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EquityZen, an online marketplace for company-approved sales of pre-IPO employee shares, today announces the appointment of Justin Howell as Chief Operating Officer. Howell’s appointment marks a significant milestone for EquityZen as it accelerates its mission of bringing “private markets to the public” for investors and shareholders on its fintech platform.
Howell will oversee daily operations and will report to EquityZen CEO, Atish Davda. Before joining EquityZen, Justin founded and led Rize Money, Inc., a pioneering embedded payments platform that provided payment infrastructure and risk management capabilities to fintechs and other technology companies seeking to integrate innovative financial products into their existing user experiences. Under his leadership, Rize was successfully acquired by Fifth Third Bank, where he served as Senior Vice President and oversaw the integration of Rize’s infrastructure into Newline, Fifth Third's embedded payments division, allowing Fifth Third to win enterprise-scale clients like Stripe and Trustly.
"Throughout my career I have been on a mission to transform financial services through technology,” said EquityZen’s newly appointed COO, Justin Howell. “As an early investor in EquityZen and a long-time client, I am thrilled to be working with the leadership team at EquityZen to help bring greater access to alternative markets.”
Howell's career spans over 20 years with various roles at Bain & Company, Bain Capital, Soleil Securities and Perry Capital, where he gained experience in strategy, operations, and investment across both startups and Fortune 100 companies before founding Rize. His passion for building impactful companies extends to sectors such as personal finance, greentech, education and media & entertainment. Justin holds a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School. He actively contributes to the entrepreneurial community as a mentor, advisor and board member.
Jean Brandolini Lamb has spent two years as EquityZen’s head of marketing before being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer.
“It’s been a pleasure to be part of EquityZen’s advancement as we see interest in our category and company grow. I look forward to working even more deeply with the leadership team to focus on our customers and the opportunities ahead of our thriving business,” said Jean Brandolini Lamb, EquityZen’s new CMO.
Jean joined EquityZen as head of marketing in 2022. Over the last 20+ years, Jean has led marketing teams at global financial services and technology companies including J.P. Morgan, TIAA, SAP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from NYU and a MA from Columbia University.
"Justin is an invaluable addition to our team given his experience as a seasoned entrepreneur, business strategist and his proven track record in scaling businesses. His deep understanding of our business, financial technology and how to operate nimbly in a highly regulated industry will be instrumental as we continue to innovate and transform our pre-IPO platform,” said Atish Davda, CEO of EquityZen. "Jean joined to lead marketing two years ago and expanded her purview to also lead funds, research and customer experience in her tenure.
With this promotion, she brings her valued voice and insight into our customers to the senior executive team. Our goal at EquityZen is to democratize access to investing in the private markets and I look forward to both of their contributions at our company,” he added.
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Investment opportunities posted on this website are "private placements" of securities that are not publicly traded, are subject to holding period requirements, and are intended for investors who do not need a liquid investment. Investing in private companies may be considered highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk, including the risk of substantial loss of investment. Investors must be able to afford the loss of their entire investment. See our Risk Factors for a more detailed explanation of the risks involved by investing through EquityZen’s platform.
EquityZen Securities LLC (“EquityZen Securities”) is a subsidiary of EquityZen Inc. EquityZen Securities is a broker/dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is a FINRA/SIPC member firm.
Equity securities are offered through EquityZen Securities. Check the background of this firm on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
EquityZen Inc. was awarded a 2024 Fintech Breakthrough Award by Tech Breakthrough LLC on March 19, 2025, based on the prior year and covering calendar year 2024, and has compensated FinTech Breakthrough LLC for use of its name and logo in connection with the award. FinTech Breakthrough LLC is a third party and has no affiliation with EquityZen.
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