At Brex, more than 100 alumni have gone on to become founders — four times the industry average. That’s not a coincidence. It’s part of our culture.

“Be the founder of your career” is how we build, how we grow, and how we celebrate what’s next.

Today, we’re spotlighting one of those alumni: Alex Pareto, who spent five years at Brex helping scale a key product and is now starting a company of his own.

From builder to founder

Alex joined Brex in 2019 as an engineer on our card team, but it wasn’t long before he was asked to take on a new challenge: help build expense management from the ground up. The product didn’t exist yet — no backend systems, no UI, no codebase. Just a Google Doc and a bold idea.

“When I joined, the product was basically a doc. I was thrown into it and told: go build it. The scale, the speed, and the ownership made it one of the most defining experiences of my career.”

Alex helped architect the foundations of Brex’s spend management platform, building flexible data models, scalable policy logic, and a modular approvals engine to support fast-growing customers at every stage. He grew from individual contributor to tech lead to senior engineering manager, eventually leading a team of 40+ engineers across Brex’s largest and fastest-growing product.

That rapid growth also fueled his curiosity about what might come next. Alex had always been intrigued by the idea of starting a company, but the work at Brex was meaningful and the people around him were world-class.

“One of the great things about Brex is how many people have started companies or plan to. I learned so much just by being here, and by working closely with Pedro and the leadership team over the years. That exposure really stayed with me.”

Making the leap

About a year and a half ago, Alex started building again — first experimenting with an internal AI tool, then, more recently, exploring new ideas with a close friend.

He hadn’t set a timeline. But the idea stuck.

“You’re surrounded by ambitious people. You see Brex alumni go off to start companies. It creates this energy, like starting something is the natural next step.”

The timing was tough. Alex was still energized by his work and his team. But a close teammate offered the push he needed: “The only good reason to leave Brex is to start your own company.” So that’s exactly what he did.

When Brex leadership heard, the response was immediate and supportive.

“James (CTO) reached out and said, ‘We’re super excited for you. Let us know how we can help.’ That made it feel safe to be open about what I was working on.”

That support went beyond words. Alex was given time to thoughtfully transition his team. Leaders offered guidance on navigating offers and early-stage fundraising. Brex Co-founder and CEO Pedro Franceschi personally vouched for Alex to investors, providing valuable insights into Alex's journey as a builder and leader.

“From reference calls to candid advice, it made a real difference. I didn’t need to hide what I was doing. I felt supported at every step.”

What he’s building

Alex is building in stealth, and isn’t ready to reveal all the details, but his new company builds on lessons from his time at Brex.

“A lot of my work around ERP automation really fed into this. We’re applying similar thinking to a very different industry, one that hasn’t had the same kind of modern tooling.”

He and his cofounder are building with the same mindset that defined Alex’s time at Brex — moving fast, dreaming big, and taking full ownership from vision to execution.

That’s what it means to be the founder of your career: you grow here, you stretch here, and when the time comes, you take what you’ve learned and build what’s next.

Advice for the next founder

Alex shared some advice for any fellow Brex employees thinking about starting something:

“Dream big, and work backwards. That Brex mindset really stuck with me. I looked back recently at an old goal doc from my first year at Brex. At the time, it felt impossible. Five years later, we’d hit every goal and more.”

The Brex founder mindset

Alex joins a growing community of Brex alumni who are shaping what’s next, and we’re honored to have played a small part in his story. We’re excited to support him as he begins this next chapter and can’t wait to see what he builds. The product may still be in stealth, but the ambition is clear.

If this story resonated with you, and you're someone who wants to build, stretch, and take ownership of your next chapter, we’d love to meet you. 👉 Come join us