Sankaet Pathak | |
|---|---|
| Education | MS in electrical engineering, University of Memphis |
| Occupations | Entrepreneur and businessman |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Known for | Founder of Synapse Financial Technologies and Foundation |
| Website | foundation |
Sankaet Pathak is an Indian-American businessman and entrepreneur known for founding the robotics startup Foundation, and fintech company Synapse Financial Technologies.
Sankaet Pathak grew up in Rajasthan, India. [1] He moved to Tennessee to attend the University of Memphis, [2] where he studied computer engineering, mathematics and physics. He graduated with a master's degree in electrical engineering. [3] In 2014, he was an inaugural Crews Center Entrepreneurship Fellow at the FedEx Institute of Technology. [4] [5]
While living with roommates in Twin Peaks, San Francisco, Pathak founded the banking as a service (BaaS) platform Synapse Financial Technologies. [2] The company was originally founded to provide banking services to traditionally underbanked customers. [6] The company launched in 2014 and raised $51 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz. [7] [8] It partnered with around 100 financial technology companies including Dave and Honey, [2] and indirectly provided banking services to an estimated 10 million retail customers. [9] In 2022, the company was listed as one of the 100 fastest growing financial services companies in the United States by Inc. Magazine. [10]
In 2024, after ten years of operations, the company filed for bankruptcy. [11] Tens of thousands of customers were found without access to funds for an extended period. [12] Due in part to inadequate ledgering, a shortfall of $65m to $95m was reported to be missing. [13] As of 2026, reimbursement from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Civil Penalty Fund is pending. [14]
In 2024, Pathak co-founded Foundation Robotics Labs with Arjun Sethi. [15] It is a humanoid robotics startup, [16] with a goal of producing autonomous humanoid robots capable of automating manual labor. [17] The company launched an $11 million seed round, with investments led by Tribe Capital. [18] [19] That year, Pathak appeared on the Forbes ' list of the "Biggest Career Comebacks Of 2024". [20]
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