com/dfinzer (opens in a new window).⁠[11][7]