Thomas Shelley

Yo, you gotta hear about Thomas Shelley. This guy’s the real deal in the startup game, especially if you’re into AI and fintech. So, he’s a YC S25 alum-meaning he’s fresh out of the latest batch, and trust me, he’s crushing it.

Thomas started out at Carnegie Mellon and UMD, both solid schools, but what really sets him apart is how he jumped into building AI and automation tools early on. Before Magnetic, he was Head of Product at Keeper (they’re YC W19), where he cooked up tax automation systems and OCR tech that helped process thousands of tax returns automatically. That’s no small feat – the guy’s been scaling multi-million dollar ARR businesses and really understanding how to turn AI into a business driver.

Now, he’s the CEO of Magnetic, which is like the ultimate hack for CPAs and tax firms. Basically, he saw how overwhelmed the tax professionals are and said, “Nah, there’s gotta be a better way.” So, he built Magnetic-an AI-powered platform that makes tax prep faster, easier, and way less bullshit. It’s wild how he took all the lessons from his past gigs – building automation, scaling tech, understanding what real users need – and turned that into a product that’s actually helping a whole industry.

What’s crazy is, this guy’s process shows he’s all about solving real problems with tech. He’s not just throwing AI around for the sake of it. He’s motivated by making life easier for the people doing the hard work-CPAs, tax pros, you name it. That’s what drives him: taking complex, boring, manual stuff and turning it into something smart and expandable.

Basically, Thomas Shelley isn’t just another founder. He’s someone who’s been deep in the trenches, understands how to build products that scale, and is using AI to actually change the game. When you see Magnetic, you’re looking at someone who’s not just riding the wave but creating one. The dude’s a future legend in the making. No cap.