The Kaldi team comprises award-winning specialists in AgriTech, AI, Web3, blockchain development, logistics, and coffee industry professionals.
The Kaldi mission is to revolutionize the green specialty coffee market via a new value-creating coffee ecosystem. Powered by novel proprietary blockchain technology, KaldiMarket™ offers true seed-to-sale traceability and a unique suite of benefits and incentives to farmers and their customers, revolutionizing an annual $50+ billion green specialty coffee market.
Chair, Kaldi Foundation
Chief Executive Officer
Software & Blockchain Leadership
Global Communications Leadership
Logistics Technology Leadership
Sustainable Development Leadership
International Coffee
Leadership
User Insights Leadership
International Commercial Growth Leadership
Finance & Tax Strategy
Leadership
Blockchain & AI/ML Leadership
NFT & DeFi Integration Leadership
KaldiMarket™ has been developed from a belief that coffee matters. It matters where a cup of coffee comes from, that the coffee industry is environmentally and economically sustainable, and that coffee growers have a stake in their marketplace’s macro trading success.
Stefan is a financier, serial entrepreneur, Fellow of and Professor of the Practice of Entrepreneurship at King's College London. A decorated philanthropist, he is internationally recognized as a leading advocate of using entrepreneurship as a force for positive social change and social mobility. He has co-founded and chairs several award-winning U.K. and international charities, providing the relief of poverty for over 2 million people. Stefan is authorized and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (FCA.)
First serving as an Executive Chair of a U.K. public company at age 27, Stefan has since invested in, co-founded, and served as Chair or CEO of 100+ new companies operating in more than 15 countries. Over three decades, he has built and led teams to create businesses with thousands of employees in sectors including advertising, property, technology, banking, medical, financial services, retail, asset management, agriculture, blockchain, hospitality, and health services. Over the last five years, he has been at the forefront of innovation in industry, answering the urgent calls of social and climate change across the world and developing companies to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving and complex global business landscape.
Stefan is one of the leading voices in encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset to effect positive social change in the U.K. and Africa. This culminated in water charity Pump Aid, a charity he has Chaired since 2010, being awarded 'Charity of the Year 2017' (International Aid & Development) at The Charity Awards, the most prestigious awards scheme in the charity sector in the U.K. Pump Aid was recognized for the second time as 'Highly Commended' at the 2022 Awards for using entrepreneurship as a proven, powerful humanitarian tool. He has established a network of early childhood development centers (ECDs) in impoverished townships in South Africa as Chair of the Afri-CAN Children's Charity, a charity he founded in 2008 to provide education and nutrition to over 3,000 children annually via a sustainable entrepreneurial approach. He has also led interventions for the support of the homeless in London and the protection of children from trauma and human trafficking in Ukraine.
Appointed as the first Professor of the Practice of Entrepreneurship at King’s College London, through King's 20 and King's College London, Stefan has launched over 50 new startups with grant funding over six years and jointly pioneered, in partnership with King's College London, ground-breaking research in neuroscience and entrepreneurship to establish the traits of an entrepreneurial brain. Stefan has been named one of 'London's Most Influential People' in the London Evening Standard Progress 1000 List for his work in Charity, Philanthropy and Social Impact. In 2014 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of The British Empire (CBE) for philanthropic and charitable services in the U.K. and Africa. In 2020 he was awarded a King's College London Fellowship for 'outstanding service.'
As Chair of Kaldi Foundation, Stefan oversees the Kaldi strategy.
Daniel Ball is a technologist, award-winning entrepreneur, and distinguished former military intelligence leader with expertise in blockchain, telecommunications, cryptocurrency, and big data analysis. He started his executive leadership path at T-Mobile, where he led the training and launch of specialized technology teams and business units in support of the very first smartphones and the first rollout of a fiberoptic-backed 4G network in the U.S.
