Our Team
Ben Forman
Founder & Managing Partner
Ben Forman is the Founder and Managing Partner of ParaFi.
Ben founded ParaFi in 2018 as one of the earliest investment firms focused on the blockchain and digital asset ecosystem. Prior to founding ParaFi, Ben spent the first 10 years of his career in institutional investing roles at leading asset managers including KKR and TPG.
While at KKR, Ben served as a Director in the credit business, investing across a wide array of industry sectors and parts of the capital structure, including distressed special situations, private credit, and opportunistic and liquid credit. Ben also led KKR's blockchain research as part of the firm's Innovation and Disruption Council beginning in 2016.
Prior to KKR, Ben served as a Vice President with TPG's former credit business, Sixth Street Partners. As one of the first investment professionals to join the platform, Ben helped scale its private credit vehicle, TPG Specialty Lending, which went public in 2014. Earlier in his career, Ben was a member of the private equity team at Littlejohn & Company and investment banking team at Rothschild & Co.
Ben has a passion for capital markets, behavioral economics and game theory, all of which drew him to the blockchain space. He grew up playing chess competitively and continues to play actively to this day (peak ELO 1934). He graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania.
Kevin YB
Partner
Kevin YB is a Partner of ParaFi, leading the firm's quantitative strategies and technology development.
Kevin's career is rooted in technology and financial markets. Prior to joining ParaFi in 2019, he was a Managing Director at Reality Shares, an ETF asset management firm, responsible for quantitative strategies and strategic initiatives. Kevin previously served as a portfolio manager for a family office, investing tactically behind technology opportunities across private and public markets. Previously, Kevin was also the CEO and CTO of Tenzar Technologies, a high-performance computing company.
Kevin holds a B.S. in Applied Physics from Emory University, with a concentration in computational physics, quantitative finance, and machine learning.
Adrian Uberto
Partner & COO
Adrian Uberto is the Chief Operating Officer and a Partner of ParaFi. His experience includes alternative asset management and digital assets as an allocator and operator.
Before joining ParaFi, Adrian was the Managing Director at CoinList, a platform that facilitated investments in digital assets. At CoinList, Adrian built and oversaw the investment platform, as CEO and COO of both its digital asset broker dealer and registered investment advisor.
Before CoinList, Adrian was a member of Blackstone's Alternative Asset Management team, one of the largest discretionary allocators to hedge funds. He began his career at the Lehman Brothers Holdings, focused on the restructuring and winddown of the Lehman bankruptcy estate.
Adrian holds a B.A. in International Affairs, with a concentration in International Economics and Minor in Economics from George Washington University.
Alan Au
Senior Fund Accountant
Alan Au is a Senior Fund Accountant at ParaFi. His experience includes fund accounting across private equity, venture capital, and tax compliance.
Prior to ParaFi, Alan was a member of the private equity accounting team at Ares Management, the private equity and venture capital accounting team at Standish Management, and the tax compliance team at Deloitte. Alan holds a B.S. in Accounting from Hunter College. Alan is a Certified Public Accountant.
David Burke
Managing Director, Capital Formation
David Burke is a Managing Director of Capital Formation at ParaFi.
Prior to ParaFi, David was Head of Client and Partner Strategy for BlockTower Capital. Before joining BlockTower, David was Global Head of Distribution and Investor Relations for Orchard Global, leading all business development, investor relations, and client-related activities. Previously, David held a similar role as Partner and Chief Client Officer at MKP Capital Management. Prior to joining MKP in 2011, Mr. Burke was a Partner and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Arrowhawk Capital Partners. Prior to Arrowhawk, David was a Managing Director and member of the Americas Management Committee for DEPFA BANK plc. He has also held roles in emerging markets, financial institutions, fixed-income, and municipal finance in New York, London, and Johannesburg.
David holds a B.S. from Binghamton University.
Seth Dramen
Quantitative Researcher
Seth Dramen is a Quantitative Researcher at ParaFi, contributing to market neutral quantitative strategies and systematic alpha opportunities. He excels at creative mathematical modeling and advanced machine learning while bringing expertise across portfolio management, risk systems, and algorithmic trading.
Prior to ParaFi, Seth was at The Quarry, where he designed and led the internal DeFi/digital asset portfolio while building comprehensive risk management systems and trading infrastructure. Previously, he was a Junior Trader/Software Developer at Warwick Capital, developing alpha generation models and running crypto trading strategies, plus extensive experience in independent DeFi projects including flash loan arbitrage systems and automated liquidity strategies.
Seth holds a joint B.S. in Mathematics & Economics from UC San Diego, including advanced coursework in Abstract Algebra, Numerical Analysis, and Physics.
