— Possible Finance, a Seattle startup that runs a mobile-only loan program, made two executive hires amid rapid growth for the company.
The new head of growth at Possible is Chang Fu, who previously held the same title at Health IQ, a life insurance company that offers lowered rates for health-conscious people.
Scott Simmons takes the recruiting reins as head of talent acquisition. He was most recently lead recruiter at Axon and has done stints at Microsoft, Amazon, Groupon, Qumulo, Juno Therapeutics and Isilon Systems.
“Over the past three months, our team in Seattle has tripled in size from 10 to 30. Bringing in an experienced head of talent like Scott will enable us to continue that trajectory,” CEO Tony Huang told GeekWire in an email. “On the marketing front, we’re now ready to scale into various paid channels after building a solid foundation on organic growth. Chang joins us as our first marketing hire to lead those efforts.”
Following a $4.3 million investment round in February, Possible landed a $30 million credit facility in April that it used to expand the loan program to Texas.
— Marijuana review and discovery website Leafly hired Kirk Beardsley as chief operating officer. Beardsley most recently led Nordstrom-owned Trunk Club, a subscription clothing service. Prior to that, he worked in e-commerce at Microsoft and Amazon.
“Over the course of my career I’ve had the privilege of leading all aspects of some of the world’s most influential consumer marketplaces,” Beardsley said in a statement. “I look forward to bringing those capabilities to Leafly to help more people get information and access to legal cannabis products that support their lifestyle.”
The startup also announced the opening of a new office in Austin, Texas. The outpost will house a product and engineering team of 30 people, all of whom come from Spreetail, an online retailer that recently cut more than 100 jobs.
Leafly recently signed a lease for a new Seattle headquarters space and plans to double its headcount by the end of the year to nearly 300 people.
— Search engine optimization company Moz added to its executive team with a trio of hires and promotions.
- Rob Ousbey was brought on as vice president product. Ousbey was previously vice president of Seattle at Distilled, an online marketing agency.
- Willow Mack was promoted to vice president of customer enablement.
- Michael Cole was promoted to vice president of engineering.
“We’re bringing in the best-of-the-best talent in the industry to build out our executive team,” said Moz CEO Sarah Bird in a statement. “Also, with Willow’s promotion, we’re close to 50 percent women representation on our executive team, which aligns with our mission to foster an environment where our executive team can learn more about each other and appreciate the experiences that shape us.”
Moz is ranked No. 6 on the GeekWire 200, our list of top Pacific Northwest startups.
— Marketing technology firm 4C Insights hired Lisa Mogensen as its chief financial officer. Mogensen most recently led finance at Eleven James, a watch lending site that shut down last year. She was also CFO at media companies The Street and Forbes’ digital properties.
“I’ve admired 4C for years and it’s evident to me that the company has an incredible value, engaged clients, and a strategic team with their eyes set on innovation. I’m excited to join at this time of dramatic momentum behind the business,” Mogensen said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to partnering with 4C’s leadership team to enhance the company’s financial and operational standing, and build on its growth.”
Mogensen takes over from Brent Dobsch, who is now the CFO and COO at Kinetiq, a newly created company formed by 4C and iQ Media in April. Chicago-based 4C is one of a number of national firms to set up engineering centers in Seattle.