Helly Shah

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Co-Founder & CTO at Approval AI

New York, New York, United States

Overview

Helly Shah is the Co-Founder and CTO of Approval AI, a Y Combinator-backed company focused on the mortgage industry. Her background combines software engineering at Google with financial analysis at Goldman Sachs. A University of Washington graduate, she is also a licensed mortgage broker in Texas.

Outside of fintech, Helly is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). She has an interest in global experiences, evidenced by her JASSO scholarship for a short-term study exchange program in Japan. She has also been recognized with a Grace Hopper Student Scholarship.

Unique fact: Helly is a certified Emergency Medical Technician, a distinct qualification for a tech executive.

Personality Overview

Value Seeker

Systematic

Price-Sensitive

It is quite likely of them to ask for pricing or other concessions.  They prefer to do thorough analysis of any situation. They generally do not appreciate an overfriendly approach and prefer to stay to-the-point.

Topics They Care About

Mortgage Disruption
Her company aims to rebuild the mortgage process, citing inefficiencies and the layers of middlemen between homebuyers and the market.
Founder Dynamics
She has written about the importance of the co-founder relationship, detailing what makes her partnership successful and noting that they are "actually thriving".
Consumer-Focused Tech
She has observed that most innovation is B2B and has expressed a preference for building tools directly for consumers rather than for other companies.

Media Appearances

Helly has no verified media appearances

Work History

4-2025
Co-Founder & CTO at Approval AI
2-2022 - 3-2025
Software Engineer at Google
8-2020 - 2-2022
Analyst at Goldman Sachs
8-2017 - 6-2020
Writing Consultant at University of Washington
4-2018 - 3-2019
Staffing Recruiter at University of Washington

Education

4-2025 - 6-2025
Education details unavailable from Y Combinator
2016 - 2020
Bachelor's degree from University of Washington

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 6 Location : New York, New York, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : Co-Founder & CTO at Approval AI
URL has been copied!

Insights For Selling To Helly

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Share as much information as possible regarding your product
  • Back up any claims with data and numbers
  • Emphasize on objective proof of ROI, help them do a thorough evaluation

DONT's

  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence
  • Avoid rushing them, be polite and patient
  • Don’t try to be too friendly or informal with them

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Helly is

  • Ensuring that the product delivers ROI, cost-effective pricing and process compliance are very important for them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Helly

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Helly move?

  • If they have the information that they need, they can move fast at making their decisions.
  • Can Helly take some risk or not?

  • They can take some risk if they are confident that they have analyzed the circumstances well.


You And Helly

Personality Compatibility


More Profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Search more profiles

Looking for someone else? Search here for anyone.

Or visit Humantic AI to know more.