Henrique Dubugras
Stanford University (from Brazil) · Brex
The Brazilian Who Dropped Out of Stanford Twice and Built a $12 Billion Fintech
13 March 2026
Henrique Dubugras grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he co-founded a payments company called Pagar.me at age 16. After selling it, he moved to Stanford University — then dropped out to join Y Combinator.
The Corporate Card Problem
Dubugras and co-founder Pedro Franceschi noticed that startups couldn't get corporate credit cards because they had no credit history. Brex offered credit cards to startups based on their cash balance instead.
Record Y Combinator Growth
Brex became one of the fastest-growing Y Combinator companies ever. Within two years, they had signed up thousands of startups and raised over $300 million in equity funding.
$12.3 Billion Valuation
Brex reached a $12.3 billion valuation and expanded beyond startups to serve enterprises. Dubugras was just 25 when the company hit its peak valuation, making him one of the youngest fintech billionaires in history.
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