A macro-minded fintech investor building the future of financial services — one decision-making engine at a time. Yale philosopher turned venture capitalist with a Bridgewater edge.
Ben Savage is a Partner at Clocktower Technology Ventures, the fintech-focused venture arm of Clocktower Group, a global macro investment firm based in Santa Monica, California. He co-founded the firm with Steve Drobny, a renowned macro investment author and strategist.
What makes Clocktower distinctive in the crowded VC landscape is its deliberate decision to never lead a round. Across 240+ investments, Ben has positioned Clocktower as a co-investor — writing $250K to $2.5M checks from seed through Series B/C. This isn't a limitation; it's a philosophy.
"If you're a founder baking a cake looking for ingredients, we want to be your neighbor that rings your doorbell when you need sugar."
"To a first approximation, venture capitalists should never sit on boards."
Grew up in suburban Atlanta. Father worked in the computer industry with ties to the Apollo Project; mother worked in fashion. Attended a large, diverse public high school that shaped his worldview.
Studied philosophy at Yale, developing the conceptual and theoretical thinking frameworks that would later define his investment approach.
Began career at the height of the dot-com bubble in merchant banking, working across private equity and venture capital. Three years in New York, three in San Francisco — navigating the post-bubble landscape.
Earned his MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business, further developing his macro investing frameworks and expanding his network in Silicon Valley.
Joined Ray Dalio's legendary hedge fund as Director of the Investment Associate Program. Worked directly with CIOs through the 2008 financial crisis. The radical transparency culture fundamentally shaped his approach to feedback, decision-making, and organizational behavior.
Co-founded Artivest (originally Resonance Funds), an online issuer of actively-managed exchange traded vehicles, and Waterfall Mobile. Served as interim CFO of Gjelina Group and President of Bellfoundry Advisors.
Co-founded Clocktower Group with Steve Drobny, launching the Technology Ventures arm in 2015. Built a portfolio of 240+ fintech companies across payments, lending, banking, insurance, capital markets, and Latin American fintech. Backed 5 unicorns including Chime (IPO'd 2025).
Applying global macro hedge fund frameworks to venture investing. Financial services represents 20%+ of GDP yet has been historically underweighted in VC — a structural arbitrage Clocktower exploits.
"Companies are just people making decisions repeatedly. We identify decision-making engines that make slightly better decisions, then resources compound." Founders are evaluated as systematic decision-makers.
For solo founders, the key variable: are they an attractor? Can they magnetically draw talent, capital, and relationships into their orbit? This single quality predicts success above almost all others.
Fintech increases the "pixel resolution" on tradeable assets — enabling monetization and liquidity in previously illiquid markets. Like Airbnb turning a spare bedroom into a tradeable asset. We're in "the first five minutes" of fintech's impact.
Never leading rounds isn't a weakness — it's a superpower. By removing board seats and governance dynamics, Clocktower focuses purely on the founder relationship. A 450+ co-investor network amplifies every deal.
Borrowed from Bridgewater: evaluate founding teams the way a macro fund analyzes portfolio managers. Patterns of decision quality matter more than market size. Radical transparency and honest feedback accelerate growth.
"When somebody who loves you gives feedback, it cuts deep — it's powerful because you know they mean it with your best interests at heart."
"When you're celebrating your exit, who do you most want around that table?"
Ben reframes investor selection from a problem-solving exercise to a joy-focused one. The best partnerships aren't just about navigating challenges — they're about who you want to share the wins with.
Select investments from Clocktower Technology Ventures' 240+ portfolio companies.
"You want to be able to call customer support and get somebody who can actually do something about it."
Ben takes a principled position against crypto investing, arguing that centralized, cleared markets demonstrably outperform decentralized alternatives for capital allocation. Visa and Mastercard's networks prove the point. Decentralization removes the human discretion needed to resolve edge cases.
What Ben looks for in founders — the same traits that define excellent macro investors:
Transform specific questions into bigger frameworks. See the forest, not just the trees.
Find novel approaches to complex systems. The best ideas often come from unexpected angles.
Know what doesn't matter. The ability to simplify is the ultimate form of sophistication.
Explain complex ideas with clarity. If you can't teach it, you don't truly understand it.