Matthew Friedwald
Chief Compliance Officer
Matthew Friedwald is the Chief Compliance Officer at ParaFi. Matthew's compliance and regulatory experience spans hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital.
Prior to ParaFi, Matthew was a Senior Regulatory Officer at Two Sigma Investments. Matthew began his career at CME Group (NYMEX) in Market Regulation covering petroleum futures and derivatives.
Matthew holds a MBA in Finance and Strategy from New York University Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University, cum laude.
David Kot
Controller
David Kot is a Controller at ParaFi where he leads the firm's Finance and Accounting team and functions. His experience includes financial leadership roles across digital asset firms and asset managers.
Prior to ParaFi, David was the Head of Finance at Arbelos Markets, a digital asset dealer focused on derivatives products and Global Controller at Blockchain.com. His previous experience also includes serving as Chief Accounting Officer at Abra, CFO at Peridot Group, Director of Finance at Galaxy Digital, and Controller at Tower Research Capital. David began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
David holds a Masters of Business Administration in Accounting from Baruch College and a B.A. from State University of New York at Stony Brook. David is a Certified Public Accountant.
Jono Lee
Associate
Jono Lee is an Associate on the investment team. Prior to joining ParaFi, Jono was an investment professional at Corner Ventures, focusing on due diligence, deal execution, and operational support for traditional venture and Web3 strategies, while leading their on-chain price-agnostic trading strategies.
He served as Chief of Staff at Digital Insight Games, overseeing strategy, business operations, and development.
Jono holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of Business, with concentrations in strategic management and business analytics.
Ariele Lerner
Associate, Client Solutions
Ariele Lerner is an Associate, Client Solutions at ParaFi.
Prior to joining ParaFi, Ari was an analyst on the Investor Relations and Product Development team at Tudor Investment Corporation. Earlier in her career, she taught K-5 at various elementary schools in Manhattan, including Avenues: The World School.
Ari holds a M.A. as a Literacy Specialist from Columbia University and a B.S. in Elementary Education and Child Studies from Vanderbilt University. Ms. Lerner is Series 3 licensed by the NFA.
Marah Nudel
Executive Assistant
Marah Nudel is an Executive Assistant at ParaFi. Prior to ParaFi, Marah provided support to C-Suite individuals at Obra Capital, Arcesium LLC, and DKMS Americas.
Marah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and a Minor in Politics from Ithaca College.
Corlin Palmer
Software Engineer II
Corlin Palmer leads engineering at ParaFi Capital and ParaFi Technologies. His work spans the firm's operations, including portfolio management systems, quantitative trading frameworks, and blockchain infrastructure.
Prior to joining ParaFi in 2020, Corlin was a Senior Software Engineer at Brain Corporation, where he led software teams and designed data infrastructure for a fleet of autonomous robots. Earlier in his career, Corlin held software engineering roles at Tenzar Technologies and KnuEdge, working on high-performance computing and neural network processing systems.
Corlin holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of California, San Diego.
Luke Petrillo
Compliance Associate
Luke Petrillo is a Compliance Associate at ParaFi Capital. Prior to joining ParaFi, Luke served as Compliance Manager at Pagaya Technologies Ltd., where he focused on corporate and registered investment adviser compliance, and as a hedge fund data analyst at UBS.
Luke holds a B.S. in Informatics from Indiana University’s School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
Brandon Rudolph
Information Security Engineer
Brandon Rudolph is an Information Security Engineer at ParaFi Capital, bringing deep expertise in cybersecurity, third-party risk management, and cloud security. With experience as a cybersecurity consultant and security engineer, Brandon excels at identifying vulnerabilities, enhancing security postures, and implementing robust risk management strategies.
Before joining ParaFi, Brandon served as a Security Consultant at InGuardians, where he specialized in third-party risk assessments and comprehensive security audits. Previously, as an Information Security Engineer at Marcum LLP and 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, he developed and managed security programs, performed detailed web application security assessments, and established security frameworks aligned with NIST standards. Brandon holds the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.
Toby Shum
Tax Director
Toby Shum is a Tax Director at ParaFi. Toby has experience in tax compliance and consulting for hedge funds, private equity funds, and fund of funds.
Prior to ParaFi, Toby served as a Tax Manager at Renaissance Technologies LLC and at Alkeon Capital Management. Previously, he led various teams at Ernst & Young's Wealth & Asset Management practice and provided tax services such as compliance and advisory work in federal, international, and state and local taxation.
Toby earned an M.S. in Taxation at Baruch College and holds a C.P.A. license in New York.
