Sep 2023 – Jul 2024 · 10 mos

• Member of Block's "Core" executive leadership team. Block builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our businesses unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people.
• Square helps sellers run / grow businesses with its ecosystem of commerce solutions, business software, banking services.
• Cash App is a fintech banking platform that enables individuals and businesses to easily send, spend, save, borrow, and invest.
• TBD is a developer platform that makes it easier to access Bitcoin and blockchain technologies for payments / commerce.
• TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs.

Jul 2021 – Jul 2024 · 3 yrs

• TBD, a developer platform for decentralized finance and identity, is one of Square's four businesses. We're building an open source developer platform (focused on non-custodial & permissionless solutions) to create an open, decentralized financial system for all.

Jul 2017 – Jul 2021 · 4 yrs

• Led the vision, strategy, and commercialization of new consumer products and business adjacencies for Cash App. Responsible for identifying areas for innovation and strategic opportunities — then directing cross-functional initiatives to conceptualize, build, and launch new businesses and products.
• In this role, I spearheaded the launch of Cash App's equities investing business (and guided the successful acquisition and change-of-control approval of our broker dealer with FINRA). I also directed the design, development and commercialization of our consumer lending business, Cash App Borrow.
• Beyond the development of new products and lines of business, I've driven inorganic strategies to build Cash App's artificial intelligence + deep learning capabilities, and am responsible for strategic initiatives (both organic and inorganic) in bitcoin, stablecoin, and decentralized finance / identity.

Jul 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 11 mos · New York, New York, United States

• Justworks' mission: help entrepreneurs and businesses grow with confidence. Its vision is a world in which starting, running, and joining a growing business is an accessible option for all. Justworks partners with small businesses — handling benefits / insurance, payroll, HR, and compliance — so business owners can focus on their core missions.

Jul 2021 – Jul 2024 · 3 yrs

• At TBD, we believe in a decentralized future that returns ownership and control over your finances, data, and identity. We're building open financial protocols (leveraging decentralized identity technologies) and standards that connect the world’s fragmented financial & identity verification systems — to create an open, interoperable system that can move value anywhere around the world in an efficient, inclusive, and trusted way.
• Our focus: building decentralized technologies that solve real problems for real people. Our vision: enable everyone to access and participate in the global economy. Our mission: advance economic empowerment around the globe through the power of decentralized solutions, built open source and collaboratively — with a focus on enabling builders across the "Global South" (Africa, LatAm, SEA) to leverage our infrastructure to develop their solutions.
• As a founding team member of 1 of 4 businesses at Block (fka Square), I lead teams that oversee: operations, business strategy, product strategy / product management, GTM - including brand & marketing, sales, P&L / budgeting & financial + strategic planning, business development (including technical, product & strategic partnerships), M&A and investments.
• In November 2021, I co-authored TBD's first whitepaper, outlining the tbDEX liquidity protocol. It seeks to solve the coordination of trust in a decentralized way that makes global value exchanges possible without centralized intermediaries. It addresses regulatory and compliance needs across global jurisdictions to create accessible on- and off-ramps between fiat and crypto that unlock use cases from global commerce to real-time, affordable cross-border payments that leapfrog today's fragmented system of correspondent banks: https://tbdex.io/whitepaper.pdf

Jun 2020 – Jun 2022 · 2 yrs

• CCL mission: advance the understanding, practice and research / development of leadership. (Fun fact: CCL was behind establishing the "360-degree performance review" as standard practice in the business world.) Ranked by Bloomberg / Financial Times as a top provider of executive education and leadership development, CCL serves >80,000 leaders (over 750,000 alumni) across 100+ countries, and drives ~$120 million in annual revenue.
• I serve on a 9-member Board of Trustees, with fiduciary responsibility for the Corporation’s physical and financial assets, operations, and tax exempt status. The Trustees elect the Governors, appoint committees, manage succession, and select auditors and advisors.

Sep 2019 – Jun 2022 · 2 yrs 9 mos

• I serve on a 6-person Executive Committee, responsible for governance (strategy, risk, financial reporting, mgmt performance, succession planning).

Mar 2016 – Jun 2022 · 6 yrs 3 mos

• The Board of Governors oversees CCL's program, policy, and strategy. As part of this, I advise CCL's executive team on digital innovation and transformation strategy. I also serve as Chairman of the Client, Sales and Marketing Committee. Other Board Committees: Technology; Finance & Planning; Products & Programs.

