Arta Finance (formerly Arbo Works)

Joined Arta Finance via the acquisition of Money Minx to be part of the founding product team.

Founding Team | Product

Startup Beach

Hosting startup events in San Diego and enabling event hosts to use a matchmaking algorithm to make sure they attendees always come out with at least two new business connections.

Founder

Techstars

Mentor

GPT Hacks

GPT Hacks is my weekly newsletter, where I share tips, resources, and deep dives on how to leverage AI to grow and streamline your business. Over 9,400 startup founders and entrepreneurs get my AI tips, join them 👉 https://www.gpthacks.com/subscribe.

Money Minx

Founded Money Minx to help investors track all of their Investments, Alts, Crypto, and more in one place. Exited to Arta Finance

eCapital Corp.

eCapital is an industry leader in the freight factoring space. We service and help keep thousands of truckings companies stay on the road moving freight that makes our every day lives possible. 
As CIO and Head of Strategic Initiatives I am responsible for all things IT and Technology used by our employees, customers and partners.

CIO and Head of Strategic Initiatives

My team delivers the simplest factoring experience to the transportation industry, from owner operators to large fleets. We do this through the technology and products we build combined with customer-focused service.

Chief Experience Officer (CXO)

Responsible for the product and technology vision, roadmap and development of the company.

VP Product & Technology / CTO

appsplit

- Founded AppSplit: Positioned as one of the earliest crowdfunding platforms, timed to take advantage of the beginnings of the AppStore and Google Play.

- Innovative Mechanism: Created a network for developers to offer discounts, ownership, and rewards to investors interested in app ownership.

- Media Coverage: Featured in leading tech and fintech publications like TechCrunch and The Next Web.

- Successful Exit: Led the company to a successful acquisition by an investment group.

DiamPrice

- Launched DiamPrice: Developed the industry's first mobile app dedicated to the evaluation of loose diamonds, as well as gold, silver, and platinum jewelry.
- Target Audience: Primarily designed for industry professionals seeking accurate, real-time appraisals.
- Market Disruption: Introduced a first-of-its-kind tool that revolutionized the traditional appraisal process, offering a digital solution in a predominantly manual industry.
- Successful Exit: Sold the business to a private equity group.

OneRoof Energy, Inc.

LPL Financial

Managed team of project managers, established project management best practices and lead delivery of large projects.

Assistant Vice President Program Management

Developed test strategies and lead teams of QA engineers on projects.

Lead QA Engineer

Developed requirements and research for products.

Senior Product Analyst

Stuff I am currently focused on:

#1 Bring new financial advisory products to market at Arta Finance. 

#2 Build a startup ecosystem in San Diego via Startup Beach and mentoring for TechStars San Diego & Anywhere. 

#3 Help others with AI via GPT Hacks. 

#4 Help my youngest develop his soccer skills, my second work on her basketball game and my oldest shine like his sax.

#5 Spend more time with my awesome wife doing fun things in San Diego and around the world.

Hussein Yahfoufi

Stoked for two things... and a bonus!

First, my good friend Ryan Berman packed out Barnes & Noble, Inc. last night and sold out his new book Headamentals.

Second, this was the first book signing hosted on Eventship. Excited to see more authors, creators, and communities using the platform for events like this.

And on a personal note, my amazing wife Jessica Yahfoufi is getting close to releasing her new novel. Stay tuned for that launch party! 💃

Founder, Eventship • Helping event hosts grow everywhere • Host of San Diego’s Startup Mixer

What do you get when you have 200 incredible founders, investors and people working hard to help us all grow at the same place and at the same time?

Great connections, business deals, investments, new jobs and a great ol' time. Especially when you also add in our authentic tacos made by hand on site courtesy of Isaac Pollock, CFP® and Robert Goodyear.

See you there!

Emily Kramer's ecosystem strategy in today's Lenny's Newsletter is brilliant, but I have a different take on one point which is worth unpacking.


You don't get tired of events the same way you do as flooded email inboxes if the events are done right. The problem isn’t too many events, it’s too many of the wrong ones.

