Zeshan Ahmad

PROFESSIONAL BIO

 

Zeshan is a start-up strategist, technologist & entrepreneur with over 20 years of diverse global experience using emerging digital channels to grow innovative enterprise. As a right & left-brain design thinker, Zeshan has the unique ability to code, design products, & acquire marketplace for digital first brands. His experience as a digital nomad is global working for clients & doing business in his native home of Canada, United States, Ireland, Australia, Malaysia, UAE, Ukraine, & currently Georgia.

As a dedicated lifelong learner, he keeps updated with the latest in emerging tech as part of a decentralized team of researchers, investors & traders who build, analyze, & invest in early stage metaverse, fintech, & prop-tech ventures that leverage WEB3 blockchain technologies through user engagement, content marketing, NFTs, & smart contracts. He has completed courses from Stanford, INSEAD, Token Engineering Academy & Andreesen Horowitz (a16z) on DAOs, blockchain technologies, DeFi, cryptocurrencies, token design & engineering.  Zeshan’s goal is to simplify & implement smart contract models for founders, investors, rights holders, and content creator.

Over the last 4 years Zeshan made early investment in several WEB3 / Blockchain projects while attending certified courses in token engineering & smart contract coding & design. He has developed a smart chat bot technology that is able to simplify smart contracts in real estate transactions for trustless transactions on the Exonum blockchain in the country of Georgia. Alongside his co-founders, he is currently launching P360, a digital sports brand monetizing digital name, image and likeness rights of NHL athletes on WEB3 and in the metaverse.

Zeshan was the principal architect of what was the world’s first government mandated blockchain technology solution for B2B, B2C & P2P property deeds and title transfer & sale through a secure online transaction. The project was initiated, developed & operated under Dubai Land Department (DLD) & Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) through the ‘Smart Dubai” initiative built to handle over 4B USD in Real Estate transactions per month.

In 2011 Zeshan moved to New York City where he headed dev teams in ad-tech for Pure Growth Partners & Peak Venture Partners in launching mobile apps, digital media properties and CPG products with heavyweights in the entertainment industry including Justin Bieber (Phoneguard), Black Eyed Peas (Charity Dreams) & 50 Cent (Street Kings Energy Shots).

In 2001 he launched his professional career as a co-founder of a web & digital media agency from his hometown of Edmonton, Canada. He alongside his team built & launched a network of 20 officially licensed NHL player website & owned a syndicated column on Yahoo Sports, inadvertently becoming a pioneer in the digital name, image, likeness (NIL) rights, influencer marketing & direct to consumer business model. In his time in his hometown of Edmonton, he & his co-founders also established a diploma granting Adobe certified multimedia & digital arts college training program graduating students that work for Nike, Unity Games & Walt Disney. In 2003 he continued his technology career in Melbourne Australia, helping to commercialize 46 patents for in-channel wireless communications for Fintech & Banking industries in Australia, Indonesia & Malaysia. 

From a private equity perspective, he is well versed in complex structures and transactions having worked as a senior investment officer for a family office in NYC that was the largest shareholders in E-Trade, completed slate financing for Summit Entertainment & completed M&A transactions worth 350M+ USD for Aman Resorts, named the top luxury hotel brand the world by Travel + Leisure magazine. He has also founded multiple ecommerce direct to consumer brands built on Shopify, growing from single founder to multimillion dollar exit using automated strategies in SEO, PPC, Influencer Marketing & Customer Service Automation.

CAREER DETAILS

WHOLESOME LINEN LLC

Denver, CO, USA

Co-Founder + Operator

June 2015 – October 2021

Direct-to-consumer producer of premium, all-natural bedding products

  • Cultivated 2 direct-to-consumer online brands in the natural bedding sector across the baby and home categories, driving $4M+ in direct sales by leading the processes for design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing & fulfillment.
  • Bootstrapped successful marketing initiatives by leveraging cutting-edge ecommerce technology and concentrated SEO and PPC strategies to target a niche millennial market.
  • Optimized profit margins by utilizing an on-demand supply chain system with customizable products to reduce costs of production, shipping and storage and manufacturing near source of raw materials  
  • Secured valuable PR features for both brands, including Kourtney Kardashian Social Media Channels  (wholesomelinen.com), Architectural Digest, New Yorker, and Sunset magazines (flaxlinen.com), accelerating product growth

