# Ashoka Finley > I help create systems that lead to positive futures. Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/ashoka I work at the intersection of what would make the world better right now, and what needs to be better 20 years from now. I've always liked to think in systems, and this has motivated my career and academic studies. I've studied, political economy, global finance, resource wars, security studies, economic development. After a thorough understanding of what has happened in the world, I have made a concerted effort to change the future. I think the way this happens is through the systems that we use to provide for ourselves as humans. As a result, I've spent the last 10 years of my life working on issues and systems related to food, energy, housing, and most recently blockchain as a way to coordinate the future resources that we need. This inquiry still continues every day and has now spawned a company that hopes to make an impact on the world for the generations to come. I'd love to connect and talk about how we can build a mutually beneficial and restorative economy. ## Work Experience ### Forward Deployed Engineer @ 1mind Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area ### Senior Full Stack Engineer @ Open Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | Los Angeles, California, United States Collaborated with design team to architect recommendation engine using Vue.js and TypeScript, driving increase in user engagement through personalized content delivery Led design/technology sessions and user flow optimization, conducting stakeholder interviews with product managers, executives, and end users to translate complex requirements into technical solutions Implemented variety-focused recommendation algorithm that balanced user preferences with content diversity, solving the repetitive content problem while maintaining high user satisfaction ratings Worked directly with users through surveys and interviews to understand content consumption patterns and iterate on recommendation accuracy ### Product Engineer @ Offline Studio Jan 2022 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area At Alpha Studio I helped establish robust product processes and driving product innovation across diverse industries. My work spanned from entertainment and media to climate change and security, where I focused on exploring new opportunities, crafting innovative solutions, and ensuring that products were aligned with industry needs and future trends. My contributions helped bridge the gap between concept and execution, fostering a culture of creativity and strategic thinking within the organization. ### Founder & CEO @ hypha.network Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 | Global Built end-to-end subscription platform enabling environmental and climate company funding, scaling to 500+ users before strategic pivot Architected full-stack solution using React, Firebase, and Next.js with Stripe payment processing integration Handled complete UX/UI design and development pipeline, creating intuitive interfaces for complex subscription and donation workflows Solved critical technical challenges in payment processor implementation and comprehensive metrics tracking for transparent impact reporting Led all technical architecture decisions and technology selection for scalable, maintainable platform growth ### Senior Software Engineer @ MakerDAO Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco, California, United States Built interfaces for world's leading decentralized stablecoin platform, contributing to CDP Portal, Governance Portal, Dai.js library, and Liquidations Portal Worked at intersection of full-stack development, smart contracts, and developer tools during Multi Collateral Dai launch Developed financial interfaces used by sophisticated DeFi investors and institutions managing billions in assets ### Individual Contributor - Systems, Processes, Products @ ConsenSys Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 | Brooklyn ConsenSys is the leading Ethereum software company. We enable developers, enterprises, and people worldwide to build next-generation applications, launch modern financial infrastructure, and access the decentralized web. I joined the company @ less than 100 employees and helped scale the organization to roughly 1200 employees. I worked on many different roles and jumped in where I could. Some of the things I did included, working on blockchain software, designing blockchain products, helping with organizational strategy, developing processes around hiring and onboarding, internal facilitation, planning events and retreats, and scaffolding collaborations and partnerships. This was one of the most dynamic roles I ever had and highlights my ability to create results under pressure, and in quick fashion. ### Software Engineer | GIS Specialist | Product Manager @ Ecocity Builders Jan 2011 – Jan 2016 | Oakland, CA Sustainable urban planning firm that develops and implements policy, design and educational tools and strategies to build thriving urban centers based on “access by proximity” and to reverse patterns of sprawl and excessive consumption. Successful project manager in charge of developing and maintaining global partnerships, which will support the development of more sustainable cities. Integral part of the design and planning process that lead to the creation of a sustainability metric that will be incorporated across ICLEI’s global network. Coordinated youth participation in addition to the contributions of local stakeholders, to better identify tangible ways to make communities more sustainable. •Sustainability Mapping. Developed a community input driven mapping solution that fused social data and geographic data as means to implement alternative sustainable development strategies. Designed a community feedback process to refine the tool to be more effective •UN Major Group Facilitation. Facilitated the drafting of a statement by the UN Major Group on Sustainable Cities. This statement included language that made it into the final negotiating document that was agreed upon by the UN General Assembly on June 20th, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. •Partnership Support. Helped establish a Memorandum of Understanding with ICLEI Global in order to pilot the International Ecocity Framework and Standards initiative, which codifies a metric by which cities can measure their own progress towards more sustainable urban environments. •Event Planning and Workshops. Managed events and workshops around the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, which increased awareness of the work of Ecocity Builders and the Sustainable Cities Major Group more broadly. ### Worker-Owner @ Energy Solidarity Cooperative Jan 2013 – Jan 2016 | Oakland, CA Tasked with developing and maintaining