With over one thousand events behind me, I can tell you what makes a great event and how events are actually a growth node in your ecosystem flywheel not something people get tired from.

1. Events have to be from trusted hosts (think innovation hubs, accelerators, community leaders, founders, etc).

2. The right people have to be at the event, the attendee list must be curated and focused on the right groups for that event.

3. Sponsors of the event must be true ecosystem partners, not just logos on a wall. e.g. Isaac Pollock, CFP® is the taco guy for my mixer, not just our banker. He is part of the community and cares about it.

4. The event must be designed for connection, not attendance. This is what Neal Bloom🎩, Jonah Peake 🐺 and I talked about in our LinkedIn Live last week. It's also the reason why Eventship invests heavily in our matchmaking AI.

When you get those right, events aren’t fatiguing or tiring. They’re energizing. They are the ecosystem.

When you attend the right event, meet the right person, and the right sponsor supports it, that event becomes a node that strengthens the whole network.

Hussein Yahfoufi’s North County Startup Mixer — every month keeps getting better and better. 😎

Thank you to this month’s sponsors!!!
Isaac Pollock, CFP® 
Kimberly Drozdoff 
Emily D. 
Tyler Hastings 

See you next month 😎

NuFund Venture Group

Pre-seed / Seed Investor 

Kahoona

Advisor (Post Buyout) 

We sought out to help businesses become digitally responsible. There's a path to build a more sustainable and healthier online ecosystem by using data that protects the fundamental principles of privacy. 1st Party Data Strategy is a top priority for the foreseeable future!

* Responsible for GTM, operations, sales, marketing, legal and finance. 
* Raised $4.5M seed round.

Co-Founder & COO 

WEBFLiX

As an advisor, I support Webflix with matters related to Fund raising, GTM and messaging and product roadmap.

Advisor to Chief Executive Officer

Roofr

Investor (Series A) 

Smith.ai

Was responsible for leading and managing customer facing teams including sales, partnerships, onboarding, customer success and billing, a team of 28 + 4 managers
• Grew revenue by 33% quarter over quarter and currently leading company’s top integration partnership
• Defined roles, responsibilities and key performance indicators for client facing teams and rolled out OKR system
• Developed sales and partnerships quarterly focal plans
• Gained experience with SalesForce, Front, Apollo, AirTable

Head of Revenue 

Ezoic

Ezoic is a venture-backed artificial intelligence platform that helps digital publishers personalize their website's layout to maximize revenue and enhance user experience using various data points and signals. 

• Hired, trained and led a global business team of 40 in 3 offices scaling Ezoic’s revenue from $XM in 2016 to $XXM in 2019, 67% Y/Y growth in 2019 

• Defined and created business functions including sales, account management, support and business Intelligence. Responsible for strategy, metrics and execution. Created and managed commission plans for sales and account management teams

• Led new Channel Partnership initiative, yielding $XM in new revenue in 2019, and established early stage business development in 2 global markets. Spearheaded some of Ezoic's complex top tier deals. 

• Served as an observing board member and contributed to Round A fund raising in 2019

• Experience in Google Ad Manager (DFP), Google AdExchange, Google Analytics, SimilarWeb, SEMrush, Pipedrive, Cloudflare, Bime, Slack, Asana, Zendesk, Mobile frameworks (mWeb, AMP, PWA)

Vice President of Global Sales & Board Observer

Google

• Managing a global team of 18 partner and program managers in 4 offices scaling Google’s publisher solutions through trusted long-term partnerships. Oversee strategy and operations, generating $XB annual run rate

• Partnered with cross-functional teams including marketing, product, legal and policy to launch Google’s Certified Publishing Partner Program (https://www.google.com/ads/publisher/partners/)

• Sponsor of Partner acquisition team and mobile web initiative in North America

• Partner with business analyst lead and sales finance teams to identify growth drivers, forecast and set targets.

• Partner with product managers to create optimal feedback processes and define roadmap of new solutions

• Co-Lead of “OPG Parents” initiative, providing an immediate circle of support and resources to new parents.

