Tech Moves: Remitly’s new CFO; Zillow adds SVP; Aquagga CEO steps down; Proprio hires exec

Vikas Mehta knows how to assess the financial health of a business, having been a finance leader at companies including PayPal, Microsoft, Walmart, Nike, Anaplan, and Komodo Health. And he likes what he sees at Remitly.

“The opportunity that is ahead of the company is massive,” Mehta said. “As a finance leader, I saw that, and I definitely wanted to be part of that.”

Mehta started a new gig this week as the CFO at Seattle-based digital remittance provider Remitly.

Founded in 2011, Remitly’s mobile technology lets people send and receive money across borders, including immigrants in the U.S. and U.K. who support families back home in countries such as the Philippines, India, El Salvador, and others. The service eliminates forms, codes, and agents typically associated with the international money transfer process. 

Remitly is active in 170 countries and employs more than 2,700 people globally. It went public in 2021 and is the most recent company out of Seattle to go public via traditional IPO.

The company reported revenue of $306.4 million in the second quarter, up 31% year-over-year, and a net loss of $12.1 million, down from $18.9 million in the year-ago period.

Mehta said investing in AI and technology is “definitely top of mind” as he looks at growth opportunities for Remitly.

Mehta most recently was CFO at Komodo Health, a Bay Area-based healthcare software company. He’s also a board member at Seattle logistics startup Flexe, and earned his MBA from the University of Washington.

He replaces Hemanth Munipalli, who was CFO since July 2022 and departed this year for family reasons.

Other key personnel changes across the Pacific Northwest tech industry:

— Zillow Group announced Thursday that it hired Soumya Tulloss as its senior vice president of agent sales.

Tulloss was most recently chief revenue officer at Deliverr, an e-commerce logistics company acquired by Shopify and later Flexport.

She previously was a vice president at Twilio, and also worked at PayPal, Deutsche Bank Securities, GoodData, and Google.

“Organizing our sales teams under Soumya’s leadership allows us to rapidly innovate and strategically invest in our agent community,” Jun Choo, Zillow’s senior vice president of real estate software, said in a press release. “Soumya’s commitment to exceptional customer experiences, as well as her impressive ability to supercharge sales organizations while driving revenues, make her a valuable addition to the Zillow team.”

— Nigel Sharp, co-founder of Tacoma, Wash.-based Aquagga, has stepped down from the role of CEO and is now an advisor to the startup.

“I see this transition as an opportunity to give back after five rewarding years,” Sharp said on LinkedIn. “I am committed to advancing the broader startup community, creating meaningful jobs, and inspiring others to make an impact.”

Aquagga is deploying devices that destroy hazardous PFAS, or so-called industrial “forever chemicals” that are used in firefighting foams, carpets and fabrics, water-repellent clothing and non-stick pans. 

Fellow co-founder and Chief Operations Officer Chris Woodruff is stepping in as interim president and CEO as the startup looks for a replacement leader. 

— Bryan Humbarger joined Seattle-based health tech startup Proprio as chief commercial officer. Humbarger was most recently CEO at Ventru, a Phildelphia-based medical device startup he co-founded in 2022. He previously worked for Eko, AliveCor, HeartFlow, Bioquell, and other companies. Proprio last year raised $43 million for its surgical navigation platform that allows clinicians to see key structures on a screen in three dimensions in real time.

— Lāth Carlson, the former executive director of Seattle’s Living Computers Museum + Labs, is returning to the city to head up another institution, as executive director and CEO of the National Nordic Museum. Read more.

— Vasudevan (Vasu) Sundarababu was named chief data and AI officer of Seattle-area AI services company Centific. He joined the company in 2021. Sundarababu also spent time at Capgemini, Synup, Movate, and FICO.

— Rose Kaz, a longtime startups consultant and executive producer, was named executive director of The Portland Metro Region Innovation Hub, a new organization aiming to support entrepreneurs in the Portland, Ore., area.