Daniel joined the U.S. Army in 2013 as a Signals Intelligence Analyst (SIGINT). Recognized for his meritorious service in national-level intelligence and counterterrorism missions, Daniel earned the distinction of back-to-back National Security Agency/Central Service Europe and Africa's Military Performer of the Year for 2014, 2015, and 2016, a rigorous selection that considers servicemembers from all branches of the U.S. military. While serving as a Target Digital Network Analyst on classified operations at the National Security Agency (NSA), Daniel distinguished himself by conducting fused intelligence analysis and operating as a focal point for coalition intelligence operations. As a non-commissioned officer, Daniel led the intelligence gathering, targeting, deconfliction, and tradecraft development efforts for a counterterrorism team with responsibility in Northern Africa and parts of the Middle East.
Daniel was introduced to distributed ledger technology (DLT) applications (the origin of today's blockchain platforms) in 2015 as part of his work in the intelligence community and remains at the forefront of DLT and blockchain innovations and advancements. He developed deep expertise in signals intelligence (SIGINT) with the U.S. Department of Defense, rising quickly as an expert on digital communications and writing several whitepapers and tradecraft documents on novel crossover integration between DLT and modern networks like Digital Mobile Radio. He is also adept in conducting cross-discipline intelligence strategies, including COMINT (communications intelligence), HUMINT (human intelligence) and GEOINT (geospatial intelligence.)
In the private sector, Daniel has founded and co-founded companies in the intelligence, international biotech research, and blockchain industries. As Founder of Iron Sight Industries, Daniel is at the forefront of AgriTech innovation, creating and implementing technology solutions in the blockchain, A.I., micro-sensor, and web3 fronts for small to mid-sized farm applications targeting specialty crops like hemp, coffee, and cocoa. He also operates as an ongoing blockchain, cryptocurrency, and technology integration consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, other government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.
An advocate for cause-driven philanthropy, Daniel has spent over 20 years volunteering for nonprofits, focusing outreach on veterans and the poor and homeless in the U.S. and Mexico. A firm believer that entrepreneurship can and should be a facilitator of positive cause-driven change, he has participated in major infrastructure improvement projects, including restoring the former Queen of Angels hospital in Los Angeles to reopen as a food bank and center for domestic violence, drug addiction, and human trafficking, and a house building program in Mexico. Daniel was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for his work with the U.S. Army and Goodfellow Airforce Base outreach program. He has made significant contributions towards PTSD mitigation and suicide prevention among more than 20,000 veterans via the Military Gaming League, which he founded in 2018.
Daniel brings a wealth of entrepreneurial experience to his role as CEO of KaldiMarket, Inc. A proven track record of taking technology-focused companies from early startup to successful commercialization and of expertly balancing metric-driven execution with value-based guidance allows Daniel to confidently lead the company’s direction and success.
Jesse has worked with entrepreneurs in the startup scene for over ten years, specifically focusing on software development for web3 projects. He started his professional career in Real Estate, using the proceeds of his company's sale to fund a move into blockchain and cryptocurrency in 2013, where he worked with early pioneers, including Vitalik Buterin at Ethereum and Charlie Lee at Litecoin.
Jesse co-founded Rapid Innovation in 2019, a web3 software development firm employing over 300 professionals. His passion is for interventionist and cause-driven initiatives that significantly disrupt traditional sectors, leveraging the full potential of decentralization and web3 offered by distributed ledger technology.
Jesse joins the Kaldi team with a proven track record of successfully executing complicated blockchain and web3 projects, scaling in scope from early protocols like Ethereum to the latest technology in web3 NFT-driven communities. His expertise in overseeing the core KaldiMarket™ buildout is a critical strategic advantage to Kaldi's entry into the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector.
Zara is a senior strategic communications specialist. With 20 years of experience at the highest international level of P.R. and corporate reputation management, Zara has led, implemented, and consulted on various campaigns and projects for individuals and global brands.
