My Resume

About Me

Hi, my name is Rahul Desai. I'm a jack of all trades who can quickly problem-solve across disciplines. In fact, my first name means "efficient" in Sanskrit.

I'm currently learning full-stack web engineering at Lambda School, with an eye towards eventually becoming a Technical Product Manager. In undergrad, I studied Business with a concentration in Operations & Information Management and a minor in English.

I love innovations that draw insight from messy, massive data-sets (e.g. medical records, purchasing behavior) and have previously set strategy for, designed, and built products in this vein. I'm interested in working on similar things in the future.

Work Experience

Here's a brief overview of my previous work.

Fahrenheit 212

Strategy Associate

Guided a retail client through a design sprint, leading to the design & build of a consumer mobile app. Led change management for over 8000 store associates in conjunction with the app launch.
Developed a doctor acquisition method for the maker of a new digital drug, helped a large ride-sharing firm improve their driver relations, crafted a vision of digital wellness for a Big 4 tech company, and set e-commerce strategy for a well-known celebrity's brand.

Trendify

Co-founder & CEO

Founded a machine learning firm to predict the exit likelihood of startups.
Collected millions of data points to develop a model with 66% accuracy (better than most VCs).
Recruited and trained 12 employees across design, development, and business, all of whom have now gone on to top flight jobs at firms including Google, Amazon, Facebook, Blackrock, and Morgan Stanley.

Author

Self-Published

Wrote Soft Control, about how data scientists and algorithms can alter human decision-making. Predicted Trump's victory and the rise of tech addiction. Represented by Bleecker Street Associates.
Wrote The First 30%, about Sam Altman's "How to Start a Startup" class at Stanford. Self-published with the endorsement of Y Combinator.

Freelance Web Development

Self-Employed

Created a website for a PBS producer's portfolio, a doctor's office, and a children's book author.
Developed lead lists for client pursuits and gained clients through word of mouth.

Encore Alert

Customer Success Intern

Analyzed 300 social media alerts per day to train an influencer analytics algorithm.
Prepared lead lists of potential clients and investors for the CEO.
Participated in the Under Armour Cupid's Cup competition as a semi-finalist.

Lamont Financial

Summer Analyst

Served as the only summer analyst at a top 5 bond advisory firm.
Accurately predicted Detroit's bankruptcy filing and modeled $16B in debt for a restructuring proposal.
Prepared debt models to inform the potential buyout of West Hartford's water infrastructure.