Josh Solesbury
Vice President
Josh Solesbury is a Vice President on the investment team. Prior to joining ParaFi, Josh held roles across both technology and finance, including investment banking M&A, strategy, and buy side investing.
Josh holds a B.S. in Finance and Operations & Information Management with a minor in Computer Science from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, Salutatorian.
Ben Stirling
Software Engineer
Ben Stirling is a Software Engineer at ParaFi. His expertise spans embedded systems, real-time processing, and full-stack development, with a focus on high-performance computing and hardware-software integration.
Prior to ParaFi, Ben was an Associate R&D Process Engineer at Fabric8Labs, where he architected real-time motion control algorithms for semiconductor manufacturing systems. Previously, Ben was a Hardware Associate at comma.ai, developing solutions for autonomous driving systems requiring real-time decision making and sensor fusion. He also served as an Engineering Intern at Qualcomm Institute and as Chief Financial Officer at DeepWater Exploration Inc., a marine technology startup where he managed R&D investment and co-authored a patent for submersible camera systems.
Ben holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.
Ajay Sundar
Associate General Counsel
Ajay Sundar is an Associate General Counsel at ParaFi. Prior to ParaFi, Ajay worked at Latham & Watkins, LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP. He has counseled startups and institutional investors in private investments across multiple industries, including advising on token issuances and associated legal, tax and regulatory considerations.
Ajay holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis, summa cum laude.
Andy Sustic
Software Engineer
Andy Sustic is a Software Engineer at ParaFi Technologies, deeply passionate about blockchain technology and decentralized ecosystems. With expertise spanning smart-contract protocols, oracle networks, DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs, Andy actively contributes to advancing blockchain adoption and innovation.
Prior to ParaFi, Andy founded Catalyst BlockVentures, where he provided research, strategic investment, and technical consultation for blockchain projects across Ethereum, Avalanche, BSC, Cosmos, and Solana ecosystems. He also developed Catalyst Network, a privacy-focused blockchain designed as secure, fast, digital cash.
Andy's experience includes roles at Propelus as a DevOps Engineer on the SRE team, optimizing cloud infrastructure and reliability using technologies like AWS and Pulumi. Previously, at Figment, Andy conducted systems research and blockchain infrastructure development, furthering the adoption of distributed ledger technologies.
Anjan Vinod
Principal
Anjan Vinod serves as Principal on the investment team. Since joining the firm in 2019, Anjan has led many of the firm's investments across the firm's venture and token opportunities.
Prior to joining the firm in 2019, he was a researcher and consultant at Blockchain at Berkeley.
Anjan has also co-authored a research paper with Don Tapscott, exploring artificial intelligence and blockchain. Previously, he was a blockchain architect for multiple Fortune 500 companies, designing implementations on Ethereum and Hyperledger.
Anjan holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.
Fei Zhang
Assistant Controller
Fei Zhang is an Assistant Controller at ParaFi. Her experience includes fund accounting across fixed income, equity, and alternative investments.
Prior to ParaFi, Fei was a member of the investment accounting team at Guggenheim Partners and an Assurance Associate at Ernst & Young.
She holds an M.S. in Accountancy from CUNY Baruch College, an M.S. in Business Administration from Seoul National University, and a B.A. in Korean Language and Literature from Fudan University.
Alan Au
Senior Fund Accountant
Alan Au is a Senior Fund Accountant at ParaFi. His experience includes fund accounting across private equity, venture capital, and tax compliance.
Prior to ParaFi, Alan was a member of the private equity accounting team at Ares Management, the private equity and venture capital accounting team at Standish Management, and the tax compliance team at Deloitte. Alan holds a B.S. in Accounting from Hunter College. Alan is a Certified Public Accountant.
David Burke
Managing Director, Capital Formation
David Burke is a Managing Director of Capital Formation at ParaFi.
Prior to ParaFi, David was Head of Client and Partner Strategy for BlockTower Capital. Before joining BlockTower, David was Global Head of Distribution and Investor Relations for Orchard Global, leading all business development, investor relations, and client-related activities. Previously, David held a similar role as Partner and Chief Client Officer at MKP Capital Management. Prior to joining MKP in 2011, Mr. Burke was a Partner and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Arrowhawk Capital Partners. Prior to Arrowhawk, David was a Managing Director and member of the Americas Management Committee for DEPFA BANK plc. He has also held roles in emerging markets, financial institutions, fixed-income, and municipal finance in New York, London, and Johannesburg.
David holds a B.S. from Binghamton University.
