About
I'm Ashwin Safaya.
I help technology companies get banks, regulators and large enterprises to say yes.
For 14 years I've taken payments, digital trade and enterprise technology into new markets across APAC. Most of the time there was no regional team and no brand doing the selling. It was me, a target list, and the institutions that had to agree.
Products in this space rarely stall because the technology fails. They stall because nobody owned governance, compliance and the commercial structure. I take that on.
I've also sat on the buyer's side. At Softtech, the technology company of Türkiye's İşbank, I assessed fintech and AI companies for the bank to adopt. I know what a bank's evaluation looks like from inside, and I prepare founders for it.
Right now I also run sales workshops with Lemon Operations for enterprise teams such as Autodesk, on target account selling with AI built into how they research accounts and plan deals.
I also write Before Execution, a weekly newsletter on governance, regulated finance and institutional AI.
Experience
| Years | Company | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 to now | ZenithBlox | Chief Business Development Officer, founding team |
| 2026 to now | Lemon Operations | Business Maker, sales workshops with AI |
| 2024–25 | NPCI International | Country Manager, Singapore |
| 2023–24 | Softtech (İşbank group) | Innovation Consultant, Venture and Technology, Asia |
| 2022–23 | Splyt | Business Lead, Growth and Partnerships, APAC |
| 2021–23 | Billon | Growth Partner and Advisor, APAC |
| 2018–19 | Lionbridge | Director of Business Development, ASEAN |