• Won GP Award (SVP Partnerships level) for Google Certified Publishing Partner Program launch

Global Head of Channel Partnerships, Online Partnerships Group (Promoted)

Mission: Grow Publishers @ Scale.

* Managed 7 Account Strategists to support and grow SMB publishers 
* Directed Team to establish a fully operational Mobile Apps function 
* Exceeded revenue targets and enhanced productivity levels 
* Co-led channel strategy for Online Partnerships Group

SMB Publisher Sales Manager, Online Partnerships Group

* Oversaw tactical activities of 3 Account Strategists (SMB Sales) and 2 Account Managers (Channel Sales Support Team)
* Managed and grew Google's Premier SMB Partners
* Consulted partners on digital strategy, new market opportunities, operational efficiency plans, product packaging and sales team operations 
* Worked Cross-functionally on OEM Centralized Program Project to design workflow and collaboration plan
* Served as Google Display Network specialist to deliver internal educational sessions as well as external partner trainings 
* Served as Channel Sales Lead to conceptualize, plan and launch the Wildfire Partner Program Pilot with 6 Google Channel Sales Partners 
* Delivered Thought Leadership keynote presentations: Automotive Bootcamp & Kain Automotive (200+ advertisers) 
* Delivered Quarterly Business Reviews to C-level Executives and created 2013/14 Partner Activity Plans 
* Delivered 4 YouTube & Display frontal partner trainings to sales & account management teams 
* Led Channel Sales 2013 MBA Intern Hiring Process to on-board 5 interns

Strategic Partner Manager, Channel Sales

MIT Sloan School of Management

Marketing Management Teaching Assistant - Executive MBA Program

Consumer Operations - MBA Internship 

DSNR Media Group

Leadership and Teamwork
•	Managed, trained, and mentored a team of 3 global account managers to plan and execute online strategies for more than 50 clients generating over $11M of revenue
•	Led an 8-member cross-functional team to develop and execute best-in-class procedures for using the Double Click platform in order to increase advertiser’s web reach  

Strategy and Analytics
•	Conducted behavioral targeting and segmentation using web analytics platforms to optimize advertiser ad placements resulting in $6M of revenue from customers including Google Chrome, Google Maps and Apple iPhone
•	Developed multi-channel ad distribution strategies resulting in average client R.O.I. improvements of 25% and increased ad dollar spend by over 50% in one year
•	Initiated new business lead development resulting in 12 new client acquisitions

Client Relationship Management and Communication
•	Cultivated strategic relationships with key client accounts by identifying successful new market opportunities, using targeted ad campaigns that resulted in revenues upwards of $400K per month
•	Represented DSNR Media Group at key international digital marketing conference attended by over 200 high net worth clients and over 3K industry professionals

Senior Account Manager/Team Leader (Promoted)

With 18 years of AI/SAAS and online media experience under his belt, Ohad is a seasoned business builder and operator in both large corporation and startup environments. An MIT graduate, Ohad created Google’s Channel Partnership organization (GCPP) from the ground up and then joined Google's AI partner Ezoic as a VP of Business Organization, leading the Machine Learning startup to a $33M series A.
In 2021 Ohad co-founded Kahoona with the aspirations of bridging the gap between user privacy and audience data. Raised $4.5M seed round from GFC, Plug and Play and Cardumen Capital and sold the company as part of a buyout in 2023. Today, Ohad is an LP at NuFund Venture Group and a TechStars mentor. 

He lives in Encinitas, CA, with his wife and two children and loves anything and everything outdoors, specifically snowboarding, Kayaking and camping.

Ohad Tzur

Insightful discussions this week @ Global Family Office Investment Summit, Miami. Thank you Anthony Ritossa and team for putting together another great event. 

Navigating the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem, family offices and VCs are strengthening collaboration to win in this next transformative decade.    
 
I genuinely get energized meeting passionate founders driving incredible endeavors - Karan Chaudhry (Sprouts.ai), Cassandra Sebastian Pernia (Zyro) and Amichai Yifrach (CYMDALL), Siavosh Derakhti (Abraham Angels). 