A specialist in media strategy, crisis communications, and corporate messaging, clients have included tech startups, global corporations, and crypto exchanges alongside traditional businesses navigating complex communication challenges. As a personal profile advisor, Zara has provided counsel to a wide variety of clients, including philanthropists, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and CEOs.
Zara has a BA, Hons, MA, and MPhil from Cambridge University and an MSc from University College London (UCL), where she is also an honorary researcher. Zara has worked with Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor in strategic advisory roles for the past six years.
As Director of Communications for Kaldi, Zara is responsible for global communications and strategy across the Kaldi Group.
Dr. Tirado's career spans business, academia, and government service. He has been a Founding Faculty and Graduate Dean at California State University Monterey and held positions involving international marketing and negotiations, strategic planning, executive development, regulatory oversight, and telemedicine. These roles include European Marketing Director for Pacific Telesis International, Director of Management Development for Pacific Bell, International Sales Manager for the American International Group, and Economic Development Officer with the U.S. Foreign Aid Program. After joining a Silicon Valley consulting group founded by fellow Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni, he worked with companies including Compaq Computer, Agilent Technologies, and Hewlett Packard.
Dr. Tirado has previously served as Special Assistant to the Director of the Inter-American Foundation established by the U.S. Congress to administer foreign aid to agricultural cooperatives in Latin America. Last year they oversaw investments of over $121 million directly and an additional $157.6m from counterparties in areas including sustainable agriculture and food security, community asset mobilization, civic management, human rights, and natural resource management. These investments into over 5,300 small businesses and enterprises directly benefited over 3.5 million community members.
Since forming his own management and marketing consultancy firm, he has served domestic and international clients such as Banco Nacional de Mexico, the Ital Orient Group, Bricklin Automobile Industries, U.C. San Francisco, the Department of the Navy, and the California State Legislature.
His recent focus on the uses of distributed ledger technology resulted in co-founding the Crypto Scholars Forum, bringing together experts in the application of blockchain technology. Dr. Tirado was also recently selected by the Stanford Graduate School of Business to serve on its ACT Management Consulting team offering his marketing and management expertise to leaders of emerging MedTech companies in the Bay Area.
Dr. Tirado has previously worked extensively with farm cooperatives in Latin America during his time in US Foreign Aid. At Kaldi, Dr. Tirado is actively involved in developing relationships with cooperatives and farming groups across Latin America and Africa and providing guidance on building viable, sustainable development models for application within the Kaldi ecosystem.
Katie is an award-winning accountant who began her career in corporate restructuring for the leading global corporate investigation and risk consulting firm, Kroll Associates. Katie has been advising and raising funds for quoted and unquoted companies in the City of London for 20 years. She is authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and is an experienced financial markets specialist. She is also a non-executive director of various companies and is the Head of Audit Committees.
Katie obtained a first-class BSc (Hons) in Business Economics and Finance from Loughborough University.
Katie has served on several Boards with Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor over the past ten years. Leading finance and tax strategy for KaldiMarket, Inc., Katie is responsible for financial reporting and compliance.
Bryant is an experienced cyber professional and a passionate entrepreneur. He began his career as a Signals Intelligence Analyst in the U.S. Army, working closely on digital communication protocols, threat analysis, and big data analysis.
After leaving the military, Bryant joined a DC-based government contracting firm as a cyber threat analyst. He was a founding team member of Dark Wolf, a technology-focused spinoff from a larger firm. He worked for Dark Wolf in a senior analyst position, supporting early company wins, including securing first place at the cyber security and hacking event BSides DC 2016 and 2018 and winner of DEFCON 2017.
Bryant is an expert on cyber threat hunting, data analysis, blockchain security, and blockchain project viability analysis. After nearly a decade in government contracting, he started his own consulting company, later acquired by Elysian Intelligence - a blockchain and web3 specialist firm. Now, as a senior partner, he specializes in directing development focusing on security-minded tradecraft and distributed ledger protocols in Agritech, Fintech, Medtech, Adtech, and DeFi.
