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Ian Crosby
@ianwcrosby
Let’s build great things and win. Founder & CEO @ Synthetic. Venture Partner @ Basis Set. Fmr CEO and Co-founder of @bench and Teal. Ex-Shopify, Ex-Mercury.
linkedin.com/in/iwcrosby/
Joined August 2011
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7,814
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  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Dec 27, 2024
    1/8 I’m very sad today to see that @Bench has shut down. I’ve avoided speaking publicly about Bench since just over 3 years ago when I was fired from the company I co-founded. I still don’t have a lot of appetite to talk about it tbh, but think at least a short statement is
    4.9M
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Dec 27, 2024
    Replying to @ianwcrosby and @Bench
    8/8 I hope the story of Bench goes on to become a warning for VCs that think they can “upgrade” a company by replacing the founder. It never works.
    301K
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Dec 27, 2024
    Replying to @ianwcrosby and @Bench
    7/8 So I moved on. I started off fresh and built a new company (Teal). Earlier this year we successfully exited to Mercury. Things are going well and I’m excited for what we’re up to.
    288K
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Dec 27, 2024
    Replying to @ianwcrosby and @Bench
    5/8 Rather than continuing to fight with me, they opted just to just replace me, thinking that they could run the company better themselves. I was totally convinced that their approach would destroy the company. I opted to resign rather than fight. Because on the off-chance that
    390K
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Dec 27, 2024
    Replying to @ianwcrosby and @Bench
    6/8 I reasoned that if they were right and I’m just a wrong-headed founder who won’t listen, then I should just fully get out of the way so they can see their vision through. And on a personal level, I just didn’t think I could stand to watch them dismantle the company I had
    309K
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Dec 27, 2024
    Replying to @ianwcrosby and @Bench
    4/8 I had been battling with some of the board members over strategy. They wanted me to take the company in a new direction that I thought was a very bad idea. I wanted to continue with what was working and with what our partners had signed on to distribute. I was intransigent.
    285K
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Dec 27, 2024
    Replying to @ianwcrosby and @Bench
    2/8 In November 2021 I went out for what I thought would be a regular lunch with one of my board members. We had just raised a Series C and turned down a highly lucrative acquisition offer. We had budding partnerships with companies like Shopify that were interested in the
    362K
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Dec 27, 2024
    Replying to @ianwcrosby and @Bench
    3/8 The board member thanked me for bringing the company to this point, but that they would be hiring a new professional CEO to “take the company to the next level.”
    323K
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Nov 30, 2020
    I’m an EWOK type, I don’t get along with ATST but I love JEDI. Anyone who laughs at this tweet is a NERD.
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Feb 22, 2022
    I'm excited to share that I've joined @Shopify to lead Product for Balance! shopify.com/balance I'm looking forward to making Balance not just a massively successful product, but a very special one in the lives of our merchants. We're hiring UX/Product/Eng - DM me!
    Image
    A financial account optimized for commerce | Shopify Balance
    From shopify.com
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Sep 6, 2024
    Today I'm excited to announce that Teal has been acquired by @mercury! We're very excited to make banking and accounting seamless for accountants and entrepreneurs.
    user avatar
    immad
    Mercury
    @immad
    Sep 6, 2024
    Excited to make our first acquisition and make great things with @ianwcrosby and team!
    57K
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Sep 10, 2019
    I've been using this card and everything about the UX is absurdly better than any other corporate card I've ever used. Thank you @patrickc, @cjc, and the entire @stripe team for making this card a reality. We're excited to bring it to @Bench's clients. stripe.com/corporate-card
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Jun 3, 2021
    Two huge announcements @Bench! 1. Today, Bench re-launches as an all-in-one financial platform with banking, bookkeeping, taxes, and advice, all designed to work together beautifully. 2. Bench has raised a $60M Series C from Contour, Altos, iNovia, BMO T&I, Sage, and Shopify.
    user avatar
    Report on Business
    @globebusiness
    Jun 3, 2021
    Shopify invests in Vancouver’s Bench Accounting dlvr.it/S0zKl4
  • user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Oct 29, 2025
    I'm re-evaluating my life decisions to optimize everything for slope. Just decided to move to SF. Who should I meet that has built a great in-person SF company?
    user avatar
    Ian Crosby
    @ianwcrosby
    Oct 28, 2025
    I'm unsatisfied with my success in life to-date. I have been half-assing it. I am now pushing myself to exercise extreme agency and level up.
    69K