Immad Akhund

Akhund entered Clare College, University of Cambridge, in 2002 to study computer science and completed his studies there. His subsequent career centered on software startups, moving from early web tools to gaming advertising and business fintech.⁠[1]

In 2006, he co-founded RevMap; in 2007, he joined Clickpass as CTO, a project that went through Y Combinator and was sold in 2008. These experiences preceded Heyzap and Mercury, to which he later devoted many years.⁠[1]

In 2009, Akhund co-founded Heyzap with Jude Gomila. The company later built businesses in mobile advertising and ad monetization.⁠[1][2]

In January 2016, RNTS Media announced that it had completed its acquisition of Heyzap. The deal’s initial consideration was $20 million, with up to $25 million in additional contingent consideration, so $45 million is the cap on the potential total.⁠[2]

In 2017, Akhund founded Mercury with Jason Zhang and Max Tagher, serving as CEO. In April 2019, the product exited private beta and launched publicly. The team aimed to improve the experience of startups opening accounts and using cash management tools, with business services provided jointly by partner banks and Mercury’s software.⁠[3][4]

In a later interview, he recalled that the team had to handle requirements such as multiple account owners, onboarding immigrant founders, checks, and multiple types of transfers at the same time. Switching partner banks delayed the launch, and the team used that time to keep improving the front-end account opening flow. This experience reflects how technical design and bank operating conditions affect each other in financial product development.⁠[5]

In July, Mercury closed a $120 million Series B at a $1.62 billion valuation, with investors including Coatue and 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.⁠[6]

In September, digital asset infrastructure company Zero Hash announced a $35 million Series C led by Point72Point72Point72 is an alternative investment manager founded by Steven A. Cohen and headquartered in Stamford, United States, with equities, systematic, macro, private credit and venture capital businesses. It formally adopted the Point72 Asset Management name in 2014.Open the full entry Ventures, in which Akhund invested. The announcement did not disclose the amount of his personal investment.⁠[7]

During Akhund’s tenure as CEO, Mercury introduced the Vault cash management arrangement and turned Mercury Raise into an always-open startup resource platform; in 2024, it also integrated bill pay, invoicing, and accounting workflows. The company’s services extended further from business accounts to financial software and startup support.⁠[8][9][10]

In December 2025, Mercury applied to establish Mercury Bank, N.A., with Jon Auxier slated to lead the bank and Akhund continuing to lead the fintech parent company. In April 2026, the OCC granted preliminary conditional approval; on September 9, Akhund announced that the FDIC had approved the application for deposit insurance, with an expected opening in 2027. He made clear that the company was still providing services through partner banks at the time.⁠[3][11][12]

On September 9, Akhund publicly expressed his support for Lightfield and shared its funding news. That day, Lightfield announced a $47 million Series A led by a16zAndreessen 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; the round total is not Akhund’s personal investment, and his specific contribution was not disclosed.⁠[13][14]

Mercury: Official website: https://mercury.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[15]