At Kaldi, Bryant is responsible for compliance due diligence, cybersecurity strategy, and policy integration.
Sunil has over 25 years of leadership experience as an engineer and a strategic finance executive in marine shipping, private equity, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). He has worked at senior levels in Fortune 100 companies, including B.P. Energy, CMA CGM, and global private equity intelligence company PEI, as well as launched several of his own companies. One notable company includes the award-winning blockchain-based asset tokenization platform, Shipfinex, and its accompanying cryptocurrency, Marine Coin. Shipfinex provides a web3 infrastructure that brings real-world assets on-chain in the form of maritime ships. His expertise in the intersection of technology with traditional industries like maritime shipping and global logistics positions him as a top authority on blockchain, A.I., and computational fluid dynamic applications for advancing and innovating in one of the oldest logistic sectors still operating today.
Sunil is also involved with ongoing activities and programs as an Alumni of MIT Sloan Artificial Intelligence and Oxford University’s Fintech Programme. He serves as a Doctoral Committee Member of the Indian Maritime University and holds an MBA from Aston University, U.K., as well as B.S. in Marine Engineering from DMET, India.
Sunil brings a wealth of experience to Kaldi on the logistics arm of the business, with 30+ years in the maritime shipping and export industry and 20+ years innovating in technology integration in the sector.
Kian has worked in FinTech, Blockchain, and cryptocurrency since 2015. He has extensive experience leading the technology builds and distribution for innovative products, including banking apps, financial wellness apps, cloud-native blockchain products, blockchain databases, and digital asset trading and fulfillment products.
In 2015, Kian founded an I.T. recruiting and consulting company focused on fintech and crypto and transformed it into a multi-million-dollar operation. At the same time, he acquired a 35-year-old background check company that focused on regulated industries, including financial services. He led new product development, including developing a blockchain database to store background check records. Before his departure, Kian was instrumental in the company's 50% increase in revenue.
In 2020, Kian founded CryptoFi, Inc., a Crypto-as-a-Service (CaaS) company enabling financial institutions to integrate retail and commercial cryptocurrency solutions, which is his focus today. Kian brings his extensive networks and expertise in managing relationships with Digital Asset Market Makers, Qualified Custodians, and on/off ramp channels for digital assets to Kaldi. As the stakeholder strategy lead, his focus is on increasing Kaldi's access through these networks and advising on tech solutions for integration into key market channels.
He has a Dual Bachelor’s in marketing and International Studies from the University of Missouri.
Kian has worked in FinTech, Blockchain, and cryptocurrency since 2015. He has extensive experience leading the technology builds and distribution for innovative products, including banking apps, financial wellness apps, cloud-native blockchain products, blockchain databases, and digital asset trading and fulfillment products.
In 2015, Kian founded an I.T. recruiting and consulting company focused on fintech and crypto and transformed it into a multi-million-dollar operation. At the same time, he acquired a 35-year-old background check company that focused on regulated industries, including financial services. He led new product development, including developing a blockchain database to store background check records. Before his departure, Kian was instrumental in the company's 50% increase in revenue.
In 2020, Kian founded CryptoFi, Inc., a Crypto-as-a-Service (CaaS) company enabling financial institutions to integrate retail and commercial cryptocurrency solutions, which is his focus today. Kian brings his extensive networks and expertise in managing relationships with Digital Asset Market Makers, Qualified Custodians, and on/off ramp channels for digital assets to Kaldi. As the stakeholder strategy lead, his focus is on increasing Kaldi's access through these networks and advising on tech solutions for integration into key market channels.
He has a Dual Bachelor’s in marketing and International Studies from the University of Missouri.
