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Tikhon Bernstam
Tikhon Bernstam
Tikhon Bernstam
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Tikhon Bernstam (born 1979) is an American Internet entrepreneur who cofounded the companies Scribd and Parse.

Key Information

Background

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Bernstam grew up in Palo Alto, California and then attended Dartmouth College, where he studied economics, computer science, and physics and graduated summa cum laude.[1] Bernstam attended the Y Combinator program in 2006, launching Scribd.[2] He went on to attend the Y Combinator program again in 2011, this time co-founding Parse, a platform to help mobile developers create mobile applications.[3][4]

Bernstam is also an Angel investor and has invested in over 50 companies so far, including Optimizely, Scentbird and Crowdtilt.[5]

In 2012, Business Insider named Bernstam one of the top 15 CEOs to watch.[6]

Scribd.com

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In 2006, Tikhon Bernstam and partners Trip Adler and Jared Friedman started Scribd, the world's largest document sharing site and a top 250 most visited site on the internet.[7] Sometimes called the "YouTube for Documents," Scribd allows you to upload, share, and embed documents of almost any format.[8] More than 80 million active users visit the world's largest digital library each month.

Over 150 publishers, including HarperCollins, Random House, Wiley, Workman, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Pearson, Harvard University Press and Stanford University Press are associated with Scribd.[9]

Parse.com

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Main article: Parse

Parse is a cloud application platform powering tens of thousands of apps, including those for Cadillac, the Green Bay Packers, Home Depot, and the Food Network.[10]

Fast Company named Parse one of the top 50 most innovative companies of 2013.[11]

Parse was founded in 2011 by Tikhon Bernstam,[12] Ilya Sukhar, James Yu, and Kevin Lacker, a small group of seasoned Googlers and Y Combinator alums who got together to build a useful set of back-end tools for mobile developers. Parse offers services that help mobile developers store data in the cloud, manage identity log-ins, handle push notifications and run custom code in the cloud.

Facebook acquired Parse for $85 million in 2013.[13][14][15][16]

References

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Tikhon Bernstam

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from Grokipedia
Tikhon Bernstam is an American serial entrepreneur and best known for co-founding the digital document-sharing and subscription platform Scribd in 2007 and the mobile backend-as-a-service company Parse in 2011, the latter of which was acquired by in 2013 for approximately $85 million in cash and stock. Bernstam, an engineer and physicist by training, grew up in the and attended Dartmouth College, where he graduated at the top of his class with a degree in . He briefly pursued a PhD in physics but dropped out to launch his first startup. Following the success of Scribd, which grew into one of the world's largest online libraries with millions of users, Bernstam co-founded Parse to simplify app development by providing scalable cloud-based backend tools for mobile applications. After the acquisition, he transitioned into investing, serving as managing partner at Uncommon Capital, a venture firm focused on early-stage companies, and maintaining an active angel portfolio of over 70 investments in startups such as , , and Headspace. His work emphasizes engineering culture, hiring, and fundraising strategy for portfolio companies.

Early life and education

Early life

Tikhon Bernstam was born in 1979 and grew up in . His given name, Tikhon, is of Russian origin, derived from Greek roots meaning "hitting the mark" or "lucky," and is traditionally associated with Slavic cultures and the . The surname Bernstam is less commonly documented but appears predominantly in North American contexts. Bernstam grew up in Palo Alto, at the heart of , an epicenter of technological innovation that surrounded him with early exposure to computing and scientific advancements during his formative years. This environment likely shaped his budding interests in technology and science, paving the way for his later academic pursuits. He later attended for his higher education.

Dartmouth College

Tikhon Bernstam attended , where he pursued an education culminating in a B.A. in . Bernstam graduated summa cum laude in 2001, at the top of his class. He was also an early inductee into , the nation's oldest academic honor society, recognizing his exceptional scholarship as a junior. During his studies, Bernstam demonstrated particular excellence in , achieving top performance in advanced courses that emphasized algorithmic design and implementation. This academic rigor, combined with practical programming projects, honed his skills in , laying the groundwork for his future innovations in technology. His background in physics further enriched his approach to complex systems, influencing his later entrepreneurial endeavors in scalable tech platforms. After graduating, Bernstam briefly pursued a PhD in physics, focusing on , but dropped out to co-found through in 2006.

