Who we are and what we're about

Alex Algard

Alex is the CEO of Hiya, where he's especially focused on product vision and corporate strategy. Alex is a long-time visionary for trust and identity in mobile calls, having launched the first caller ID and spam blocking apps for mobile. Previously, Alex founded and bootstrapped two companies: Ekata, a leader of ID verification to enterprises via SaaS (sold to Mastercard for $850M) and Whitepages.com, which he started in the 1990s at college. He holds a B.A. in Economics and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, both from Stanford University.

Alex is the CEO of Hiya, where he's especially focused on product vision and corporate strategy. Alex is a long-time visionary for trust and identity in mobile calls, having launched the first caller ID and spam blocking apps for mobile. Previously, Alex founded and bootstrapped two companies: Ekata, a leader of ID verification to enterprises via SaaS (sold to Mastercard for $850M) and Whitepages.com, which he started in the 1990s at college. He holds a B.A. in Economics and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, both from Stanford University.

Kush Parikh

Kush manages the global operations of Hiya and sets the corporate direction of the company alongside the founder and CEO, Alex Algard. He has over twenty years of experience in the mobile industry including handset OEMs, wireless infrastructure, location based services and mobile payments. Among Kush’s many startup roles, he was recently the CEO of PayByPhone, Inc. one of the largest mobile payment companies in the world which he sold to Volkswagen Financial Services. Kush holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State and an MBA from Duke University.

Kush manages the global operations of Hiya and sets the corporate direction of the company alongside the founder and CEO, Alex Algard. He has over twenty years of experience in the mobile industry including handset OEMs, wireless infrastructure, location based services and mobile payments. Among Kush’s many startup roles, he was recently the CEO of PayByPhone, Inc. one of the largest mobile payment companies in the world which he sold to Volkswagen Financial Services. Kush holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State and an MBA from Duke University.

James Lau

James is the Chief Product Officer of Hiya and responsible for the company’s overall product vision, roadmap, and strategy. He has over 20 years of product management experience and has held leadership roles at Microsoft and Google. He holds 9 U.S. patents and has contributed to a diverse set of products including those related to mobile and generative AI. He has a BAS in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and a graduate degree in Engineering Management from Dartmouth College.

James is the Chief Product Officer of Hiya and responsible for the company’s overall product vision, roadmap, and strategy. He has over 20 years of product management experience and has held leadership roles at Microsoft and Google. He holds 9 U.S. patents and has contributed to a diverse set of products including those related to mobile and generative AI. He has a BAS in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and a graduate degree in Engineering Management from Dartmouth College.

Tony Lanham

Tony is a highly experienced sales executive with a diverse background in building and leading revenue-generating engines for both large enterprise and small venture-backed organizations. As CRO, Connect Tony leads the Global Direct Sales, Customer Success, Partnership, and Revenue Operation groups for the Connect business. Tony started his career with Dun and Bradstreet as an inside sales rep and left as VP of Sales. After D&B, he chose to focus on the venture-backed start-up space. He has led the GTM effort for several Seattle and Silicon Valley-based start-ups, growing them from negligible revenue to 8 figure MRR run rates. In 2017 he founded The Revenue Group, a boutique consulting firm focused on providing fractional CRO services to Seed to B round venture-backed start-ups. In 2020 he joined Altus Alliance as Venture Partner where his focus was on helping mid to enterprise-level organizations develop new or re-tool, existing revenue groups. Tony's career spans 27yrs as a sales professional and leader. He has established a strong track record of developing full-scope GTM strategies and teams. Tony has a Bachelor of Arts, in Speech Communication from California State University, Northridge. He resides in Seattle with his wife and two children. He is an avid soccer player, skier, and frisbee dog owner!

