OUR TEAM
The Team Building the Future of Admissions
USAcademies.ai is led by a founding team with deep expertise in education, technology, artificial intelligence, and business. We’re complemented by advisors who bring institutional knowledge and industry connections, plus regional representatives who provide on-the-ground insight in key markets.
Core Team (FULL-TIME STAFF)
Payman Vafaee
Founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Role
As founder, Vafaee defines USAcademies.ai’s overall vision and strategy. He sets the long‑term direction, makes high‑level resource and organizational decisions, leads partnerships (e.g., with Teachers College) and investor relations, and serves as the public face of the company.
Jun Usaka
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
Role
Shapes the company’s long‑term strategy and competitive positioning. Usaka monitors market trends and identifies international expansion opportunities, aligns product development and fundraising with strategic goals, and pursues growth‑driving partnerships.
Babak Badnava
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Role
Leads the engineering team and sets the technology vision. He designs the system architecture, ensures the platform is scalable and secure, oversees agile development processes, delivers the product roadmap on schedule, and coordinates with HumanMinds.ai on research and development.
Brady Robinson
Chief Product Officer (CPO)
Role
Owns the product roadmap and user experience strategy. Robinson gathers user requirements, defines and prioritizes features, coordinates with technology, marketing and community teams, and uses metrics and A/B testing to drive continuous product improvement.
Yaman Kumar Singla
Chief Data & AI Scientist
Role
Oversees data strategy and AI innovation. Singla develops machine‑learning models and AI features (e.g., adaptive testing and recommendations), integrates them into the platform, and ensures data practices comply with privacy laws like GDPR, FERPA and CCPA.
Sheena Mozafaar
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Role
Manages daily operations, HR and finance functions. Mozafaar ensures regulatory compliance, provides resources and support across teams, optimizes workflows and builds HR infrastructure to scale the team beyond 30 employees.
Kirsten Riley
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Role
Leads user acquisition and brand strategy. Riley develops marketing campaigns for both individual learners and institutional clients, manages key growth metrics (e.g., customer‑acquisition cost and retention), and recruits and develops the marketing and sales team.
Faezeh Khoshroo
Chief Community Officer (CCO)
Role
Builds and nurtures the user community, including students, educators and partner institutions. She runs pilot programs, collects user feedback to inform product development, ensures inclusivity and develops ambassador programs that encourage organic growth.
Kirby Grabowski Lim
Chief Fundraising Officer (CFO)
Role
Focuses on securing funding through equity, debt and grants. Lim prepares pitch materials and financial models, leads fundraising rounds from seed through Series A, manages relationships with investors and monitors the company’s financial runway.
Vivian Lindhardsen
Chief Networking Officer (CNO)
Role
Develops and maintains strategic relationships with universities and partners. Lindhardsen coordinates cross‑functional networking initiatives, manages project coordination and deliverables, represents the company at industry events and tracks the partnership pipeline.
Early Staff and Contributors
Ronald Ramirez‑Rivera
Operations Manager
Role
Reports to the COO and handles day‑to‑day operations and logistics. Ramirez‑Rivera performs administrative tasks, coordinates with service providers and vendors, implements policies and ensures the team has the resources and documentation needed for smooth operations.
Paul Bartley
Software Engineer & Data Scientist
Role
Reports to the CTO and builds core application features. Bartley develops the platform’s codebase, data pipelines and machine‑learning models, following agile sprints and contributing to KPIs such as on‑time feature delivery and high code quality.
Hessam Nejati
Software Engineer & Data Scientist
Role
Works with the CTO to develop the platform and data science initiatives. Nejati implements features and algorithms, performs data analysis, maintains high code quality and participates in code reviews and technical documentation.
Lidong Wang
Cloud & DevOps Engineer
Role
Manages cloud infrastructure, continuous‑integration/continuous‑delivery (CI/CD) pipelines and system reliability. Wang handles deployment automation, monitoring and security configurations, ensures high uptime and implements infrastructure‑as‑code and disaster‑recovery procedures.