Seth Dramen
Quantitative Researcher
Seth Dramen is a Quantitative Researcher at ParaFi, contributing to market neutral quantitative strategies and systematic alpha opportunities. He excels at creative mathematical modeling and advanced machine learning while bringing expertise across portfolio management, risk systems, and algorithmic trading.
Prior to ParaFi, Seth was at The Quarry, where he designed and led the internal DeFi/digital asset portfolio while building comprehensive risk management systems and trading infrastructure. Previously, he was a Junior Trader/Software Developer at Warwick Capital, developing alpha generation models and running crypto trading strategies, plus extensive experience in independent DeFi projects including flash loan arbitrage systems and automated liquidity strategies.
Seth holds a joint B.S. in Mathematics & Economics from UC San Diego, including advanced coursework in Abstract Algebra, Numerical Analysis, and Physics.
Matthew Friedwald
Chief Compliance Officer
Matthew Friedwald is the Chief Compliance Officer at ParaFi. Matthew's compliance and regulatory experience spans hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital.
Prior to ParaFi, Matthew was a Senior Regulatory Officer at Two Sigma Investments. Matthew began his career at CME Group (NYMEX) in Market Regulation covering petroleum futures and derivatives.
Matthew holds a MBA in Finance and Strategy from New York University Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University, cum laude.
David Kot
Controller
David Kot is a Controller at ParaFi where he leads the firm's Finance and Accounting team and functions. His experience includes financial leadership roles across digital asset firms and asset managers.
Prior to ParaFi, David was the Head of Finance at Arbelos Markets, a digital asset dealer focused on derivatives products and Global Controller at Blockchain.com. His previous experience also includes serving as Chief Accounting Officer at Abra, CFO at Peridot Group, Director of Finance at Galaxy Digital, and Controller at Tower Research Capital. David began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
David holds a Masters of Business Administration in Accounting from Baruch College and a B.A. from State University of New York at Stony Brook. David is a Certified Public Accountant.
Jono Lee
Associate
Jono Lee is an Associate on the investment team. Prior to joining ParaFi, Jono was an investment professional at Corner Ventures, focusing on due diligence, deal execution, and operational support for traditional venture and Web3 strategies, while leading their on-chain price-agnostic trading strategies.
He served as Chief of Staff at Digital Insight Games, overseeing strategy, business operations, and development.
Jono holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of Business, with concentrations in strategic management and business analytics.
Ariele Lerner
Associate, Client Solutions
Ariele Lerner is an Associate, Client Solutions at ParaFi.
Prior to joining ParaFi, Ari was an analyst on the Investor Relations and Product Development team at Tudor Investment Corporation. Earlier in her career, she taught K-5 at various elementary schools in Manhattan, including Avenues: The World School.
Ari holds a M.A. as a Literacy Specialist from Columbia University and a B.S. in Elementary Education and Child Studies from Vanderbilt University. Ms. Lerner is Series 3 licensed by the NFA.
Marah Nudel
Executive Assistant
Marah Nudel is an Executive Assistant at ParaFi. Prior to ParaFi, Marah provided support to C-Suite individuals at Obra Capital, Arcesium LLC, and DKMS Americas.
Marah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and a Minor in Politics from Ithaca College.
Corlin Palmer
Software Engineer II
Corlin Palmer leads engineering at ParaFi Capital and ParaFi Technologies. His work spans the firm's operations, including portfolio management systems, quantitative trading frameworks, and blockchain infrastructure.
Prior to joining ParaFi in 2020, Corlin was a Senior Software Engineer at Brain Corporation, where he led software teams and designed data infrastructure for a fleet of autonomous robots. Earlier in his career, Corlin held software engineering roles at Tenzar Technologies and KnuEdge, working on high-performance computing and neural network processing systems.
Corlin holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of California, San Diego.
Luke Petrillo
Compliance Associate
Luke Petrillo is a Compliance Associate at ParaFi Capital. Prior to joining ParaFi, Luke served as Compliance Manager at Pagaya Technologies Ltd., where he focused on corporate and registered investment adviser compliance, and as a hedge fund data analyst at UBS.
Luke holds a B.S. in Informatics from Indiana University’s School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
Ariele Lerner
Associate, Client Solutions
Ariele Lerner is an Associate, Client Solutions at ParaFi.
Prior to joining ParaFi, Ari was an analyst on the Investor Relations and Product Development team at Tudor Investment Corporation. Earlier in her career, she taught K-5 at various elementary schools in Manhattan, including Avenues: The World School.
Ari holds a M.A. as a Literacy Specialist from Columbia University and a B.S. in Elementary Education and Child Studies from Vanderbilt University. Ms. Lerner is Series 3 licensed by the NFA.
