Founder Intelligence
Zach Perret
Open banking allows consumers to own their financial data, unlocking a more competitive, innovative, and accessible financial ecosystem.
- Role
- Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
- Company
- Plaid
- Country
- United States
- Company founded
- 2013
Ecosystem Connection Map
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Overview
Structured founder intelligence — role, focus, and why this person matters in the AI ecosystem.
Zach Perret is an American technology entrepreneur who serves as Chief Executive Officer of Plaid. Perret co-founded Plaid in 2013 with William Hockey, establishing the open banking network that connects over 8,000 fintech applications to 12,000 global financial institutions.
Why it matters
Perret built the connective financial tissue that allows modern AI agents and automated financial assistants to securely interact with the traditional global banking system.
Editorial insight
Perret built the connectivity layer that a large share of consumer fintech apps rely on to link bank accounts, making Plaid a foundational piece of infrastructure for AI-driven lending and personal finance products.
Career & Timeline
Verified career context from this founder profile.
Background & Bain & Company
Perret studied chemistry and biology at Duke University. He began his career as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company, where he analyzed retail banking systems and realized that legacy core banking software lacked modern APIs for consumer applications.
- Company founded Plaid was founded in 2013 per the company profile source on file. Source
- 2013: Founded by Zach Perret and William Hockey. Source
- Acquisition January 2020: Visa announces an agreement to acquire Plaid for $5.3 billion. Source
- November 2020: The U.S. Department of Justice sues to block the Visau2013Plaid merger on antitrust grounds. Source
- January 2021: Visa and Plaid mutually terminate the merger agreement; Visa continues on as an investor. Source
- Funding April 2021: Plaid raises a Series D round at a $13.4 billion valuation. Source
- Funding February 2026: Plaid secures a new funding round at an $8 billion valuation, reported to be aimed at providing employees liquidity for… Source
Companies
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Products
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Plaid API
Explore Plaid API by Plaid. Verified AI product intelligence covering core capabilities, Finance use cases, technical architecture, and…
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Technologies & Expertise
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Industries & Use Cases
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Industries
Ecosystem
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Acquisitions
- November 2020: The U.S. Department of Justice sues to block the Visa–Plaid merger on antitrust grounds.
- January 2021: Visa and Plaid mutually terminate the merger agreement; Visa continues on as an investor.
Funding
Verified funding disclosures from the connected company profile.
- April 2021: Plaid raises a Series D round at a $13.4 billion valuation.
- February 2026: Plaid secures a new funding round at an $8 billion valuation, reported to be aimed at providing employees liquidity for their shares.
Latest Developments
Recent milestones from the connected organization.
- February 2026: Plaid secures a new funding round at an $8 billion valuation, reported to be aimed at providing employees liquidity for their shares.
- Development Source
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FAQ
Answers restated from verified fields on this profile.
Who is Zach Perret?
Zach Perret is an American entrepreneur and technology executive serving as Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Plaid, the financial data network connecting apps to bank accounts.
Where did Zach Perret study and work before Plaid?
Perret graduated from Duke University with degrees in biology and chemistry and worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company in Atlanta, focusing on technology and financial services.
What AI innovations has Plaid built under Zach Perret?
Under Perret, Plaid launched Plaid Signal, an AI-powered risk scoring engine that evaluates transaction networks to predict payment returns and fraud in real time.
Sources & Verification
Primary sources
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