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Principal

Kraken Ventures · Full-time

Sep 2022 – Present · 2 yr 4 mos

San Francisco, California, United States

Partner

Apr 2024 – Present · 9 mos

Sourced and closed firm’s early stage investments in Ethena, Morpho, Usual, Cap, Layer N, Dakota, Shield

Completed angel investments in Monad, Modulus Labs

Principal
Sep 2022 – Apr 2024 · 1 yr 8 mos.

Early Stage Investor

Maniv Mobility

Aug 2020 – 2022 · 1 yr 6 mos

San Francisco, California, United States

• • Thesis based venture capital fund investing in early stage startups around the world that are innovating on technology & business models that enable the transportation of goods and people.Thesis based venture capital fund investing in early stage startups around the world that are innovating on technology & business models that enable the transportation of goods and people.

Ultra Fast Delivery Thesis

Early Stage Investor – Network Effects

Speedinvest

2020 · Less than a year2020

Berlin, Germany

• • Speedinvest is a >$1B AUM pan-European early stage VC fund established in 2011. We have investment professionals working from Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, Vienna and San Francisco.
    
    Employing a sector-focused investment structure, we fund innovative early-stage technology startups in the areas of Deep Tech, Fintech, Digital Health, Consumer Tech, Industrial Tech and Network Effects.
    
    I was on the Speedinvest x team focusing on startups that find network effects to be their primary growth driver.
    
    I worked with the most forward thinking early stage fund in Europe, and left as I decided to relocate back to my original home in the Bay Area due to the pandemic.

Visiting

Earlybird Venture Capital · Contract

Oct 2019 – Dec 2019 · 3 mos

Munich Area, Germany

• • 3 month project with a focus on identifying innovation in the future of transportation.
    
    Founded in 1997, Earlybird invests in all development and growth phases of technology companies. Among the most experienced venture investors in Europe, Earlybird offers its portfolio companies not only financial resources but also strategic and operational support, as well as access to an international network and capital markets. With over EUR 1 billion under management, seven IPOs and 22 trade sales, Earlybird is one of the most successful venture capital firms in Europe.

Product Owner – Autonomous Mobility (MOIA – VW Group)

Volkswagen AG

2017 – Sep 2019 · 2 yrs 9 mos

Berlin Area, Germany

• • I moved to Germany to join MOIA, an urban mobility subsidiary of VW, and I founded the Autonomous Mobility team. Eventually, I missed the energy of working closely with true entrepreneurs, so I left in order to pursue VC and be closer to startups again.
    
    My work included:
    Product Management
    -Requirement definition, prioritization, execution (interfacing with engineering team and VW group entities) towards development of autonomous mobility product.
    -Outcome: Team developed MVP of stealth autonomous mobility platform in which autonomous vehicles can interact with other agents in mobility ecosystem (mobility providers, infrastructure providers, etc..)
    
    Tech Scouting/M&A
    -Scout and evaluate startups and projects in future automotive ecosystem that will accelerate product development: Tech Scouting, Business/Tech Analysis, Impact Assessment, Relationship Building.
    -Outcome: Joined MOIA/VW Group M&A teams doing project management, due diligence, investment memos for multiple deals. Met with >100 startups—built bridges with the startup ecosystem in Europe, America, and Israel. Created relationships with American and German investment community, while building a high quality pipeline for investments and partnerships for MOIA/VW Group.
    
    Strategy & Planning:
    -Conceptualization, market research, business modeling of deployment scenarios for autonomous vehicles.
    -Outcome: Market research, sizing, and eventual recommendation on autonomous mobility deployment scenarios led to founding of Autonomous Mobility team.
    
    Emerging Technology Analysis:
    -Research of emerging technologies and impact assessment on future automotive and mobility ecosystem (i.e. 5G, Voice AI, Blockchain)
    -Outcome: Produce in-depth reports of emerging trends, i.e. educated leadership on Cryptocurrency/Blockchain Technology 101 and play an active role in the VW-wide blockchain community, as well as VW-wide startup and innovation community network.

