Founder and Management
Geff Woodward - Founder and CEO
Geff is an experienced and accomplished business and financial executive of both established companies and startups. He has built businesses, handled challenging corporate leadership roles, and improved management and operational processes at companies in multiple industries. His experience in partnering with executive management teams to plan and execute enterprise-level business strategies and initiatives such as cost reduction, rapid growth, and investment opportunity identification makes him a truly effective business leader. With 30+ years of responsible strategic business experience, leading business operations in both high tech startups and larger companies, Geff has proven he can drive top line growth while optimizing operational expenditures.
Geff has performed strategic consulting for Fortune 500 clients including Visa, Walmart, Chevron, Autodesk, and Sephora.
Geff has an Executive MBA in International Business from Georgetown University.
Scott Waldron - President
Scott is an executive with 30+ years of experience across a number of industries and geographies. Previously, Scott served as President of NCH Marketing and Global Managing Director of Valassis International, where he oversaw the world’s largest coupon redemption processing business and the international marketing services business for Valassis (2016-2018).
Prior to this, Scott served in senior executive roles for Experian, including President of Vertical Markets and Global Managing Director for Experian’s Fraud and ID business (2002 – 2015). Scott also led the Automotive Services and eCommerce groups for Reynolds and Reynolds and was a consultant for McKinsey & Company. He started his career at Procter & Gamble.
Scott received his MBA from the Harvard Business School and his BS in Systems Analysis from Miami University.
Board of Advisors
Carol L. Foster -
Chief Operating Officer, Board Director, Qualified Financial Expert
Carol L. Foster is an experienced public company Board Director and an accomplished executive with significant P&L experience. Her 30+ year career in the financial services industry spans President, COO, CFO and investment banker, with each role further building her financial acumen while also focusing on driving growth and digital transformation. Carol spent a decade in New York before relocating to Silicon Valley. Over the course of her investment banking career and CFO career, Carol completed more than $15B of both advisory and capital markets transactions (including IPOs) for a wide range of financial services, fintech and technology companies.
Carol is a strong proponent of equal access to education and currently serves on the board of the Oakland Lacrosse Club. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and Women Corporate Directors (WCD). Carol holds an MBA from Columbia University and is a graduate of Southern Methodist University where she earned a BS in Operations Research.
Harold Lowe - Board Director, Advisor, and Investor
Harold Lowe is a Bay Area native whose family has 100-year roots in Oakland and Berkeley. Harold has over two decades of sales, marketing, and management experience in seven industries. A former Executive Director to the National Association of Minority Contractors, Northern CA, he is also a licensed financial planner with Frontier Wealth Strategies. With this varied background, he has been able to support and craft diversity engagement and outreach initiatives using a wide lens, with organizations such as INROADS and MetLife.
Harold has served on more than two dozen Boards and Committees, and currently serves with the Oakland Unified School District, the Calculus Roundtable, Oakland Rotary #3, the Boy Scouts of America, and Oakland Lacrosse. He is a graduate of African American Studies at UC Berkeley, and a MPA, Public Policy at CSU Eastbay.
James H. Freis, Jr. - Financial Industry Executive & Strategic Advisor
Jim is an executive, lawyer, Chartered Financial Analyst, and former regulator experienced with financial institutions, transactions, and markets, and their regulatory frameworks, at the wholesale and retail level across global markets. Currently leading Market Integrity Solutions, LLC, he has held senior level positions in multiple countries at the following organizations: Wirecard, Deutsche Börse Group, FinCEN, US Department of the Treasury, Bank for International Settlements, and Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Jim has a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Government from Georgetown University.
Paul Burgon - CEO, Senior Executive, and Board Member
Paul is a dynamic executive who balances 1) strategic analysis and strategy development, 2) creating and implementing processes that map to company strategy and 3) team leadership, consistent execution, and continuous improvement in order to create and deliver outstanding results. As a Senior Executive, Paul has held the following positions, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, North America; Senior Vice President, Corporate Development; Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer; and Member of the Board of Directors.
Paul has an Executive MBA in International Business from Georgetown University.
Jill Nash - Senior Executive, Strategic Advisor, and Board Member
Jill is a seasoned C-suite communications leader with a passion for transformative brands and inspiring the people who bring them to life. Her work with global consumer brands and technology companies has given her broad and deep experience in designing and leading comprehensive cultural change and strategic corporate communications efforts.
Jill has a successful track record of navigating complex issues and helping to build and enhance brand reputation at such companies as Charles Schwab, Gap Inc., Yahoo!, Levi Strauss & Co., and LifeLock. Additionally, she has demonstrated success in building high-impact teams and creating innovative initiatives across employee, consumer, enterprise, government, CSR, and digital channels.
Kevin Burke - CMO, Board Director, Advisor, and Investor
Kevin is an innovative and entrepreneurial C-level marketing executive. He has experience working across a range of industries including financial services, technology, consumer packaged goods, and energy with leading brands like Amazon.com, American Express, AT&T, Chevron, Microsoft, Square, and Visa.
During his distinguished career, Kevin has held the following positions: CMO; Head of Marketing, Sales, Partnerships and International; President & Co-Founder; and Vice President, Management Supervisor.
Michael B. Hansen - M.S. Economics, CFP
Michael is a global wealth adviser and a fiduciary and independent CFP® who offers customized financial planning. His specialties include: International Financial Planning a.k.a. Cross-Border Planning; Assisting business owners and successful business professionals in achieving their financial goals; Advanced tax strategies for the maximum preservation of wealth; Advanced estate planning strategies for the optimal transfer of wealth; Helping young families get started; and Special Needs Financial Planning.
Michael has a Masters of Science in Economics from the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet), Denmark.
Neil Bansal - Strategy, Digital and Analytics Executive, Board Advisor
Neil is an executive with global experience in building, scaling and leading businesses across consumer/retail, financial & technology sectors. He currently leads corporate strategy, insights & analytics for Constellation Brands and also has deep experience on the consumer side of financial services. Neil was a Managing Director at BNP Paribas and has worked across top firms including JP Morgan Chase, McKinsey & Company, Citigroup and Bank of America.
Neil graduated with an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has a BA in Economics from Brown University.