institutional partnerships that will expand the opportunity for local renewable energy generation. Identified relevant local organization whose mission and organizational praxis were compatible with the cooperative. Spearheaded the development of democratic energy curriculum to engage youth to get involved in the energy sector. •Organizational Development. Engaged with multiple organizations to develop Memorandum of Understandings that could be used as a starting point for further project development. Successfully identified future potential partners through networking and resource sharing. •Project Fundraising. Directed and implemented a crowd funding campaign that successfully hit it’s fundraising target, and allowed cooperative to initialize its Direct Public Offering. •Partnership Support. Helped establish a Memorandum of Understanding with local Oakland, CA nonprofits and educational institutions. •Event Planning and Workshops. Facilitated and taught workshops concerning issues of energy sovereignty, and access to solar in order to increase awareness of the concepts. ### Content Developer @ Urban Biofilter Jan 2014 – Jan 2014 | Oakland, CA Managed organizational relationships with local community groups and potential collaborators in order to create more opportunities for funding, and research. Wrote and organized grant materials for submission. This includes grants to CalFIRE and the EPA. The purpose of the grants was to develop a comprehensive community air quality management project. This project would generate necessary data for the implementation for distributed green infrastructure that could mitigate toxins and pollutants in at-risk neighborhoods. These grants required collaboration between university researchers, government officials, business and other nonprofits, and securing these partnerships was part of my responsibilities. Assisted with the building of physical prototype structures. Skills included metal and woodworking, as well as irrigation design. Created maps and data visualizations of relevant environmental data to be used in meetings and public advocacy projects. This included complex GIS work and manipulation. ### Project Manager @ Urban Tilth Jan 2012 – Jan 2013 | Richmond, CA A Contra Costa County nonprofit dedicated to cultivating agriculture in order to help the community build a more sustainable, healthy, and just food system. Partners with schools, community-based organizations, government agencies, businesses and individuals. Developed and implemented a comprehensive sustainable urban agriculture education curriculum, which included avenues for community engagement and betterment by working with local youth and high school students. Increased program visibility and community awareness by conducting outreach through fresh produce market stands. •Community Engagement. Designed a community engagement strategy by working with local city leaders, community organizations, and faith-based institutions. Succeeded in this effort by obtaining buy-in from progressive political organizations and support from youth leaders in the community. •Youth Training. Facilitated a Summer Apprenticeship Program to engage and activate local youth to become advocates for sustainable change within their own communities. Taught a yearlong high school course on “Urban Agriculture and the American Food System. This process included skills training and political development in order to cultivate a greater understanding of the different stakeholders at the local level. •Urban Policy Strategy. Helped develop long-term strategic goals for the Richmond Food Policy Council by incorporating experience and knowledge of the local school system and school lunch program. Designed a pilot project for the service of fresh fruit and vegetables during school hours to increase awareness of nutritional health among students. •Organizational Development. Provided staff assistance and training as a means of developing organizational capacity and strength. This included media training, planning and strategy, and operational streamlining. ### Project Coordinator @ Bankmigration.org Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 Handled the establishment of an online presence in the lead up to Bank Transfer Day, which was nationally recognized as a day for greater financial accountability. Managed a successful campaign that has tracked over $4.75 million dollars being moved from Big Banks into Credit Unions. Outreach and Community Research. Identified key social networks and forums to disseminate information about the advantages of credit unions in the development of community resources. Implemented street level marketing campaigns that increased reporting of transfers, and the sustainability of the campaign. Media and Communications. Managed an online and social media presence that increased campaign participation and effectively highlighted key policy developments in regards to financial accountability. Social Mapping Data. Designed the implementation of a social mapping platform that could be used to report why people were moving their money, as a grassroots strategy to increase participation in the campaign. ### Co-Founder @ Globalized Jan 2009 – Jan 2010 | Berkeley, CA Created an online social networking space where students could exchange ideas and projects about globalization and development. Fostered an international partnership with a Danish University, to support the creation of a compendium of knowledge on global issues. Designed a curriculum based approach, based on UC Berkeley’s DeCal program to further understanding of the global context, while also demonstrating how to engage on Established relationships with other development and global issues based student groups, in order to allow for cooperation in planning events and bringing awareness to issues on campus. ### Marketing Strategy Intern @ TOMS Jan 2007 – Jan 2008 | Buenos Aires, Argentina Created press kits, and established relationships with various media outlets in order to increase brand awareness. Developed marketing and advertising campaigns for South American markets. Researched vendors that would facilitate increased sales of the products. Assisted in the donation of products in order to meet the company's mission statement. Disseminated company information throughout the expatriate community to increase worldwide awareness of the products. ## Education ### B.A in Political Economy University of California, Berkeley ### A.A in Global Marketing; Comparative Politics, International Business, Marketing Santa Monica College ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ashokafinley - Portfolio: http://vociferousveracity.blogspot.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/ashoka JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/ashoka/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-10