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Yasser Aboudkhil
Chief Operating Officer at TSLC - Ex Engineer @ Microsoft - Ex CTO @ Wahed Inc. - Scaling early stage startup tech and teams to over $100M valuation staying lean
Professional Background
Yasser Aboudkhil is a seasoned technology executive with a rich background in software development and engineering management. With a distinguished career that began at Microsoft, he played a pivotal role in shipping software products that served millions of users worldwide. This experience honed his ability to scale software solutions effectively while keeping user delight at the forefront—an essential balance that leads to significant business impact in technology-driven environments.
After his tenure at Microsoft, Yasser took on the challenge of joining Wahed, a startup that was relatively unknown at the time, as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and employee number three. Yasser's vision was clear: to transform Wahed into a full-fledged technology company where engineering and product were prioritized. He successfully built a robust robo-advisory operating system and established an engineering organization that supported this vision. Under his leadership, Wahed launched its platform in 132 countries and established a local presence in various jurisdictions globally. His efforts were instrumental in driving Wahed's remarkable growth trajectory, taking the company's valuation from $1 million to an impressive $125 million in just three years.
His strategic approach not only centered around establishing a strong engineering culture but also actively raising over $30 million in funding. By creating a thriving engineering organization with board-level representation for technology, Yasser positioned Wahed as a key player in the tech-financial landscape.
Education and Achievements
Yasser's academic credentials are a testament to his commitment to excellence in technology and engineering. He holds a Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science with a focus on Machine Learning from Columbia University in the City of New York. This advanced education provided him with a solid foundation in the complexities of modern computational techniques.
Furthermore, Yasser graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Dallas, where he also minored in Mathematics. He completed his foundational education with a High School Diploma in Mathematics and Computer Science from Richardson High School, which ignited his passion for technology from an early age.
His professional journey reflects a commitment to leveraging technology for transformative solutions. Yasser has spent the past several years architecting highly concurrent and distributed financial systems. He has designed these systems with high availability and event-sourced characteristics, ensuring robust performance even in demanding environments. His innovative mindset enables the creation of self-healing and auto-reconciliation mechanisms that minimize the need for manual intervention.
In addition to his technical prowess, Yasser specializes in building interdisciplinary teams and mentoring talent at all levels. His skills in evaluating and integrating third-party solutions further enhance his ability to deliver scalable technological innovations that meet diverse business needs.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Yasser Aboudkhil has achieved many remarkable milestones:
- Spearheaded a tech transformation at Wahed: Yasser's visionary leadership catapulted Wahed into a leading position in the market, elevating its valuation and expanding its global reach.
- Architected resilient financial systems: His work in designing high-availability financial systems with forward-thinking architecture has set standards in the tech industry for reliability and efficiency.
- Created an innovative engineering culture: By establishing an engineering organization that values mentorship, collaborative processes, and strict service level agreements (SLAs), Yasser fostered a productive work environment that empowers teams to deliver high-quality results.
- Active participation in industry discussions: Yasser remains engaged in conversations around transformative technology and its implications for the future of finance, especially concerning the roles of Machine Learning, Open Finance, and Open Banking in emerging markets like Africa and the Middle East.
- Leadership in various roles: As the Chief Operating Officer at TSLC, Yasser continues to shape technology strategy while also having previously served as the founder and CEO of SensFi. His experiences at Microsoft—including his multiple internships—contributed to his deep understanding of technology's potential.
Yasser is not only a technology leader; he is also a thought leader who loves to envision the future through the lens of innovative technology. He is enthusiastic about discussing tech's intersection with finance, especially in underrepresented markets. Yasser invites those interested in exploring the evolving landscape of finance via technology to connect and share insights or simply bond over shared interests like specialty coffee beans.
