As CEO and product evangelist, Chris focuses on Hotlist's overall strategy, financing, business development, and strategic partnerships. Intrigued by technology and working as a developer since age 15, Chris has always had a passion for entrepreneurship. Prior to starting Hotlist, Chris established two tech companies, one of which launched in India and was acquired by a publicly listed corporation. Chris's experience also includes delivering customized technology solutions & consulting to algorithmic hedge funds as well as banking in the VC & Private Equity sectors. Chris studied Finance, Economics, and International Business at NYU Stern School of Business, where he became the youngest winner of their business plan competition. He now often returns as a guest lecturer.
Gianni is responsible for setting the overall product strategy for Hotlist. He manages Hotlist's web and mobile platforms in addition to providing most of the office comedy (we keep a whiteboard with his quotes known as "Giannisms"). Prior to Hotlist, Gianni co-founded a web infrastructure firm during his sophomore year of college, running it out of his dorm room until its acquisition in 2005. Gianni is currently an active angel investor focusing on early stage disruptive technologies and lectures at NYU Stern and NYU Poly about technology and entrepreneurship.
Eugene Jen has been tweaking software, hardware, and systems since 1985 and has been a veteran in the New York Startup scene since 1999. He was one of the founding team members in PubSub Concepts which built the first Internet scale prospective search engine that went live in 2004-- before Google Alerts. Pubsub delivered Google's first IPO SEC filing to thousands of users 2 minutes after its submission to the SEC. Eugene graduated with a B.S. in Physics and Computer Engineering from National Taiwan University and a M.S. in Computer Science from New York University. Besides spending his time working on Hotlist, he likes to read, cook, and test new ideas in location-aware mobile software that helps people explore cities, like New York.
Michael Kane is the Lead UI Engineer for Hotlist and enjoys struggling with Internet Explorer 7 & 8. Michael has a passion for entrepreneurship & inventions, and he has worked on numerous startups in co-founder and developer roles. Prior to Hotlist, Michael worked at Commontales.com, a storytelling web site, MyHomie.com, a web app for roommates and OutfitCalendar.com, a service to help the forgetfully-fashionable keep track of their wardrobe choices. In his free time, Michael likes to dance.
Dave Stern's childhood passion for computer science manifested into a technology career spanning the last 16 years. He has worked across a wide spectrum including software development, networking, system & database administration, UI design, and technical team management. Most recently, Dave acted as Senior VP of Technology at a large internet marketing firm. He's now an independent consultant, specializing in startups, who assists firms in building stable infrastructure, scaling databases for massive growth, simplifying and improving code, streamlining operations, and maximizing cost efficiency of hardware & developer time. The team would also like to congratulate Dave on his recent wedding!
Haydn Vestal is a former ranch hand who began programming at age 11 and received Baird and Sokol scholarships from NYU at 17. Previously he developed high-traffic websites for the University of Texas at Austin and Vivastreet, one of the world's most popular destinations for classified advertising. Haydn is a staunch supporter of the open source and free culture movements, and he is an avid reader.
Katy Lin is a free-thinking artist who loves to craft creative and cutting edge graphical layouts in both print and online. Responsible for the look and feel of Hotlist's' website and mobile applications, Katy realizes her full vision for branding, marketing, and design. Offline, Katy dreams of one day opening her own cupcake shop. After graduating with a BFA in Communication Design from Carnegie Mellon, Katy completed her Masters Program in Design Management at NYU.
Dylan Beynon supports a myriad of strategic functions including project management, business development, human resources, social media marketing, and fixing the unfixable office scanner. Prior to joining Hotlist, he was an Agent-in-Training at United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills. where he became an expert at fetching coffee, rolling calls, and placating unruly celebrities. A Trustee Scholar at the Wharton School, he graduated with honors, specializing in Entrepreneurship and Consumer Psychology. Dylan hails from Orange County and misses the beach and Mexican food, dearly.