Tony is a highly experienced sales executive with a diverse background in building and leading revenue-generating engines for both large enterprise and small venture-backed organizations. As CRO, Connect Tony leads the Global Direct Sales, Customer Success, Partnership, and Revenue Operation groups for the Connect business. Tony started his career with Dun and Bradstreet as an inside sales rep and left as VP of Sales. After D&B, he chose to focus on the venture-backed start-up space. He has led the GTM effort for several Seattle and Silicon Valley-based start-ups, growing them from negligible revenue to 8 figure MRR run rates. In 2017 he founded The Revenue Group, a boutique consulting firm focused on providing fractional CRO services to Seed to B round venture-backed start-ups. In 2020 he joined Altus Alliance as Venture Partner where his focus was on helping mid to enterprise-level organizations develop new or re-tool, existing revenue groups. Tony's career spans 27yrs as a sales professional and leader. He has established a strong track record of developing full-scope GTM strategies and teams. Tony has a Bachelor of Arts, in Speech Communication from California State University, Northridge. He resides in Seattle with his wife and two children. He is an avid soccer player, skier, and frisbee dog owner!

Kelly Schmitt

As General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Kelly manages the legal operations and privacy and security functions at Hiya. Kelly has more than 20 years of legal experience in technology, licensing and M&A, most recently overseeing the successful acquisition of Ekata by Mastercard. Kelly holds a degree in Biology from the College of St. Benedict and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.

As General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Kelly manages the legal operations and privacy and security functions at Hiya. Kelly has more than 20 years of legal experience in technology, licensing and M&A, most recently overseeing the successful acquisition of Ekata by Mastercard. Kelly holds a degree in Biology from the College of St. Benedict and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.

Anthony Mendonca

Anthony leads the engineering efforts at Hiya, including QA, IT, and tech operations. He brings more than 20 years of engineering and cloud computing experience, and most recently built the engineering team at RealSelf and helped the company grow from 10 to 250 employees. Prior to RealSelf, he helped build the private cloud platform at Intuit, including data center automation and VPS management. Anthony holds a Computer Science degree from San Jose State University.

Anthony leads the engineering efforts at Hiya, including QA, IT, and tech operations. He brings more than 20 years of engineering and cloud computing experience, and most recently built the engineering team at RealSelf and helped the company grow from 10 to 250 employees. Prior to RealSelf, he helped build the private cloud platform at Intuit, including data center automation and VPS management. Anthony holds a Computer Science degree from San Jose State University.

Patchen Noelke

Patchen leads Hiya's marketing team which includes product marketing, demand generation, corporate marketing, and company communications. He is a veteran IT insider with over 20 years of experience with real-life IT operations and technical business management. He was previously the Senior Director of Product Marketing at Algorithmia where he focused on helping machine learning and data science leaders adopt operational best practices to improve the cost, quality, and performance of ML applications. He has a rich background in product management and marketing experience in IT solutions for analytics, agile development, collaboration, security, governance, and IT financial management.

Patchen leads Hiya's marketing team which includes product marketing, demand generation, corporate marketing, and company communications. He is a veteran IT insider with over 20 years of experience with real-life IT operations and technical business management. He was previously the Senior Director of Product Marketing at Algorithmia where he focused on helping machine learning and data science leaders adopt operational best practices to improve the cost, quality, and performance of ML applications. He has a rich background in product management and marketing experience in IT solutions for analytics, agile development, collaboration, security, governance, and IT financial management.

Samantha Rist

Samantha is a People and Business Operations executive with 25+ years of domestic and global experience. As VP of People, Samantha leads the function in building and cultivating exceptional programs to recruit, retain, and develop the Hiya team to meet the needs of the business. Samantha has worked across industries from oil and gas to tech, having been involved in over 10 M&A integrations ranging in headcount from 50 to 1500 across 8 countries. In her last role prior to Hiya, she guided the HR function from due diligence to full integration as part of the executive team at Ekata, which was acquired by Mastercard in 2021. Samantha holds a Bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from Cornell University and a Master’s from Heriot-Watt University in Management of the Oil & Gas Industry.

Samantha is a People and Business Operations executive with 25+ years of domestic and global experience. As VP of People, Samantha leads the function in building and cultivating exceptional programs to recruit, retain, and develop the Hiya team to meet the needs of the business. Samantha has worked across industries from oil and gas to tech, having been involved in over 10 M&A integrations ranging in headcount from 50 to 1500 across 8 countries. In her last role prior to Hiya, she guided the HR function from due diligence to full integration as part of the executive team at Ekata, which was acquired by Mastercard in 2021. Samantha holds a Bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from Cornell University and a Master’s from Heriot-Watt University in Management of the Oil & Gas Industry.