ADVISORY BOARD
Advisory Board Members
Advisors provide specialized guidance and introductions.
Regional Representatives
PARTNERS
Building the Network: Our Partners
USAcademies.ai’s power comes from the network we’re building. Our partnerships with forward-thinking institutions validate our approach and create value for all participants.
CURRENT PARTNERS
Teachers College, Columbia University
Pilot Partner – Graduate Programs
Teachers College is one of the nation’s leading graduate schools of education, part of Columbia University. Our pilot partnership launches with their 2027 admissions cycle, providing real-world validation of the USAcademies.ai platform with a prestigious institution.
PARTNERS
Partner Network (Growing)
We’re actively building partnerships with institutions that share our vision for intelligent, equitable admissions.
Become a Partner:
If your institution is interested in transforming admissions through AI-powered intelligence, we’d love to talk.
JOIN US
Join the Mission
USAcademies.ai is building the future of democratic education. Whether you’re an investor, university partner, potential team member, or student, there’s a place for you in this mission.
FOR INVESTORS
Invest in Impact and Returns
USAcademies.ai represents a rare opportunity: a mission-driven venture addressing a massive market need with defensible technology and clear paths to profitability. We’re currently raising our seed round to fund platform development, pilot execution, and initial market entry.
What we offer:
- Massive addressable market ($25B+ admissions spending)
- Strong unit economics and path to profitability by Year 5
- Network effects creating defensible moats
- Mission-aligned impact alongside financial returns
- Experienced team with relevant domain expertise
Current raise: $500K seed round at $7M valuation
Use of funds: MVP completion, TC pilot, team expansion, initial marketing
FOR UNIVERSITIES
Partner With Us
If your institution faces enrollment challenges, seeks to diversify its applicant pool, or wants to leverage AI for more efficient admissions, let’s talk. We’re actively signing partners for the 2027 and 2028 cycles.
What we provide:
- Qualified, well-matched applicants
- Predictive analytics and yield optimization
- Real-time pipeline dashboards
- Cost-effective recruitment compared to traditional marketing
- Diversity and access goals support
FOR TEAM MEMBERS
Build With Us
: We’re assembling a world-class team to execute this vision. If you’re passionate about education, excited by AI technology, and motivated by social impact, explore opportunities with USAcademies.ai.
Current openings:
- Senior Full-Stack Engineer (Remote)
- AI/ML Engineer (Remote)
- Product Designer (NYC/Remote)
- University Sales Representative (Remote)
- Community Manager (Remote)
FOR STUDENTS
Try Sarvy & Sign Up
If you’re planning to apply to U.S. colleges or graduate programs, USAcademies.ai can help you find your best fit and navigate the application process with expert AI guidance—completely free.
Get started:
- Create your free account
- Build your profile
- Receive personalized program matches
- Get AI support throughout your applications
EXPERIENCE SARVY
Meet Sarvy: Your AI Admissions Counselor
Sarvy is more than a chatbot—she’s a sophisticated AI counselor powered by Soul Machines’ Digital People technology, designed to guide you through every aspect of your admissions journey with expertise, empathy, and availability.
Sarvy combines cutting-edge artificial intelligence with a warm, human presence. Whether you’re just starting to explore programs or finalizing your applications, Sarvy provides personalized guidance tailored to your unique situation.
What Sarvy Can Help With:
- Finding programs that match your profile and goals
- Understanding admissions requirements and processes
- Getting feedback on essays and application materials
- Preparing for interviews
- Navigating financial aid and scholarships
- Answering questions about specific universities
- Managing deadlines and application tasks
- Connecting you with relevant resources and support
Try Sarvy Now: Ask anything about college admissions, graduate programs, or the application process. Sarvy is here to help 24/7.
CONTACT US
Get In Touch
Have questions? Want to learn more? We’d love to hear from you.
Whether you’re interested in partnering with us, investing in our mission, joining our team, or simply learning more about USAcademies.ai, we’re here to help.
Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.