PEAK VENTURE PARTNERS LP

New York, NY, USA

Senior Investment Officer

September 2009 – May 2015

Private Equity firm with $1.2B+ in wealth generated from investments in real estate, CPG, technology, media, and fintech

  • Sourced venture with Summit Entertainment, the largest independent studio in Hollywood releasing feature length films, later sold to Lionsgate for $412M.
  • Led a $328M M&A transaction for luxury global hotel chain, Aman Resorts, managing a 12-person legal team from Greenberg Traurig LLP.
  • Facilitated deal with Pure Growth Partners to support the incubation of consumer and technology brands from inception to market penetration using the reach of A-list celebrities promoting a charity component.
  • Managed the user experience design & business launch strategy for a mobile app company, Bublit Mobile App, specializing in over-the-home screen messaging technology & corresponding API. 

KEY CAPITAL PARTNERS

Dubai, UAE

Investment & Management Consultant

March 2007 – March 2009

Cross-border, entrepreneur-led advisory firm investing in high-growth industries and emerging markets

  • Implemented a global first system to execute online property title transactions — similar to modern-day smart contracts — for Dubai Land Department (DLD) & Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) through Simsari.com.
  • Liaised between Istitmar World (a Dubai World Company) and Malaysia-based Green Rubber for investment opportunities, driving rubber tire de-vulcanization and reuse technologies through Green Rubber’ exclusive IP rights.
  • Organized due diligence relations materials for Pixsel Group as a member of the M&A advisory team for an IPTV service provider in the media and broadcast sector.

SYMSTREAM TECHNOLOGY GROUP

Melbourne, AU

VP Communications + Business Development

October 2003 – March 2007

Wireless modem provider enabling banks to offer micro-banking services to rural populations with GSM connectivity

  • Developed company logo and established branding and art direction to ensure consistent themes across all promotional materials. Organized materials for industry conferences and tradeshows to accelerate brand growth.
  • Directed the core marketing and communications strategies for a fundamental wireless data communications technology for deployment throughout the Asia-Pacific region to establish an international market within 1 year.
  • Delivered specifications, research, and analysis to product investors/executives to support ongoing business development, strategic initiatives, joint ventures, partnerships and negotiations.
  • Piloted B2B business plans, RFPs and corporate partnership arrangements in Australia, Indonesia & Malaysia to support commercialization of a wireless infrastructure technology across the telecom & banking sectors.

SYNTHE INC

Edmonton, AB, Canada

Managing Partner + Sales & Business Development

June 1999 – August 2002

  • Conceptualized a content delivery and ecommerce platform solution between National Hockey League (NHL) players and Yahoo! Inc to support projects for professional sports journalism & internet commerce.
  • Leveraged the partnership to build 20 official NHL player websites and capture peak momentum with audiences during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
  • Created technical solutions to support relationship between National Players Association & charitable organizations benefiting underprivileged children, enabling 4k underprivileged children to attend NHL games in 2003-2004.
  • Initiated a strategic alliance between industry and education by developing a private vocational institution called Guru Digital Arts College dedicated to digital arts and media.
  • Secured public and private sector partnerships, financing, equipment and leasing space for the college, facilitating 6+ graduating classes with accredited Digital Media Production diplomas.
  • Executed strategic business initiatives to secure a blossoming portfolio of clients, including Telus, University of Alberta, EPCOR, Economic Development Edmonton, & Hon Anne McLennan (Deputy PM of Canada at the time).

MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL

Edmonton, AB, Canada/ Melbourne, AU/ New York, NY, USA

Exec Producer + Artist Management + Event Organizer + Marketer

September 1994 – June 2016

  • Headed 2 major label release campaigns, international tours, music videos & media for a New York-based band called “Walking Shapes,” earning nomination for 2014 Indie Song of the Year.
  • Executive Produced a learning resource to teach Multiplication Tables Using Hip Hop licensed to Victoria Australia Education Ministry (called “Pop, Lock, and Learn- still sold on streaming services such as iTunes).
  • Pioneered and expanded the urban culture community in Edmonton by fostering relationships with the entertainment sector, coordinating promotional tours and organizing youth culture events to engage fans.
  • Liaised between Canada’s 3rd-largest media company (Chum Media Limited sold to Bell Media) and local community (Edmonton) to spearhead efforts to solicit new media radio broadcast licenses.