Brandon Rudolph
Information Security Engineer
Brandon Rudolph is an Information Security Engineer at ParaFi Capital, bringing deep expertise in cybersecurity, third-party risk management, and cloud security. With experience as a cybersecurity consultant and security engineer, Brandon excels at identifying vulnerabilities, enhancing security postures, and implementing robust risk management strategies.
Before joining ParaFi, Brandon served as a Security Consultant at InGuardians, where he specialized in third-party risk assessments and comprehensive security audits. Previously, as an Information Security Engineer at Marcum LLP and 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, he developed and managed security programs, performed detailed web application security assessments, and established security frameworks aligned with NIST standards. Brandon holds the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.
Toby Shum
Tax Director
Toby Shum is a Tax Director at ParaFi. Toby has experience in tax compliance and consulting for hedge funds, private equity funds, and fund of funds.
Prior to ParaFi, Toby served as a Tax Manager at Renaissance Technologies LLC and at Alkeon Capital Management. Previously, he led various teams at Ernst & Young's Wealth & Asset Management practice and provided tax services such as compliance and advisory work in federal, international, and state and local taxation.
Toby earned an M.S. in Taxation at Baruch College and holds a C.P.A. license in New York.
Josh Solesbury
Vice President
Josh Solesbury is a Vice President on the investment team. Prior to joining ParaFi, Josh held roles across both technology and finance, including investment banking M&A, strategy, and buy side investing.
Josh holds a B.S. in Finance and Operations & Information Management with a minor in Computer Science from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, Salutatorian.
Ben Stirling
Software Engineer
Ben Stirling is a Software Engineer at ParaFi. His expertise spans embedded systems, real-time processing, and full-stack development, with a focus on high-performance computing and hardware-software integration.
Prior to ParaFi, Ben was an Associate R&D Process Engineer at Fabric8Labs, where he architected real-time motion control algorithms for semiconductor manufacturing systems. Previously, Ben was a Hardware Associate at comma.ai, developing solutions for autonomous driving systems requiring real-time decision making and sensor fusion. He also served as an Engineering Intern at Qualcomm Institute and as Chief Financial Officer at DeepWater Exploration Inc., a marine technology startup where he managed R&D investment and co-authored a patent for submersible camera systems.
Ben holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of California, San Diego.
Ajay Sundar
Associate General Counsel
Ajay Sundar is an Associate General Counsel at ParaFi. Prior to ParaFi, Ajay worked at Latham & Watkins, LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP. He has counseled startups and institutional investors in private investments across multiple industries, including advising on token issuances and associated legal, tax and regulatory considerations.
Ajay holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis, summa cum laude.
Andy Sustic
Software Engineer
Andy Sustic is a Software Engineer at ParaFi Technologies, deeply passionate about blockchain technology and decentralized ecosystems. With expertise spanning smart-contract protocols, oracle networks, DeFi, NFTs, and DAOs, Andy actively contributes to advancing blockchain adoption and innovation.
Prior to ParaFi, Andy founded Catalyst BlockVentures, where he provided research, strategic investment, and technical consultation for blockchain projects across Ethereum, Avalanche, BSC, Cosmos, and Solana ecosystems. He also developed Catalyst Network, a privacy-focused blockchain designed as secure, fast, digital cash.
Andy's experience includes roles at Propelus as a DevOps Engineer on the SRE team, optimizing cloud infrastructure and reliability using technologies like AWS and Pulumi. Previously, at Figment, Andy conducted systems research and blockchain infrastructure development, furthering the adoption of distributed ledger technologies.
Anjan Vinod
Principal
Anjan Vinod serves as Principal on the investment team. Since joining the firm in 2019, Anjan has led many of the firm's investments across the firm's venture and token opportunities.
Prior to joining the firm in 2019, he was a researcher and consultant at Blockchain at Berkeley.
Anjan has also co-authored a research paper with Don Tapscott, exploring artificial intelligence and blockchain. Previously, he was a blockchain architect for multiple Fortune 500 companies, designing implementations on Ethereum and Hyperledger.
Anjan holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.
Fei Zhang
Assistant Controller
Fei Zhang is an Assistant Controller at ParaFi. Her experience includes fund accounting across fixed income, equity, and alternative investments.
Prior to ParaFi, Fei was a member of the investment accounting team at Guggenheim Partners and an Assurance Associate at Ernst & Young.
She holds an M.S. in Accountancy from CUNY Baruch College, an M.S. in Business Administration from Seoul National University, and a B.A. in Korean Language and Literature from Fudan University.