Pranjal Daga, Co-Founder at Accend (YC S23)
Professional Background
Pranjal Daga is a co-founder of Accend (YC S23), a company focused on accelerating onboarding and KYC reviews for fintechs and banks. Prior to this, he held significant roles at Brex and Cisco. At Brex, Pranjal led the Product for Risk and notably saved $20 million in fraud losses. Before joining Brex, he contributed to the establishment of Cisco Innovation Labs, where he successfully scaled the team from 1 to 35 over four years. Pranjal's venture into tech began after he dropped out of his PhD in AI/ML at Purdue University.
Educational Background
- Dropped out of PhD in AI/ML at Purdue University
- Completed the Y Combinator program, Summer 2023 batch (YC S23)
Professional Achievements
- $20 million fraud loss mitigation at Brex
- Successfully scaled Cisco Innovation Labs team from 1 to 35 members over four years
- Co-founded Accend, which raised a $3 million seed round
Company Overview: Accend (YC S23)
Accend is an AI-powered workflow management tool designed to streamline the manual operations involved in KYC reviews and onboarding processes. The company primarily targets risk and compliance teams within fintech organizations. Accend graduated from the Y Combinator Summer 2023 batch and has since gained substantial traction in the market.
Key attributes:
- Seed Round: Raised $3 million led by prominent funds and angels
- Target Market: Fintech companies focusing on risk and compliance
- Core Product: AI-driven tools for KYC reviews and onboarding
Notable Activities and Announcements
- Jul 9, 2024: Announced the closing of their seed round funding.
- Aug 7, 2024: A successful month with marquee customer signings and a European roadshow.
- Aug 20, 2024: Highlighted compliance team pain points and solutions.
- Aug 22, 2024: Detailed Accend’s streamlined research tool for compliance.
- Sep 5, 2024: Shared the company’s origins as an invoice financing tool for small businesses.
- Various hiring posts: Indicating an active expansion, Pranjal frequently posts about new job openings at Accend.
Professional Network
- Over 500+ LinkedIn connections
- Engages actively on LinkedIn about company updates, industry insights, and technology adoption in compliance.
Relevant Experience Summary
- Brex: Led product risk, saved $20M in fraud losses
- Cisco: Set up and managed Innovation Labs
- On Deck Fellow (ODF1) and Entrepreneur In Residence (EIR) at Vonzos Partners
Co-Founders of Accend
- Yutong Pei: Former Engineering Manager at Brex; built major fraud control systems.
- Joseph Zhou: Former CFO at a mobile gaming startup; managed KYC, AML, and compliance with significant achievements in Europe.
Roles & Recruiting
- Actively recruiting for a Founding Full Stack Engineer with a salary range of $120K-$180K.
This report encapsulates Pranjal Daga's professional trajectory, the foundation and growth of Accend, and notable activities of the company, relevant for potential business interactions and strategic engagements.