Nov 2018 – Jul 2021 · 2 yrs 8 mos · San Francisco, California, United States

• Cash App is one of the fastest growing financial brands — changing how people manage money by providing easy ways to send, spend, invest & store funds. Over 80M accounts (>36M monthly active customers) have transacted through Cash App, making it the #1 free finance app in the U.S.
• I'm responsible for directing the strategy, development, and commercialization of new products and business adjacencies — as we build Cash App into a neo-banking platform that redefines the world's relationship with money (making it more relatable, instantly available, and universally accessible).

Jun 2018 – Oct 2023 · 5 yrs 4 mos · New York, New York, United States

• Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE: BNED) mission: serve all who work to elevate lives through education. BNED is one of the largest contract operators of bookstores for U.S. colleges, universities, and K-12. Barnes & Noble College operates >1,400 physical / virtual campus bookstores that serve >6M students. BNED also operates one of the largest textbook wholesale distribution channels in the U.S. through MBS Textbook Exchange, and serves over 20M monthly unique visitors across 15 countries through its direct-to-student solutions.

Jul 2017 – Mar 2021 · 3 yrs 8 mos · Indianapolis, Indiana

• Kenzie Academy is a venture-backed tech apprenticeship school whose mission is to unleash untapped talent and attract high paying tech jobs to the American Heartland. Its 6-month to 2-year programs in Software Engineering, UX Engineering and Digital Marketing – with paid apprenticeships – is an alternative to short-term coding bootcamps and traditional colleges. Students have the option of attending the program in person, or remotely via a hybrid program. Kenzie's flipped classroom and project-based learning is training a new generation of technologists. Kenzie was acquired by Southern New Hampshire University in 2021.

Jul 2017 – Apr 2019 · 1 yr 9 mos · San Francisco

• Led M&A strategy, deal execution, and integration across Square's B2B / B2C platforms:
• Cash App (#1 free finance app, Apple & Google Play stores; >80M transacting customers)
• Seller Ecosystem (eCommerce tools across CRM, Marketing, Loyalty, Appointments, Invoices, Payroll, and other services that serve SMBs, their employees and customers)
• Developer Platform (Payments, eCommerce, developer APIs)

Jul 2015 – Jul 2017 · 2 yrs · San Francisco, CA

• 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) mission: discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. As a venture fund and startup accelerator, 500 Startups has invested in over 2,000 startups, including: Stripe, Credit Karma (Intuit acq.), Grab, Twilio (NYSE: TWLO), SendGrid (NYSE: SEND), The RealReal (NASDAQ: REAL), Udemy, Ipsy, TalkDesk, Intercom, Canva, GitLab (Microsoft acq.), MakerBot (SSYS acq.), Wildfire (GOOG acq.), Viki (Rakuten acq.)
• I founded our Corporate Development practice, building an M&A playbook for startups and advising portfolio companies across 60+ countries on growth, fundraising, and exit strategies. Advised 70+ founding teams on exits and developed relationships with hundreds of corporations worldwide to understand their strategic goals / roadmaps and connect them with startups to invest in or acquire.
• Led select seed investments on behalf of 500 in technology startups, with a focus on backing entrepreneurs building innovative solutions across education and talent.

Jan 2011 – Jan 2015 · 4 yrs · San Francisco

• UniversityNow's mission: ensure that a quality higher education is universally available by offering employer-recognized Associate, Bachelor's, Master's degrees without student loan debt. As one of the first 3 team members, I was responsible for shaping our mission / vision, and building our business / operations from the ground up, translating a business plan and innovative idea into the launch of two accredited U.S. universities that reimagined the higher education experience for students.
• We raised over $40M in venture capital, scaled to >150 employees, and built a personalized adaptive learning platform that continues to serve students worldwide today (post-acquisition by the National University system).
• In my role, I oversaw GTM and customer acquisition (B2B2C), commercial operations, business development, strategic partnerships, and the launch of multiple new product initiatives. My work resulted in us growing from a cold start (and uncertain product-market fit) to our first ~$10M in revenue (at an acquisition cost ~50-75% less than that of leading industry providers).
• I developed innovative channel strategies and product offerings in partnership with community colleges and cities (SF, Sacramento, Oakland) to make college free to local students and civic employees. My team secured corporate sales to provide employer-recognized education to employees at leading companies (AT&T, Macy's, Bloomingdales, FedEx, Disney).
• Other key strategic initiatives I drove:
• Speaking / External Communications: resulting in us being profiled by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, FastCompany, Dan Rather Reports, Chronicle of Higher Education, TED Talks
• Academic / Research Grants: resulting in us being awarded millions in grants from The California Endowment and EDUCAUSE, and recognized by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a "Breakthrough Model for College Completion" in 2012.

Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 · 3 yrs · San Francisco Bay Area

• TED mission: make great ideas accessible through a global community of those who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. TED.com is a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world's inspired thinkers—and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world.
• I was responsible for overseeing operations and planning of six sold-out conferences for a 4,000+ member community.
• Our team curated events that brought fascinating speakers and ideas to the world; the original TEDx Talks we produced and contributed to TED's digital platform have seen >40 million views.
• I also curated the TEDx event "SKOOL'd: Reimagining Higher Education,” which brought together policy thought leaders, researchers, and edtech innovators to unpack the underlying assumptions and shortcomings of current models of education / career training, and explore new models of disruptive innovation.

Aug 2009 – Jul 2011 · 1 yr 11 mos · San Francisco, CA

• Founded an edtech start-up whose mission is to make the school-to-career discovery & application experience more effective, organized, and supported for all applicants.
• We helped applicants save time, money, and gain control of the admissions process; we helped universities and providers connect with prospective students. Products we built:
• School Search & Comparison Site: Kayak-style tool that enabled prospective students to move beyond rankings and brand to identify schools or programs that fit personalized criterion, cross-disciplinary interests, and career goals.
• Task Management & Productivity Tools: Cloud-based suite of tools that helped applicants track and manage workflow across schools and stay organized; also enabled applicants to gain data-driven insights on how their candidacies benchmarked against that of accepted students, and connect with timely feedback and recommended resources / providers.

Oct 2007 – Sep 2009 · 1 yr 11 mos · New York, NY

• The Telx Group is a provider of enterprise interconnection, colocation, data center and business exchange services. Served as a Board Observer to Telx—attending monthly board meetings and working closely with the executive team. Helped the company implement board metrics and an operational plan that expanded Telx's business nationally.
• In 2015, Digital Realty acquired Telx for $1.9 billion.

Sep 2007 – Aug 2009 · 1 yr 11 mos · Menlo Park, CA

• Member of a ~25-person investment team with over $4 billion (now >$28 billion AUM) of equity capital under management. We led control-oriented investments across industries, with a focus on providing hands-on operational support to our investments through organic growth / scaling, M&A, talent development, and technology enablement / transformation.
• Investment Experience: I evaluated investment opportunities, contributed to investment theses on how to transform control investments, drafted investment committee memos, prepared valuation analyses and financial models, conducted due diligence, and negotiated legal agreements.
• Operating Experience: I served as a Board Observer to portfolio companies and worked extensively with executive teams on strategic and operational initiatives, helping them expand their businesses and measure + drive operational improvements and operational excellence.
• Sectors of Focus: Technology, Healthcare, and Financial Services.

Jul 2004 – Aug 2007 · 3 yrs 1 mo · New York, New York & San Francisco, CA

• Member of Goldman's technology banking team (SF) and healthcare banking team (NYC). Worked on over $8 billion in closed mergers and helped raise over $2.5 billion across debt / equity financings.
• Experience spans: buyside and sellside M&A; work to prepare companies for IPO filings / dual-track processes; special committee engagement on complex M&A situations; corporate finance & financings (e.g., IPO, secondary offering, debt offering, share buyback); deals involving structured finance (e.g., creating innovative product offerings / securitizations for the biotech industry).

Jan 2003 – Jan 2003 · 0 mo · Greater London, England, United Kingdom

• Covered European M&A / private equity activity in the energy, utilities, chemicals, and healthcare sectors out of Deutsche Bank's London headquarters.

Jan 2002 – Jan 2002 · 0 mo · Beijing, China

• Supported the Founder / Head of Ogilvy PR China (now President & CEO of Asia Pacific) on research and strategy projects. Areas of focus: healthcare clients; international brands seeking to build a Chinese presence.