Won Park

With many years of expertise in the telecom industry, Won leads Hiya’s ongoing growth and distribution strategy, with a specific focus on Mobile OEM partnerships. Prior to Hiya, Won was Head of Mobile Partnerships at LinkedIn where he grew the mobile app user base through OEM and carrier partnerships. Before LinkedIn, Won worked at Evernote where he helped distribute the company’s mobile app to tens of millions of smartphones through partnerships with companies like Samsung, LG and NTT. Won also worked in Samsung’s Mobile Division for over 10 years in Korea and the Bay Area, where he led numerous partnerships with US companies like Swype, Dropbox and Flipboard. Won holds a B.A. in Media Studies from University of London and a Masters in Marketing from the University of Manchester.

With many years of expertise in the telecom industry, Won leads Hiya’s ongoing growth and distribution strategy, with a specific focus on Mobile OEM partnerships. Prior to Hiya, Won was Head of Mobile Partnerships at LinkedIn where he grew the mobile app user base through OEM and carrier partnerships. Before LinkedIn, Won worked at Evernote where he helped distribute the company’s mobile app to tens of millions of smartphones through partnerships with companies like Samsung, LG and NTT. Won also worked in Samsung’s Mobile Division for over 10 years in Korea and the Bay Area, where he led numerous partnerships with US companies like Swype, Dropbox and Flipboard. Won holds a B.A. in Media Studies from University of London and a Masters in Marketing from the University of Manchester.

Tanvi Saxena

Tanvi is the Vice President of Product Management for Hiya Connect, solving the biggest pain points for enterprise customers to help them succeed with Hiya’s Voice Performance Platform. She has years of experience in product management, operations, and strategy across multiple industries, including the call center space. Previously, Tanvi worked at A Place for Mom, Starbucks, and the Boston Consulting Group. She holds a B.S in engineering and B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania / Wharton School of Business, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Tanvi is the Vice President of Product Management for Hiya Connect, solving the biggest pain points for enterprise customers to help them succeed with Hiya’s Voice Performance Platform. She has years of experience in product management, operations, and strategy across multiple industries, including the call center space. Previously, Tanvi worked at A Place for Mom, Starbucks, and the Boston Consulting Group. She holds a B.S in engineering and B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania / Wharton School of Business, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Sarah Hermanns

Sarah Hermanns is Vice President of Sales, overseeing Hiya’s direct sales teams in the United States, Canada and Europe. Sarah brings 14 years of selling and leadership experience in both SaaS and eCommerce. For the 6 years prior to joining Hiya, Sarah advanced her career within Ekata (formerly Whitepages Pro) mostly notably leading their Enterprise Sales org through a high value acquisition by Mastercard in 2021.

Sarah Hermanns is Vice President of Sales, overseeing Hiya’s direct sales teams in the United States, Canada and Europe. Sarah brings 14 years of selling and leadership experience in both SaaS and eCommerce. For the 6 years prior to joining Hiya, Sarah advanced her career within Ekata (formerly Whitepages Pro) mostly notably leading their Enterprise Sales org through a high value acquisition by Mastercard in 2021.

Matt Haan

Matt Haan is the Vice President of Channel & Partnerships, overseeing all partner relationships and engagement with Hiya Referral partners, Resellers, and Wholesalers. Matt brings over 18 years of technology and channel building experience including Technology Sales at global solutions provider CDW in Chicago, IL, National Channel Management at Communications provider Mitel Networks in Kanata, Canada, and most recently, assisted in building a global channel organization for Contact Center as a service leader Talkdesk, based in San Francisco, CA

Matt Haan is the Vice President of Channel & Partnerships, overseeing all partner relationships and engagement with Hiya Referral partners, Resellers, and Wholesalers. Matt brings over 18 years of technology and channel building experience including Technology Sales at global solutions provider CDW in Chicago, IL, National Channel Management at Communications provider Mitel Networks in Kanata, Canada, and most recently, assisted in building a global channel organization for Contact Center as a service leader Talkdesk, based in San Francisco, CA

Jonah-Kai Hancock

Jonah-Kai is the Vice President of Demand Generation where he oversees Hiya’s marketing operations, advertising, events, and SDR teams to drive greater awareness, acquisition, and revenue. He is a proven leader with 15 years of experience in product marketing, online marketing, marketing strategy, and content strategy for B2B focused companies. Prior to joining Hiya, Jonah-Kai led marketing programs for several of Seattle’s top companies, including Algorithmia (acquired by DataRobot), Concur (acquired by SAP), Tableau (acquired by Salesforce), and AdReady (acquired by CPXi). He also previously served in marketing roles for TUNE, Razorfish, and Weber Shandwick.

