Alexandru (Alex) Chitea
LinkedIn Copy
Alex — sent you a note about SearchLoop. Fellow investor turned builder (growth equity in London → deal sourcing systems). Given Funston's focus on acquiring $10-100M tech companies, thought it might be worth a quick chat.
Email Copy
Alex — Your path is one of the more interesting ones I've come across — building ranking algorithms at Google, then an MBA at Booth, then launching Funston to acquire and run tech businesses. Not many people on the buy side can actually read the codebase of what they're acquiring. I had a somewhat parallel (if less technical) journey — English & Econ at Williams, then tech banking at Credit Suisse and TMT M&A at Greenhill, then deploying €10-30M growth equity tickets into European software companies. The investing was great, the sourcing was brutal. So I built SearchLoop to fix that. Now we run it for firms like Wingman Growth Partners — they target $5-40M revenue founder-led software companies, and we handle the full pipeline: map companies matching their thesis, score targets on founder profile & mission criticality → get owner contacts → book meetings directly into their calendar. Noble Rock Software does something similar across their 18+ B2B software portfolio companies. Given Funston's focus on $10-100M revenue tech businesses, figured this might be relevant — especially if you're running acquisitions alongside operating XDR Radiology. The whole thing is custom-built to your stack and plugs into your CRM, email, calendar. You see exactly what's happening at every step. Worth a quick call to see if it fits how you source? Russ searchloop.ai linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Alexandru (Alex) Chitea Title: Founder & Managing Partner Fund: Funston Capital Background: Alex C. is currently the CEO at XDR Radiology in Los Angeles, California, starting in October 2024. He is also the Managing Partner at Funston Capital, located in San Francisco, California. In the past, he also notably worked as a Principal at Orange in San Francisco Bay Area from March 2018 to October 2021 where he identified emerging technology, managed products, developed the startup ecosystem, and sourced investment opportunities in areas like AI/ML, Cybersecurity, FinTech, Blockchain, and Life sciences. Prior to that, Alex was a Software Engineer at Google, Inc. in San Francisco Bay Area from 2007 to 2012, where he developed ranking algorithms for Google's search engine and worked on YouTube's advertising platform. Alex possesses a rare combination of investing and operating executive-level experience, which he leverages for significant value creation. He holds an MBA from The University of Chicago (Dean's List) and a Master's in Computer Science focusing on Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning from the Max Planck Institute in Germany. His diverse experience spans technology, finance, operations, sales, and human capital. Alex is fluent in English and Romanian (native/bilingual), and proficient in French and German. His expertise includes Machine Learning, Data Mining, C++, Valuation, Strategy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantitative Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Software Development. He also holds a CFA Institute Charterholder certification. Recent activity shows a strong focus on AI, investing, and private equity. On October 16, 2024 (1yr ago), Alex reshared a post from Funston Capital's October newsletter, stating: "Our October newsletter is out. This month, our featured commentary discusses the ROI of generative AI, according to Goldman Sachs. We also explore some possible future directions of AI and discuss its application to enterprises." On May 31, 2024 (1yr ago), Alex posted about joining the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast to discuss generative AI in private equity, saying: "I had the pleasure of joining the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast to discuss leveraging generative AI within Private Equity." On November 7, 2023 (2yr ago), he posted about Funston Capital's November newsletter, noting: "Our November newsletter is out. This month, our featured commentary discusses the opportunities of distributed machine learning projects. We also dive into the latest discussions on techno-optimism and SBF’s trial." On October 2, 2023 (2yr ago), he shared: "Our October newsletter is out. This month, our featured commentary discusses the antitrust case against Google. We also dive into the latest developments in AI models and LLMs." On March 6, 2023 (2yr ago), Alex promoted Funston Capital’s newsletter with the text: "Our March newsletter is out. This month we dive into the economics and ethical questions brought on by the introduction of ChatGPT." Alex's posts frequently highlight his fund's newsletters which provide insights into current market trends, technology, and investment opportunities in AI, private equity, and venture capital, as indicated by his post on June 1, 2022 (3yr ago): "My fund's latest newsletter is out. Enjoy the read!" He also showed pride in his alma mater on April 25, 2022 (3yr ago): "Proud to be a Boothie." Fund details: - Description: Funston Capital is an entrepreneurial investment firm led by a seasoned tech professional focused on acquiring and managing a growing technology business with $10MM to $100MM in annual revenue. Funston is entirely committed to the success of the business it acquires. Our leadership intends to take over and manage the day-to-day operations of the acquired business, supporting its growth and development, while creating exceptional value for business owners, customers, employees, and shareholders. - Website: https://www.funstoncap.com - Location: San Francisco, California, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Funston Capital Alexandru (Alex) Chitea recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Funston Capital, founded in 2021, is a private investment firm focused on acquiring and managing technology businesses. Alex Chitea is its Managing Partner. The firm targets technology companies with annual revenues between $10MM and $100MM.