Lachy Groom spent about seven years at Stripe, where Lenny's Newsletter says he was Head of Stripe Issuing, then became one of the most active US angel investors, ninth over five years. TechCrunch says his early bets included Figma, Notion, Ramp and Lattice, and Lenny's says he co-founded the robotics company Physical Intelligence.
This profile is built from dated public sources: Lenny's Newsletter and Crunchbase, TechCrunch, NFX Signal and the company's own site. It does not estimate his returns or net worth, and where the sources disagree it says so. Two things this page's title implies, "employee #1" and a fintech focus, are only partly what those sources show.
Who is Lachy Groom?
Lenny's Newsletter, working with Crunchbase data in December 2024, describes Groom as someone who spent seven years at Stripe as Head of Stripe Issuing, became a very active investor after leaving, and co-founded Physical Intelligence while continuing to invest. It places him ninth among the most active US angels over the previous five years, with investments including Figma, Notion, Anduril, Deel, NexHealth, Speak, WorkOS and Mainframe.
TechCrunch's January 2026 profile adds the arc. After leaving Stripe, where he was an early employee, he spent roughly five years as an angel investor, making early bets on Figma, Notion, Ramp and Lattice while looking for a company to start or join. TechCrunch reports that he treated investing as a way to stay active and meet people, not as the endgame.
Was Lachy Groom Stripe's first employee?
No source used here says so. TechCrunch calls him an early employee, Lenny's gives seven years and the Head of Issuing title, and NFX Signal's profile lists Head of Stripe Issuing from 2012 to 2018. Those dates and the seven years in Lenny's do not line up exactly, so this page describes him as an early Stripe employee and leaves out any employee number.
For context on the company he worked at, see how Stripe became the most valuable private fintech company.
Is Lachy Groom a fintech angel?
Partly. Ramp is among his early bets according to TechCrunch, and Lenny's lists fintech among his areas. But the same sources show a wider spread:
Lenny's says he invests across B2B SaaS, fintech, infrastructure, healthtech and AI.
Figma and Notion, two of the companies TechCrunch names, are product software, not financial services.
TechCrunch says his first robotics investment was Standard Bots in 2021. It also says he then followed the academic work of Sergey Levine and Chelsea Finn and, hearing they might start a company, tracked down Karol Hausman, a Google DeepMind researcher, which led to Physical Intelligence.
If you are a fintech founder, he is one possible fit among several, not the only kind of founder he has backed.
How much does he invest, and is he still investing?
NFX Signal lists an investment range of $100,000 to $10 million with a sweet spot of $1 million, and links a Wall Street Journal item headlined as a report that he was raising about $100 million for a second fund. The WSJ item appears only as a headline in Signal's list, and the headline suggests he has raised outside money, not only invested his own. Signal's figures are a database listing, not a statement from Groom, so ask him directly.
On whether he is still active: TechCrunch describes his angel period as roughly five years, followed by Physical Intelligence, and says he never intended to become a full-time investor. A founder pitching him should assume his time is committed to the robotics company, check recent activity, and not rely on the 2024 ranking.
What is Physical Intelligence, and what is his role?
Physical Intelligence describes itself as a group of engineers, scientists, roboticists and company builders developing learning algorithms for a model that could control any robot to do any task. Groom appears among the authors of its research releases, including the π0.5 paper.
On financing, SiliconANGLE reported in November 2025 that the company had reportedly closed a $600 million round at a $5.6 billion valuation led by Alphabet's CapitalG, citing reports by The Information and Bloomberg based on unnamed sources; the company had not officially disclosed it. TechCrunch's January 2026 piece says the company, which it calls two years old, had raised over $1 billion, was valued at $5.6 billion by investors including Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Thrive Capital, and had about 80 employees. It does not state his title.
What can founders take from his path?
Read the portfolio for fit, not prestige. The sources name product tools such as Figma and Notion alongside a robotics company, Standard Bots. The fintech investment thesis for 2026 covers one sector from the investor side.
An angel's priorities change. Groom moved from investing to building. Before you pitch any angel, check what they are doing now.
Activity is not endorsement. Where he ranks on the most active angel investors list tells you about volume of deals, not about whether he would back you.
For how to reach angels like him, see how to find angel investors for your startup. Other profiles are in the investor profiles section, including Scott Belsky.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Who is Lachy Groom?
An angel investor and entrepreneur who was an early Stripe employee and spent roughly five years investing after leaving, according to TechCrunch, and who co-founded Physical Intelligence, according to Lenny's Newsletter. Lenny's ranks him ninth among the most active US angels over five years.
Q:Was Lachy Groom Stripe's first employee?
None of the sources used here says that. They describe him as an early employee who led Stripe Issuing, with tenure given as seven years by Lenny's and 2012 to 2018 by NFX Signal.
Q:What has Lachy Groom invested in?
Sources name Figma, Notion, Ramp, Lattice, Anduril, Deel, NexHealth, Speak, WorkOS, Mainframe and Standard Bots. None of the sources gives a complete portfolio.
Q:What is Physical Intelligence?
A robotics AI company developing models intended to control any robot for any task. TechCrunch reported in January 2026 that it had raised over $1 billion at a $5.6 billion valuation.
Q:Is Lachy Groom still angel investing?
The sources show an angel period of roughly five years followed by his work at Physical Intelligence, and none confirms current check-writing. Ask him directly and verify recent activity before you plan a pitch around him.