Jonah-Kai is the Vice President of Demand Generation where he oversees Hiya’s marketing operations, advertising, events, and SDR teams to drive greater awareness, acquisition, and revenue. He is a proven leader with 15 years of experience in product marketing, online marketing, marketing strategy, and content strategy for B2B focused companies. Prior to joining Hiya, Jonah-Kai led marketing programs for several of Seattle’s top companies, including Algorithmia (acquired by DataRobot), Concur (acquired by SAP), Tableau (acquired by Salesforce), and AdReady (acquired by CPXi). He also previously served in marketing roles for TUNE, Razorfish, and Weber Shandwick.

Daniel Lehoczky

As Managing Director of Hiya Hungary, Daniel is in charge of building out and running the Central European engineering operations in Hungary. Daniel leads the financial, legal, operational and HR functions, and helps define Hiya’s global strategy. Prior to Hiya, Daniel worked at Whitepages where he also lead the regional engineering operations in Hungary. He has over 20 years of finance and management experience working in different industries and companies that include Deloitte & Touche and Silicon Valley Bank. Daniel holds a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and a law degree from Eötvös Lóránd University.

As Managing Director of Hiya Hungary, Daniel is in charge of building out and running the Central European engineering operations in Hungary. Daniel leads the financial, legal, operational and HR functions, and helps define Hiya’s global strategy. Prior to Hiya, Daniel worked at Whitepages where he also lead the regional engineering operations in Hungary. He has over 20 years of finance and management experience working in different industries and companies that include Deloitte & Touche and Silicon Valley Bank. Daniel holds a B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and a law degree from Eötvös Lóránd University.

Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen

After executive leadership roles covering mobile in the early days of Dropbox and Uber, Lars adds unique value as an investor in Hiya. At Uber, where he was Vice President Mobile, he fueled the company’s rapid growth through strategic alliances with global telcos, including Verizon and Carlos Slim's América Movil group. As Head of Mobile at Dropbox, where he was one of the firm's first 25 employees, his business development deals with Samsung and others helped the file-sharing company reach its first 100M users. At WhatsApp, Lars was advisor to the business team on non-organic growth and distribution, until the messaging app's acquisition by Facebook in 2014. Lars holds an MBA from London Business School, an MSc from Oxford University and a BSc from Kings College London.

After executive leadership roles covering mobile in the early days of Dropbox and Uber, Lars adds unique value as an investor in Hiya. At Uber, where he was Vice President Mobile, he fueled the company’s rapid growth through strategic alliances with global telcos, including Verizon and Carlos Slim's América Movil group. As Head of Mobile at Dropbox, where he was one of the firm's first 25 employees, his business development deals with Samsung and others helped the file-sharing company reach its first 100M users. At WhatsApp, Lars was advisor to the business team on non-organic growth and distribution, until the messaging app's acquisition by Facebook in 2014. Lars holds an MBA from London Business School, an MSc from Oxford University and a BSc from Kings College London.