Kawal is a software engineer and specialist in Artificial Intelligence, with decades of experience in programming for Fortune 100 and 500 companies, including Tesla and Esurance. Previously serving as Technical Lead at Tesla, Kawal was responsible for a team of developers at the forefront of the company’s A.I. integration. He has also launched several of his own companies as founding CTO. Kawal has written peer-reviewed papers in the AI-driven computer vision sector, developed crossover tradecraft between blockchain and A.I., and patented computer vision technology, including liveness verification and anti-spoofing.
Kawal has significant experience developing large-scale blockchain trading marketplaces and exchange backends for blockchain startup companies, including the award-winning marine logistics asset platform, Shipfinex. Launched in 2022, Shipfinex currently has more than $100m+ assets under management, scaling to $1b+ by the end of 2023. He has developed a robust, fully developed AI-driven facial recognition biometrics suite for verifying identity, including 100ms face match speed and 99.8% accuracy for all faces. This solution is added natively to the backend of applications, providing features like KYC/AML capabilities out of the box for companies and projects requiring robust and integrated due diligence solutions.
He has recent experience working within the U.S. Government, developing and implementing facial recognition biometrics and other AI-driven solutions, including voice identification technology for intelligence community product development.
Kawal leads on building and overseeing solutions for the logistics handoff on KaldiMarket, where A.I. will be helping optimize the data handoff of coffee harvests into shipping manifests for export, radically improving the efficiency of the international maritime drayage process. He is also responsible for KYC/AML facial recognition integration on KaldiMarket.
Stan has over a decade of corporate operations management experience for technology companies, including Apple and T-Mobile, and years of executive-level leadership as a technical software director for a specialist firm focusing on large-scale municipal solutions at a state level across the U.S.
He has worked alongside Daniel Ball for the past ten years, most recently launching NFT and DeFi integration and design company Wovven together as a founding CTO. Wovven enjoyed rapid growth in its first year of launch, becoming one of the top 5 NFT communities on the Fantom blockchain based on NFT collection sales, with several collections selling out in under 10 minutes. Stan is also the author of the first nested custom variable NFT generation script deployed to Ethereum, Fantom, Avalanche, Solana, and Polygon based on HashLips Art Engine.
Stan supports developing utility and broad usability for NFTs and regularly contributes to tradecraft documents for developing novel use cases.
Stan is using his expertise in NFT integration to work on the development of the KaldiMarket platform and core incentive protocols.
Michael is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has spent much of his working life in the retail and consumer sectors. After a 30-year career, including senior positions at Gillette, Spillers, Hertz, and Arcadia, he moved into the not-for-profit sector.
Michael served as Chief Executive of Pump Aid, a multi-award-winning NGO working in the water and sanitation sector for eight years until 2022. During his tenure, working closely with Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor (Pump Aid Chair 2010-2022), Pump Aid transformed from a traditional NGO into an innovative social impact business, creating economic opportunity and delivering sustainable access to water in one of the poorest countries of the world. Pump Aid’s pioneering business approach has seen it being awarded 'Charity of the Year 2017' (International Aid & Development) at The Charity Awards, the most prestigious awards scheme in the charity sector in the U.K., and again being recognized as 'Highly Commended' at the 2022 Awards for using entrepreneurship as a proven, powerful humanitarian tool.
Michael brings a wealth of commercial, financial, and strategic experience to Kaldi and seeks to harness the power of economic development to deliver positive and lasting social change. Michael’s role at Kaldi involves Impact Reporting and demonstrable Kaldi effectiveness.
Ashley Lopez is a Chicago native with international business experience. She started in the coffee business in 2012 with Department of Coffee and Social Affairs, a standout coffee brand awarded as the U.K.'s Best Coffee Chain in both 2018 and 2019 by the European Coffee Symposium Awards. She rapidly rose through the ranks, moving to Chief Operating Officer in March 2013 and Chief Executive Officer in 2015. Ashley has over a decade of expertise in sourcing, purchasing, and trading specialty green coffee at volume at an international level.
