Loni Mahanta
Operating Officer & General Counsel at aiEDU.org
San Francisco, California
Overview
Work Experience
Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel
2024 - Current
aiEDU is devoted to making sure that all students are ready to live, work and thrive in a world where AI is everywhere. We focus on AI literacy and readiness for K-12 students, teachers, and school systems. I oversee Ops, Finance, HR, Legal, Grants/Development and External Affairs
The AI Education Project is a non-profit that creates equitable learning experiences that excite and empower students with AI literacy.
Raised $1,200,000.00 from Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.
Nonresident Fellow - Economic Studies, Center on Regulation and Markets
2021
Nonresident fellowship focusing on tech policy and emerging tech. Member of Brookings working group on crypto/blockchain/web3 policy and regulation.
Independent Director, Board Of Directors
2021
•Chair of Compensation Committee •Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee
HopSkipDrive is a vehicle for hire company focused on shuttling kids to school.
Raised $123,799,999.00 from Cap Table Coalition, The Artemis Fund, 1843 Capital, Energy Impact Partners, Transform Capital, Upfront Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Halogen Ventures, FirstMark and Keyframe Capital Partners.
VP, Policy & Government Affairs
2022 - 2023
Led global public policy and government affairs for OpenSea, the world's leading NFT marketplace.
OpenSea is an NFT marketplace that enables users to discover, collect, and sell blockchain-based digital assets.
Raised $427,220,000.00 from Kathryn Haun, Coatue, Bossa Invest, Seth Weinstein and Paradigm.
VP, Government Relations and Public Policy
2021 - 2022
Loni was the Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy, where she led Zillow's GR and Policy professionals, as we work to modernize real estate transactions to provide a seamless digital experience for consumers.
Zillow is an online real estate marketplace for finding and sharing information about homes, real estate, and mortgages.
Raised $96,627,980.00 from TCV and TCV.
VP, Policy Development and Research
2019 - 2021
Crafted strategic solutions for the business’s core policy issues and drove operational and programmatic priorities. Manage experts in Sustainability, Safety, Privacy, Future of Work, Labor Policy, Legislative Analysis, Policy Research, and Analytics, combining data analysis and legal acumen to create effective political strategy and drive high-value business outcomes across verticals. Continued to lead Lyft’s keystone “Future of Work” initiatives, from portable benefits and the creation of a modern, flexible safety net to addressing worker issues and automation.
VP, Future of Work
2018 - 2019
Pitched and architected this industry-leading initiative focused on policy and thought leadership in the “future of work” space. Reported to Lyft co-founder John Zimmer and drove innovations in labor policy, portable benefits, the creation of a modern, flexible safety net, worker voice, and addressing worker displacement due to automation.
VP, Associate General Counsel, Labor, Employment & Litigation
2015 - 2018
Senior member of Lyft’s in-house legal team, reporting to the General Counsel. Responsible for all labor and employment-related issues facing Lyft, internally (employees) and externally (drivers). Led all product counseling related to the independent contractor status of drivers. Advised the executive team on high-impact litigation, audits, strategic partnerships, and acquisitions. Advised on high profile on-boarding of executives, executive compensation, and high profile investigations and terminations. Partnered with the People team on the full breadth of internal employment matters.
Lyft’s Atlanta driver service center is a high quality, fairly-priced vehicle services.
Attorney (Litigation and Employment)
2011 - 2014
Folger Levin is a law firm that offers expertise in transactions, litigation, estate planning and employment to individuals and businesses.
Attorney
2009 - 2011
Attorney
2007 - 2009