Company Info for opencrowd.com | IcebreakerMembers
Koz is an independent business development adviser for companies in the disruptive technology space and engages in consulting services for FinTech and traditional financial services firms.
Prior, Koz was Executive/Co-Founder at both a Family Office & Management Fund, Business Development Leader at PWC New Ventures Blockchain Assurance Team. He led Banks, Utilities and Broker Dealers to Reg SCI compliance in the US and worked with International Regulators on compliance with their Alternative Trading Systems Regulations.
In the past, He has worked in industry on sales, business development & project management. He has assessed, developed, and implemented many Buy-side and Sell-side products in the areas of trading and execution, operational compliance, securities & exchange act rules and regulations with a comprehensive background in equities, options, futures, and Exchange Traded Funds. Alan has extensive knowledge of global and domestic market structure and was integral in the implementation of a global electronic trading platform, Regulation NMS compliant trading and compliance systems which includes Smart Order Routing, Matching Engines, Dark Pool architecture, and High Frequency Trading service delivery. 
I lead engineering teams building critical payment infrastructure, with a proven track record of building high-performing teams from the ground up.
As Director of Engineering at OKX, I built the payment channels team from inception, scaling from zero to 10+ engineers while delivering critical infrastructure that enables fiat currency flows for one of the world's largest crypto exchanges.
Core leadership achievements:
**Team Building & Scale:**
- Built payment engineering team from scratch to 10+ engineers
- Established engineering culture, processes, and technical standards
- Recruited and mentored engineers across multiple regions
- Created technical roadmap from inception through maturity
- Delivered critical payment infrastructure while scaling the team
**Technical Leadership:**
- Payment service provider (PSP) integration architecture
- Multi-bank API orchestration across regulatory jurisdictions
- Cross-border payment channel implementation
- Compliance-first system design
- Development workflow optimization including AI-assisted code generation
**Previous Experience:**
- On-chain development and security (Gemini)
- Ethereum transaction optimization and smart contracts
- DLT architecture (OpenCrowd - Hedera Hashgraph MVP)
Passionate about building both world-class teams and the critical infrastructure that bridges traditional finance with crypto.
Technologies: Java, Scala, Banking APIs, Team Leadership, Solidity, Distributed Systems 
As CEO and Co-Founder of Dropp, I’m driving the next generation of payments—instant, ultra-low-cost, and cardless. Our platform leverages real-time banking rails (RTP/FedNow) and Hedera’s distributed ledger technology to make even a $1 micropayment ten times cheaper than traditional credit card transactions. With built-in support for USD, USDC, and HBAR, Dropp is reshaping how digital commerce works—for creators, merchants, and enterprises alike.
Before launching Dropp, I spent 17 years as CEO and co-founder of OpenCrowd, a fintech innovation studio that partnered with investment banks and startups to design and launch cutting-edge digital products, from tokenized assets to real-time settlement systems.
Earlier, I served as Chief Technology Officer at Scient, leading eBusiness, online banking, and P2P payment initiatives for major global banks like Chase, Wells Fargo, and Crédit Agricole, building foundational infrastructure during the early internet era. My journey began at Cambridge Technology Partners, where I spearheaded distributed tech solutions for Fortune 500 companies.
With over 25 years of experience at the intersection of finance, technology, and innovation, I bring deep expertise in platform architecture, growth strategy, and market disruption. 