Sarah Franklin

Sarah is the CEO of Lattice. In her previous role as EVP and GM of Platform and AppExchange, Sarah led Salesforce’s developer initiatives with a focus on democratizing technology. She is passionate about empowering everyone to pursue successful careers in technology and bridging the skills and equality gaps by making technology accessible to all. Throughout her career, Sarah was often one of the only women on her team. Witnessing the incredible inequality of women and minorities in STEM careers firsthand inspired her to help spark the Trailblazer movement by launching Trailhead, Salesforce’s gamified online learning platform. With Trailhead, she has seen people transform their careers from hairdressers, salsa dance instructors, and factory workers to successful technologists. She is proud to work with the best and the brightest to change the face of the technology industry. Sarah’s career has spanned large enterprises to scrappy startups. She specializes in bringing emerging technologies and trends to market and has a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen. She is proud to have worked at Salesforce for 10 years now. Sarah holds a dual degree in chemical engineering and biochemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Sarah is the CEO of Lattice. In her previous role as EVP and GM of Platform and AppExchange, Sarah led Salesforce’s developer initiatives with a focus on democratizing technology. She is passionate about empowering everyone to pursue successful careers in technology and bridging the skills and equality gaps by making technology accessible to all. Throughout her career, Sarah was often one of the only women on her team. Witnessing the incredible inequality of women and minorities in STEM careers firsthand inspired her to help spark the Trailblazer movement by launching Trailhead, Salesforce’s gamified online learning platform. With Trailhead, she has seen people transform their careers from hairdressers, salsa dance instructors, and factory workers to successful technologists. She is proud to work with the best and the brightest to change the face of the technology industry. Sarah’s career has spanned large enterprises to scrappy startups. She specializes in bringing emerging technologies and trends to market and has a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen. She is proud to have worked at Salesforce for 10 years now. Sarah holds a dual degree in chemical engineering and biochemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Mike McSherry

Mike brings twenty years of experience focused on mobile networks and technology to Hiya. Today, Mike serves as CEO of Xealth, a digital prescribing and analytics platform integrated into healthcare electronic medical records (EMRs). Prior to Xealth, he was CEO of Swype, an innovative touchscreen keyboard installed on over one billion smartphones and tablets, which he sold to Nuance in 2011. He also co-founded Zivo, the largest web development company in Australia and New Zealand, and was co-founder and head of product for Boost Mobile both in the US and Australia. He has also held several different product roles at Microsoft. Mike received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Business from William & Mary college in Virginia.

Mike brings twenty years of experience focused on mobile networks and technology to Hiya. Today, Mike serves as CEO of Xealth, a digital prescribing and analytics platform integrated into healthcare electronic medical records (EMRs). Prior to Xealth, he was CEO of Swype, an innovative touchscreen keyboard installed on over one billion smartphones and tablets, which he sold to Nuance in 2011. He also co-founded Zivo, the largest web development company in Australia and New Zealand, and was co-founder and head of product for Boost Mobile both in the US and Australia. He has also held several different product roles at Microsoft. Mike received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Business from William & Mary college in Virginia.

Brian Kang

As the cofounder of Nautilus Venture Partners, Brian brings more than 20 years of experience in venture capital investment and various corporate development roles to Hiya’s board. Prior to co-founding Nautilus, Brian was a managing director at Samsung Ventures, where he led the firm’s global investments in the mobile and consumer IT sector. In addition to his extensive VC network in the Silicon Valley, Brian has close relationships with key executives and technology leaders from Asian global corporations for proprietary investment validation and early access to market/technology innovation. He holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, and a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

As the cofounder of Nautilus Venture Partners, Brian brings more than 20 years of experience in venture capital investment and various corporate development roles to Hiya’s board. Prior to co-founding Nautilus, Brian was a managing director at Samsung Ventures, where he led the firm’s global investments in the mobile and consumer IT sector. In addition to his extensive VC network in the Silicon Valley, Brian has close relationships with key executives and technology leaders from Asian global corporations for proprietary investment validation and early access to market/technology innovation. He holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, an MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington, and a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Andrew Snead

Andrew is a highly passionate telco, media and tech professional with over 26 years of global experience, operating as an executive, advisor and investor. During his career, Andrew has lived and worked in New York, London, Dubai and Singapore, advising Boards, management teams and investors of large-cap companies and early-stage ventures. Andrew has a deep passion for innovation, is an incurable optimist and a strong believer in non-linear, tech driven growth.

Andrew is a highly passionate telco, media and tech professional with over 26 years of global experience, operating as an executive, advisor and investor. During his career, Andrew has lived and worked in New York, London, Dubai and Singapore, advising Boards, management teams and investors of large-cap companies and early-stage ventures. Andrew has a deep passion for innovation, is an incurable optimist and a strong believer in non-linear, tech driven growth.