James Loftus, managing partner at PayPal Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2025 Powerlist.

James Loftus was managing partner at PayPal Ventures (PPV) from 2022 until his recent departure in May. Founded in 2002, PayPal Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of PayPal, the US-based financial technology company supporting online money transfer. To date, the CVC has invested in more than 70 portfolio companies from three funds totalling $850m.
The team of 14, based in the Bay Area, New York and London, invest globally at the series A to C stages in areas of high strategic relevance to PayPal, including fintech, payments, commerce enablement, AI, blockchain and cryptocurrency, and regulatory/cyber technology.
“We have deliberately built a lean, yet highly connected team with deep industry and geographic expertise that reflects the global nature of innovation in fintech and commerce,” says Loftus.
He believes success comes when people are empowered to lead and make independent decisions. “We have collectively built a culture that values diverse perspectives and deep curiosity, creating an environment where people feel supported to take smart risks and lead with conviction.”
The focus at PPV continues to be on building relationships with founders who are solving real-world problems.
Despite the unsettled economic environment, innovation has not slowed its pace, especially with respect to AI. The focus at PPV continues to be on building relationships with founders who are solving real-world problems. PPV is committed to helping those founders and recently strengthened its operational capabilities to provide post-investment support.
AI remains a key focus area. The PPV team is interested in how AI intersects with fintech infrastructure, commerce enablement and SMB tooling. In line with PayPal’s mission and vision, the unit is also “thinking deeply about how emerging technologies can reshape consumer behaviour”.
Notable recent investments include Formance, the open source financial infrastructure provider, Olé Life, a Latin American digital life insurance provider, and Ume, a São Paulo-based credit platform.
Loftus has been interested in fintech his entire career, from being a part of the early days of Google Payments to setting up an investment fund at Cash App.

The Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist represents the 100 individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.
These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.