Fassil Befekadu Email & Phone Number

Seattle, WA, US

African diaspora who send money home (≈$100B in 2022) do so with a goal in mind eg. to invest in a business, build their retirement home, or support family. In most cases, they send cash to a recipient to execute payments related to meeting their goals. Unfortunately, many lose a significant portion of what they send (up to a 1/3 of money sent to Kenya by.

Advisory services for this gaming startup applying blockchain technology to live sporting events.

ShipShap is a venture-funded startup providing customized payment & shipping solutions to African businesses and institutions. Provide BD, strategy, and management support. Responsible for referring business accounting for the majority of revenues through the first 2 years of existence.

I run Partnerships and Product for Native, a software studio that works with blockchain startups & businesses on mission-critical products. We take a collaborative, consultative approach to identifying project scope and take full responsibility for project delivery (including staffing). Recent clients included an a16z portfolio company (custom wallet.

Founding advisor to a quant crypto trading startup made up of ex-Amazon and ex-Microsoft Ph.D.s. We write algorithms and use AI (machine learning and deep learning models) predicting price movement.

GSL is the largest, minority-owned, independent, senior housing owner/operator in the U.S. I worked with founder to develop investor relationships (banking, private equity, high net work) and provided a blueprint for transitioning to a REIT.

AppDog was Facebook's first mobile partner. We made a profitable business out of making mobile app discovery easier by rewarding Facebook's online gamers with in-game currency in exchange for discovering new apps on their mobile.

Concord, California, US

Advised a top 10 casual game developer and operator of a network of mobile casino games.

MobForm was the first automated lead generation platform exclusively dedicated to mobile.

• Founded the Performance Advertising group for the world's first mobile ad network (prior to Google acquisition)
• Started AdMob's first iPhone app developer outreach program. The goal was to recruit app developers as advertisers

Headed business development and sales for key verticals (Entertainment, Subscriptions & Membership Clubs, Education, and Travel) accounting for over 70% of revenues (approximately $60 million/year in FY 2006). Worked with both Brand and DR advertisers utilizing display advertising, lead generation, co-registration, search and email.

Built a domain-based PPC online advertising business from scratch for this 10-person start-up that was an early player in the online (domain-based) advertising business. Developed agreements with search engine partners and publishers, and worked closely with product and engineering teams to design and implement own affiliate program.

New York City, US

Headed a team that initiated and managed individual, corporate, and institutional investment banking clients that leveraged the Bear Stearns platform. Provided customized investment and banking services for clients based on a consultative approach. Services provided included asset allocation, portfolio management, risk assessment, cash management, hedging.

Chicago, Illinois, US

Sold, managed and delivered strategy consulting assignments in the consumer, food, automotive, and telecom industries in leading engagement consulting teams. Worked on a wide range of projects that included those related to workforce reduction for a major retailer, GTM strategy for a next-generation product for a major auto manufacturer, and resource.

Master Of Business Administration - Mba

Master Of Science - Ms, Chemical Engineering (Thesis: Laser Light Scattering Studies Of Brownian Motion)