Market Expansion Strategist

Yelp

2016 – 2017 · 1 yr

San Francisco Bay Area

• • @Yelp Eat24
    Strategy, operations, new product development, partnership management, etc..

General Motors

2 yrs 11 mos

San Francisco Bay Area

• • Urban Mobility – Business Strategy & OperationsUrban Mobility – Business Strategy & OperationsJan 2016 – Nov 2016 · 11 mosJan 2016 – Nov 2016 · 11 mos
    • • Joined GM by way of GM’s Sidecar acquisition
        General Motors acquired Sidecar’s technology and team. I identified and analyzed synergies across GM’s manufacturing and technology organizations in order to create recommendations towards the foundation for an autonomous vehicle future (incl. projects w/ Cruise & Lyft investments)
        
        Select responsibilities:
        
        Product Portfolio Strategy: Business Opportunity Assessment
        Initiative: Developed potential business cases for the urban mobility product portfolio by working cross-functionally with finance and operations. Analysis included, but not limited to, market research, financial forecasts, and SWOT analyses.
        
        Impact: Created actionable recommendations on business case decision over whether to build, buy, or not pursue potential mobility services. Recommendations were presented by team to North America executive leadership.
        
        Metrics & Reporting: Executive Dashboard
        Initiative: Spearheaded creation of executive metrics dashboard that monitors key business metrics – a first for the organization. Worked with Operations, Marketing, Finance, and IT to create requirements and execute project.
        
        Impact: Aligned leaders across measurable goals by defining business metrics across key areas (i.e. acquisition, retention, engagement, etc). I supported analytics on a consulting basisJoined GM by way of GM’s Sidecar acquisition General Motors acquired Sidecar’s technology and team. I identified and analyzed synergies across GM’s manufacturing and technology organizations in order to create recommendations towards the foundation for an autonomous vehicle future (incl. projects w/ Cruise & Lyft investments) Select responsibilities: Product Portfolio Strategy: Business Opportunity Assessment Initiative: Developed potential business cases for the urban mobility product portfolio by working cross-functionally with finance and operations. Analysis included, but not limited to, market research, financial forecasts, and SWOT analyses. Impact: Created actionable recommendations on business case decision over whether to build, buy, or not pursue potential mobility services. Recommendations were presented by team to North America executive leadership. Metrics & Reporting: Executive Dashboard Initiative: Spearheaded creation of executive metrics dashboard that monitors key business metrics – a first for the organization. Worked with Operations, Marketing, Finance, and IT to create requirements and execute project. Impact: Aligned leaders across measurable goals by defining business metrics across key areas (i.e. acquisition, retention, engagement, etc). I supported analytics on a consulting basis
  • Sidecar (pre-acquisition): Product, Ops, Marketing, everything businessSidecar (pre-acquisition): Product, Ops, Marketing, everything business2014 – 2016 · 2 yrs2014 – 2016 · 2 yrs
    • • Sidecar was one of the first ridesharing startups, and eventually developed into a logistics company, using the multi modal driver fleet to facilitate deliveries as well.
        
        I joined early and led projects and teams through our acquisition by General Motors
        
        Select Responsibilities:
        Market & Product Development: Multi-Modal Delivery Launch
        Initiative: Managed a cross-functional product and operations team, in order to reimagine the state of Sidecar’s delivery fleet beyond cars to analyze, productize and operationalize fleets across multiple modes including cars, bikes, walkers, scooters.
        
        Impact: Improved delivery cost by 55-65% for deliveries executed through new modes, and reduced the time per delivery by over 25%.
        In our largest market multi-modal deliveries accounted for ~40% of deliveries, within 1.5 months of launch.
        
        Strategy & Planning: Supply / Demand Growth Management
        Initiative: Managed launch, ongoing marketing, and P&Ls of 4 markets. Implemented dashboards and KPIs to measure city performance and established framework for successful city launches.
        
