Helly Shah in

Helly Shah

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Co-Founder & CTO at Approval AI
📍 New York, New York, United States

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.

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Experience
6 Years
Current Role
Co-Founder & CTO
Job Level
Leadership
Location
New York, New York, United States
Personality Overview

How Helly shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

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Priorities

Topics Helly cares 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".
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Career

Work history

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

Media appearances

No media yetWe could not find public media appearances for this person.
Education
4-2025 - 6-2025
Education details unavailable
Y Combinator
2016 - 2020
Bachelor's degree
University of Washington
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

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