CV/Resume

SKILLS

BUSINESS & PRODUCT


General business startup supportBusiness plan creation & fundraising Business strategy & market researchProposal, pitch deck, and presentation developmentProduct R&D & conceptualization Product mgmt. & roadmaps (Scrum / Agile methodologies)User stories and scrum ceremoniesProduct Marketing & functional UXBranding, marketing and communicationsResourcing / capacity buildingFinancial modelling & managing budgetsImpact studies / data analyticsBusiness operations and growth HR / governance 

COMPUTER


Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excel)TrelloSlackHubspotAdobe InDesignAdobe IllustratorSalesforceWrike, Asana, HubstaffBitbucket, Jira, GitWordpress (+ Elementor), Wix, SquarespaceGoogle Suite, ZohoCanvaMailchimp, Flodesk, ConvertKitVarious domain hosting software

PERSONAL


Largely developed network in start-up industryExperience starting & growing various start-ups in emerging marketLarge appetite for creating custom solutions for complex problemsStrong communication, facilitation, and training skills, with emphasis on qualityStrong interpersonal skills, ability to work across cultures & timezonesIndependent achiever with motivation and driveEmpathetic leader and well-rounded team player 

LANGUAGE


English – native Portuguese – professional fluencyBahasa Indonesia – conversational fluencySpanish – conversational fluency 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Stragic Consultant

Various locations, July 2019 - present

Providing business and product consulting services to various start-ups and corporations including product/service design and management and business advisory and start-up services. Startups from US, UK, Africa, and Asia across various industries.

Co-founder & COO

January 2020 - November 2022

Redefining what senior means and empowering seniors to live a life of wellness, adventure, and connection through diverse experiences in a global community. Join us at Alive, Fit & Free (www.alivefitandfree.com)!

Co-founder & Strategic Director

Lusaka, Zambia, Feb 2016 - July 2019

Lima Links Ltd is a Zambian social enterprise with a mission to connect farmers to marketplaces through accessible technology platforms. After securing the seed funding (while working for iDE), I founded the company and led the recruitment and training of a fully Zambian start-up team. This included personnel for finance, marketing, leadership, and product development. I led the product plans and launched three tech platforms (mobile, web, and USSD) aimed at distinct users groups within the first year of startup (B2B and B2C). I served as Product Owner (in the Scrum methodology framework) and directly managed the product development team (all products built locally in Zambia by local development team). I led business development, marketing, finance, and operations. I led the strategic growth planning, financial modelling, and fundraising. I managed year-end financial and impact reports and led user feedback integration throughout the year. 
Accomplishments to date:Secured GPB 1.4 million in seed funding & secured commitment from external investors of an additional $1 million of funding.Launched the first farmer platform in Zambia with live prices built for smallholder farmers.Launched the first Android app in Zambia built to facilitate trading in informal markets.Over 30,000 unique users (most of which are users at the BoP) of the farmer platform self-registered in the first seven months after product launch; over 90% of users logging in at least once per month from October 2017.Revenues generated in the first month after revenue-generating product launch in October 2017.Secured exclusive partnership with largest telecom operator in Zambia.Approached by Zambian Ministry of Agriculture to implement country-wide information management platform.Awarded Best Foodtech/Agri-tech Start-up at the Southern Africa Startup Awards, 2018.

Business Development/Operations Associate

Zambia, Mozambique, & Burkina Faso, Jul 2014 - Jan 2016

iDE works in market facilitation and value chain development, linking smallholder farmers to larger agricultural markets.  This position was based in Lusaka, Zambia, and supported the business development and operations of three country programs, with combined annual project budgets of $4.8 million. In this role, I managed & supported over 20 new business proposals to grow iDE’s operations and directly brought in over $3 million.  I served as stand-in support during the Country Director transitions for two country programs, which included organizing resources needed to maintain smooth operations.  On the business side, managed the business plan creation and product development for a new start-up to be launched by iDE Zambia (Lima Links) and won GBP1.4 million in start-up funds. I worked with a social enterprise in Mozambique to secure an additional $200,000 in funding for 2016.

Kiva Fellow

Maputo, Mozambique, & Johannesburg, South Africa, Jan 2014 - June 2014

Kiva is a US-based non-profit which partners with local micro-finance institutions to provide interest-free capital.  As a Kiva Fellow, I worked with Kiva field partners, Hluvuku-Adsema, an MFI in Mozambique, and Maharishi University in South Africa to complete a routine audit on their credit systems and support with various tasks.  These tasks included: ensuring loan disbursement procedures follow confirmed schedules and coaching loan officers in the writing and uploading of client profiles; facilitating technical workshops to over 20 employees around Kiva processes; and supporting the  development of partner strategies for approval of a higher Kiva line of credit [from USD50,000 to USD200,000 +].

Training Coordinator

Los Angeles, California, USA, Feb 2013 - Dec 2013

Chrysalis is non-profit organization/social enterprise with 3 branches in the larger Los Angeles area that provides classes and 1-on-1 support designed to help low-income individuals successfully re-enter the workplace.  In this role, I partnered with the Director of Training Programs to improve all aspects of the training programs at Chrysalis.  Accomplishments included: facilitating over 100 hours of classroom time to make appropriate improvements to all core curriculum content based on client demographic [including classes on computer skills, financial literacy, and resume writing]; training and managing 25 volunteer facilitators across all 3 sites; and developing and implementing an intensive, 10-hour Customer Service Training geared towards boosting client marketability.

Supervisor

El Segundo, California, USA, Aug 2012 - Feb 2013

Served as a full-time supervisor as part of a 4 person management team at World Market, a specialty/import retail store. This role included: managing and coaching employees to create an efficient and amiable work-place environment; developing and implementing new initiatives to boost product popularity, sales, and customer satisfaction; managing staff schedules; managing all cash-handling procedures; and addressing and resolving all customer issue.

EDUCATION

Business Foundations Specialization, Wharton School of Business on Coursera, 2016

4-course specialization that builds a foundation of core business skills in marketing, finance, accounting and operations, including a final capstone project.

Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies, Summa cum Laude, Arizona State University, September 2012, 4.0 Grade Point Average

Honors: Horatio Alger Association State Scholar; Provost Scholarship; Dean’s List; Member of Phi Beta Kappa National Honors Society

Intern, Global Women in Management Workshop, June - Aug 2012, Washington DC

Served as in intern for the GWIM workshop put on by CEDPA (now a part of Plan International) in which 25 international women in management positions were provided with training, networking, and business capacity building.

Critical Language Scholarship Participant, June - Aug 2011, Malang, East Java, Indonesia

 Selected as a participant for the Critical Language Scholarship Program provided by the US State Department, which included participating in an intensive Indonesian language program at Universitas Negeri Malang, and completing a local study on behavioral and cultural barriers to condom uptake at local brothels.

Undergraduate Student Instructor, Aug - Dec 2010, Arizona State University

Instructed a college course of 19 students, which included attending a hands-on Teaching Methodology training, creating course syllabus and weekly lesson plans regarding linguistic theories and principles and college success tips. Recruited and trained Undergraduate Student Instructors. 

Youth Exchange Student, July 2007 - June 2008, Rotary, Brazil

As a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, I lived with host families and attended a local secondary school in Brazil, where I became fluent in Brazilian Portuguese.