        Impact: Created city launch playbooks, as well as double to triple, week over week growth —i.e. one city grew 500% over 11 weeks.
        
        Cost Optimization: Driver Pricing Refactor
        Initiative: Created an excel model (with macros) that provided optimal recommendation of how to set driver pricing levers in order to break even. This was used in order to identify utilization and pricing by route and package/shipper types.
        
        Impact: Optimized the cost model and reduced burn rate by creating a gross margin positive unit economics scheme.
        
        Revenue Strategy: Demand Pricing Model
        Initiative: Utilized Excel and Market Research chops to create a competitive intelligence pricing model that benchmarked how moving pricing levers would benchmark Sidecar in the rideshare market
        
        Impact: Created a playbook to move towards market appropriate pricing to improve revenue. This model was re-used by the team multiple times

Public Finance Analyst

Public Financial Management

2013 – 2014 · 1 yr

San Francisco Bay Area

• • I worked with governmental/infrastructure clients on transaction structuring and management services related to debt issuance and accessing the capital markets.
    
    Research & Statistics: Analyzed and illustrated data from Bloomberg terminal, government databases, and Annual Financial Reports in order to create presentations and memos that conveyed insights about the financial, economic, and demographic trends around an issuer’s credit
    
    Finance: Utilized and maintained Excel based quantitative financial models to address client needs, including outstanding debt management databases, cash flow modeling, and quantifying impacts of financing decisions; Provided technical support towards structuring, sizing, and pricing 5 new money and refunding municipal bond series in 2013
    
    Finance & Strategy: Evaluated capital market conditions and assessed alternative financing solutions, including taxable vs. tax exempt issues, private placements, and Letters of Credit, in order to calculate and reduce borrowing costs for clients
    
    Communication: Drafted memos for managers at highly rated public issuers in Northern California regarding complex financing scenarios
    
    Teamwork: Edited proposals and created pitch-books in coordination with multiple analysts and associates that respond to RFPs, under tight time constraints

Intern – Corporate Bank and Corporate Affairs

Citi

Jun 2011 – Nov 2011 · 6 mos

Mumbai Area, India

• • Corporate Bank
    August 2011 – November 2011
    Finance: Analyzed audited financial statements and annual reports in order to profile 109 existing and potential NGO clients
    
    Analytics & Research: Forecasted NGO market growth, and revenue flow, and assessed market environment and size in order to built an initial client pipeline with 49 leads
    
    Communication: Traveled to interview 8 potential NGO clients to elicit financial service needs and create institutional linkages
    
    Strategy: Designed a financial services package proposition in collaboration with Global Transaction Services and Commercial Bank
    
    Teamwork: Escalated project to global scale by collaborating Citi teams in North America, Europe, and Africa
    
    Corporate Affairs
    June 2011 – August 2011
    Innovation: Designed and analyzed Stakeholder Pulse monitoring instrument that was distributed to employees, corporate bank clients, and NGOs in order to recommended improvements in stakeholder communication strategies
    
    Analytics: Composed a report with targeted improvements to Employee Giving and Volunteering Program based on statistical analysis of a survey that was created and sent to 7,500+ India employees
    
    Research: Constructed a toolkit to improve Intranet content and usability as per research of best practices and survey results

Research Assistant

Carnegie Mellon University

Jan 2009 – May 2011 · 2 yrs 5 mos

Greater Pittsburgh Area

• • *Carnegie Mellon University – Center for Risk Perception and Communication
    2011
    Contributed to multiple risk perception projects, ranging from perception of economic outlook indicators to influenza safety and awareness in the public policy domain
    
    *Carnegie Mellon University – Center for Behavioral and Decision Research
    2010
    Researched the effect of contextual cues on conservation and waste behavior
    
    *Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business – Organizational Behavior
    2009
    Researched the impact of outcome and process based accountability on the performance of offense and defense teams