Entrepreneurial ventures

Scribd

Tikhon Bernstam co-founded in 2007 alongside and Jared Friedman as part of 's Summer 2006 batch (YC S06). The platform launched publicly in 2007 as a document-sharing site, allowing users to upload and share PDFs, Word documents, and other files, quickly gaining traction as a hub for academic papers, presentations, and creative works. Under Bernstam's involvement, evolved from a simple sharing tool into a comprehensive , incorporating features like embedded viewing and social sharing that facilitated its growth into the world's largest social publishing and document-sharing platform. As the technical co-founder, Bernstam played a key role in the , handling much of the initial coding and infrastructure scaling to support rapid user adoption. His contributions extended to product features that enhanced document accessibility and searchability, leveraging his programming expertise from Dartmouth to build a robust backend capable of handling millions of uploads. During his tenure through 2011, achieved key milestones, including partnerships with early advertisers and the introduction of monetization tools like document sales, which helped sustain operations amid explosive growth. Today, boasts over 200 million unique monthly visitors and ranks among the top 250 most-visited websites globally. The platform has expanded significantly, hosting over 195 million documents and securing partnerships with more than 150 publishers, including all five major trade publishers such as and , enabling unlimited access to ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines via subscription. These developments underscore 's transformation into a leading digital content ecosystem, building on the foundational innovations from its early years.

Parse

In 2011, Tikhon Bernstam co-founded Parse with Ilya Sukhar, James Yu, and Kevin Lacker as part of Y Combinator's Summer 2011 batch (YC S11). The startup emerged from the founders' prior experiences at Y Combinator-backed companies, including Bernstam's role at , and aimed to address inefficiencies in mobile backend development. Parse provided a backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platform tailored for developers, offering cloud-based tools to handle , user authentication, push notifications, and other server-side functions without requiring custom infrastructure. This approach allowed developers to focus on frontend app creation while leveraging Parse's scalable APIs and for and deployment. Bernstam's experience scaling Scribd's document platform informed Parse's emphasis on efficient, high-availability architecture to support growing user bases. The platform quickly gained traction, powering tens of thousands of apps and reaching millions of devices within its first two years. Notable adopters included major brands such as , which used it for mobile engagement features, and the for app backend services. By simplifying complex backend tasks, Parse enabled faster iteration for developers, contributing to its 40% month-over-month growth in active apps. Parse received early recognition for its innovation in the mobile ecosystem. In 2012, highlighted Bernstam as one of the top 15 up-and-coming CEOs in , praising his vision for democratizing app development. The following year, ranked Parse No. 32 on its list of Most Innovative Alumni for 2013, commending its role as a crucial for mobile backends. In April , Facebook acquired Parse for $85 million in a mix of cash and stock, aiming to bolster its mobile developer tools and expand beyond social networking. As a co-founder, Bernstam contributed to the early development and growth leading up to the acquisition, where Parse operated as a semi-independent unit within to maintain service continuity for its users. While the platform continued to grow post-acquisition—reaching over 500,000 apps by 2016—it encountered challenges in fully aligning with 's core priorities, leading to limited deeper ecosystem integration. announced the shutdown of Parse's hosted services in 2017, open-sourcing the platform to allow community continuation, though the focus of Bernstam's involvement remained on the founding and early growth phases that drove its success.

Venture capital career

Uncommon Capital

In 2021, Tikhon Bernstam co-founded Uncommon Capital alongside Jamie Quint, establishing it as a firm dedicated to early-stage investments in companies. The firm operates from , positioning itself as a dynamic investment vehicle that bridges operational expertise with capital deployment to support emerging software ventures. As Managing Partner, Bernstam leads Uncommon Capital's investment strategy, emphasizing pre-seed to Series A rounds in innovative sectors such as B2B SaaS, marketplaces, developer tools, , and frontier technologies. The firm's approach leverages the founders' hands-on experience as former operators to provide not only funding but also practical guidance in areas like product development, growth strategies, and , distinguishing it from traditional VC models. This operator-centric model draws directly from Bernstam's background in scaling tech companies, enabling targeted mentorship that accelerates portfolio growth. Bernstam's contributions to Uncommon Capital are rooted in his prior entrepreneurial successes, such as the acquisition of Parse by , which inform his focus on hiring, culture, and tactics for investees. Under his leadership, the firm maintains an average round size of approximately $3.65 million, prioritizing high-impact opportunities in software and tech to foster sustainable innovation. This selective strategy underscores Uncommon Capital's commitment to backing founders who can execute at scale, reflecting Bernstam's vision for a collaborative ecosystem.