Ashley shares a passion for philanthropy and cause-driven initiatives with the rest of the Kaldi team. In June 2015, she joined the Board of Business for Social Progress, a new forum established by University College London Institute for Global Prosperity, where business leaders discuss how to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in today's business world.
In January 2016, Ashley was appointed a Trustee of the multi-award-winning water charity Pump Aid, which has provided over 2.0 million of the poorest people in Sub-Saharan Africa with clean water by using entrepreneurship as a proven, powerful humanitarian tool. Ashley has worked with Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor and Michael Chuter on Pump Aid for over a decade and has worked alongside Stefan, Dumo Mathema, and Rachel Hillel on multiple standout and award-winning U.K. coffee specialty brands.
She holds a B.A. in Law from Winona State University, an MSc in Law & Finance from Queen Mary University, London, and an M.A. in Management from the University of Westminster, London. In July 2016, she was chosen as one of the U.K. business magazine Management Today's top 5 businesswomen in the U.K. under 35 years old.
Kelly is a global executive leader with over 25 years of experience in launching, connecting, and scaling pioneering and sustainable products and businesses in the USA, EU, Asia, and Africa.
Her expertise spans equity and debt fundraising, crypto fundraising, sales, real estate, Fintech, Medtech, and Agritech. Kelly started her career in sales, pivoting from property to innovation and technology in 2019, where she led the launch of PRUVE ID, a blockchain-backed product for lawyers enabling them to be fully ‘chain of evidence’ compliant. More recently, in the blockchain sector, Kelly co-created a global fundraising strategy and crypto-market entry point for Shipfinex, an award-winning blockchain-based logistics solution focused on tokenizing major shipping assets in the import and export market.
From 2021 to 2022 Kelly worked with EON Biotech, UK/India where she procured a $200 million contract for the Middle East to provide rapid saliva testing at Dubai airport/World Cup Stadiums. She has previously worked with Daniel Ball, launching MedTech brand Medflow, a telemedicine platform using facial recognition biometrics to secure patient data, facilitating AI-driven data capture between provider and patient in real-time.
Kelly has extensive experience working in Sub-Sahara Africa. Between 2009 and 2011 she negotiated +200,000 acres of land across three regions of Ghana for a Biofuel company to grow Jatropha and hemp, developing and maintaining relationships with ministers in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Cote D’Ivoire, and Liberia. Kelly shares a humanitarian commitment alongside the Kaldi team, and has founded a charitable foundation in Ghana assisting small-scale female farmers.
As the international commercial growth leader at KaldiMarket, Kelly's primary objective centers on identifying and cultivating innovative growth opportunities for the company, with a dual emphasis on both coffee production and farmer engagement, as well as enterprise procurement strategies. By forging strong partnerships with coffee farmers, Kelly supports Kaldi objectives in broadening its supply chain foundation globally.
Rachel has spent 20+ years working with consumer, retail, and entertainment brands in the U.K and internationally, including Hotel Chocolat, Pret a Manger and Tesco. Specializing in accelerating business growth through a deep consumer and market understanding, Rachel uses this insight to define strategy, improve performance and develop profitable, scalable business models.
Previously, as the International Head of Insight at Pret a Manger, she drove Pret's global business strategy by managing market studies and insight projects, including the roll-out of Pret a Manger in Paris.
Rachel founded her own brand development and customer insight consultancy in 2012 and has worked with a number of U.K. and International customers, including hospitality startups and large corporations, to define and implement their growth strategies. In 2018 she joined the leadership team of Stefan Allesch-Taylor, Ashley Lopez and Dumo Mathema, running a collection of multi-award-winning specialty coffee brands operating internationally.
As Head of User Insight at KaldiMarket, Rachel leads research across thousands of roasteries, farmers, and cooperatives worldwide, understanding their needs and inputting them into marketing communications, foresight, and engagement. Rachel provides the Kaldi leadership with data-driven insight to onboard and drive growth and coffee sales on KaldiMarket amongst farmers and cooperatives.
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