And of course cheers to many new friendships: ZEESHAN MALLICK, Irene (Huilian) Zhang, Anmol Goel, Keith Koo, Jill Kravitz, JD Singh MD, Michael Looney, Kristy Stevens, Paul Friedman, "Kosher Barbie" 😂. 

Finally, I wish for you all to hear Mary Millben singing at least once in your lifetime. Wow.  🙏🏼


#familyoffice #VentureCapital #AI

Backing Founders Building the Next Generation of Applied AI | 2X AI Founder turned Investor | Ex-Google | MIT | Startup Advisor & Mentor

Founders - read this book. 

In a few recent conversations with early-stage founders, I heard the following:
- “We’re excited to show you our MVP,  it’s almost ready, then we’ll get it over to customers.”
- “Our solution is industry-agnostic and addresses a variety of use cases."
 - “It’s hard to quantify ROI, but there's clearly value from day 1.”

These conversations got me thinking of a book I read earlier this year - Disciplined Entrepreneurship by Bill Aulet, who was my professor at MIT Sloan School of Management. Sharing here a few principles that stood out: 

💡Real market focus: narrow first, broad later.
 The best founders win one beachhead market before expanding to multiple verticals. Narrow focus = fast feedback = early momentum.

💡 Value quantification is an absolute MUST. 
 If you can’t measure it, you can’t monetize it. Customers will find it hard to justify the cost. ROI clarity builds credibility.

💡 Unit economics & business model - Develop early on. 
 Founders often prefer dealing with it 'later'. It may evolve over time, but having the basics in place is critical. 

💡 Validate assumptions before you build.
Test demand before building your MVP - to avoid building something nobody pays for.... been there, done that :) 

The 24-step framework described in the book is not about killing intuition. It’s about giving it a roadmap. 

#Entrepreneurship #Startups #Founders

Thank you Andrew Romans and the team at 7BC Venture Capital for hosting a great event yesterday. Insightful discussions on the changing VC ecosystem, M&A landscape in light of AI trends and how emerging fund managers fit into all of this. 

A pleasure connecting with you Angela Yadegar, Monica C. Alfisi, PCC ✔️Jerry P., Rui Wang, Alexandra Latimer, Roy Garrett, Fady Barsoum, Kazbek Bektursunov. 

Venture Forward Capital is a Global VC firm, led by entrepreneurs turned investors, backing repeat successful founders, accelerating the future of Applied AI. 

Mike Schatzman and I will be in NYC and Miami in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more.

🔥 Our new newsletter is live and we're excited to share what we’ve been digging into. Thank you Julie Bevacqua for spearheading this initiative! 

A weekly look at the patterns shaping the next decade of Applied AI - We live and breath this world and given many daily conversations we have with founders, investors and experts, we thought of sharing a few perspectives every Friday. 

Our first post covers three recent developments that point to the same pattern, the shift from models → platforms → enterprise workflows:

💡 UnifyApps raised $50M to build enterprise AI infrastructure (tackling the 95% pilot failure rate)
💡 Mistral launched AI Studio as a production platform (not just another model release)
💡 DHL deployed HappyRobot’s autonomous agents across global logistics (Applied AI moving into physical supply chains)

Read the first post (link in comments). 
Feel free to subscribe and share any thoughts / feedback. 

Venture Forward Capital is a Global VC firm, led by entrepreneurs turned investors, backing repeat successful founders, accelerating the future of Applied AI. 

Mike Schatzman, Kasra Davar, Julie Bevacqua, Josh Yelen, CPA, MBA, Edward Crump, Alexa D'Agostino

Lets put the 'B-word' 🫧 aside for a minute (I'll share my take on this topic in a different post), asking you a simple question below. 

Great conversations about this recently with Steven Larky, Mike Schatzman, Kasra Davar, Julie Bevacqua, Era Jain, Katherine Nguyen Caroline Strzalka, Adi Weiss.

In 10 years, how deeply will AI be embedded across business functions, industry verticals, and daily consumer life?

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

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The Battle

Hussein Yahfoufi

Ohad Tzur

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taplio

The Battle

Hussein Yahfoufi

Ohad Tzur

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Hussein Yahfoufi's LinkedIn Performance

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