Investment portfolio

Following the acquisition of Parse by Facebook in 2013, Bernstam began investing full-time as , committing personal capital to over 60 early-stage startups. This activity built on his entrepreneurial experience, with investments tracked at around 37 on platforms like , though his total involvement spans a broader portfolio. He has participated in seed and pre-seed rounds, often alongside prominent co-investors such as and . Among his notable investments are several high-profile companies, including , , Gusto (formerly ZenPayroll), Checkr, DocSend, Headspace, WayUp, Cruise, LendUp, Front, Quartzy, and Razorpay. These span sectors like software, , HR tech, and consumer , with a emphasis on scalable technology platforms. Bernstam has also served as an advisor in select deals, leveraging his technical expertise to support portfolio companies. Bernstam's investment philosophy centers on backing relentless founders in large markets, prioritizing strong teams over polished products and valuing references from top performers in the ecosystem. He shows a particular affinity for alumni and repeat entrepreneurs, many of whom he has supported through multiple ventures, while remaining open to solo founders with compelling visions. This approach reflects his belief that exceptional execution in scalable tech opportunities will drive long-term success. Several of Bernstam's investments have achieved significant outcomes, including the 2016 acquisition of Cruise by for over $1 billion, which highlighted his early-stage impact. Other portfolio companies like Checkr have reached status with substantial funding rounds exceeding $740 million as of May 2025. Currently, Bernstam channels much of his investment activity through Uncommon Capital, his venture firm co-founded in 2021, which facilitates co-investments in early-stage tech across global ecosystems.

References

  1. https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/scribd
  2. https://www.wsj.com/articles/DJFVW00020130425e94pqfahq
  3. https://uncommoncapital.vc/
  4. https://www.cbinsights.com/investor/tikhon-bernstam
  5. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323789704578445311737656822
  6. https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/106625-17
  7. https://nocap.blog/founder/tikhon-bernstam/
  8. https://www.scribd.com/document/907530412/Tikhon-Bernstam
  9. https://yourroots.com/first-name-meaning/tikhon
  10. https://forebears.io/surnames/bernstam
  11. https://www.speakerbookingagency.com/talent/tikhon-bernstam
  12. https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/the-challenges-a-repeat-founder-faces/
  13. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jul/22/scribd-trip-adler-youtube
  14. https://www.scribd.com/publisher/5618782/Scribd
  15. https://mixergy.com/interviews/tikhon-bernstam-parse-interview/
  16. https://www.scribd.com/about
  17. https://www.similarweb.com/website/scribd.com/
  18. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/96350-scribd-to-launch-credit-based-model-expand-big-five-partnerships.html
  19. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2011/11/28/parse-powers-back-end-for-mobile-app-developers/
  20. https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/11/parse-cloud-code/
  21. https://www.fastcompany.com/3005353/github-parse/
  22. https://www.businessinsider.com/25-hot-ceos-of-silicon-valley-startups-you-cant-afford-to-ignore-2012-8
  23. https://www.fastcompany.com/3025647/most-innovative-alumni-class-of-2013
  24. https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/25/facebook-parse/
  25. https://www.wired.com/2013/09/facebook-and-parse/
  26. https://medium.com/developers-writing/they-never-wanted-to-host-your-app-the-real-reasons-why-parse-shut-down-6ec3d7d5c53c
  27. https://www.zdnet.com/article/facebook-shuttering-parse-after-acquiring-it-for-85-million-in-2013/
  28. https://clay.earth/profile/tikhon-bernstam
  29. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/22502006
  30. https://nordic9.com/companies/uncommon-capital/
  31. https://medium.com/angellist-blog/inside-the-deal-tikhon-bernstams-investment-in-cruise-fd9bb16dd19a
  32. https://www.crunchbase.com/person/tikhon-bernstam
  33. https://signal.nfx.com/investors/tikhon-bernstam
  34. https://www.cbinsights.com/company/checkr/financials
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