Zachary Keats
Investor at GS Futures
United States
Overview
Work Experience
Venture Investor
2021 - Current
GS Futures is an early-stage venture capital investor with $200M+ in AUM. We invest on behalf of the GS Group of South Korea and seek to identify ventures that will help shape the future of the industries in which GS Group operates. <https://www.gsfutures.vc> Primary areas of focus: - Web3 - Climate - Consumer
Venture Partner
2024
Taisu Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in & empowers early-stage web3 companies across the globe <https://taisu.io/>
Advisory Partner
2023
Web3 investment, advisory, acceleration
Advisor
2021
Fintech service reinventing the currency exchange market in Korea <https://www.switchwon.com/en>
Corporate Strategy & Venture Investment
2020 - 2021
GS Group is a South Korean conglomerate with market-leading operations in the energy, retail, and construction sectors <https://www.gs.co.kr/en>
Director of Corporate Development
2019 - 2020
Klaytn is an enterprise-grade, service-centric platform with an underlying token market cap in excess of $3.5 billion (www.coingecko.com/en/coins/klaytn)
Director of Corporate Development
2018 - 2020
Ground X is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kakao that is focused on developing blockchain technology and solutions for use by Kakao Corporation and its global strategic partners. Kakao (KRX: 035720), Korea's leading mobile platform offers market-leading services across a variety of verticals including messaging, mobile payments, mobile gaming, music streaming, ride hailing, and web contents.
Senior Manager of Corporate Strategy
2015 - 2018
Corporate strategy and business development for the asset management affiliate of the Samsung Group. Samsung Asset Management is the 7th largest investment management company in Asia with $200 billion in assets under management Areas of focus: • M&A • Joint ventures • Strategic partnerships • Fintech (roboadvisors, blockchain, data analytics) • Alternative investments (private equity, hedge funds) • Product development (ETFs, active equity, investment solutions)
Global Strategy Consultant
2013 - 2015
Engaged in consulting projects as part of the global strategy division of the Samsung Group Industries Advised • Asset Management • Electronics • Life and P&C Insurance • Securities Project Experience • Corporate strategy development • New market entry • Overseas market penetration • HR strategy and organizational design • Marketing • Benchmarking • Talent acquisition Relevant Geographies • Asia (Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Hong Kong) • Europe • USA
Investment Director
2010 - 2011
• Reported directly to the Chief Investment Officer as part of a three-person team responsible for the asset management of the $550M endowment of a non-profit, private operating foundation focused on key public health issues • Prioritized due diligence of hundreds of funds across a range of asset classes including private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, developed/emerging market equities, performing and distressed debt, and real assets • Sourced and recommended fund investments leading to over $190M in new commitments • Modeled liquidity constraints to justify recommendations for fund withdrawals; oversaw the strategic redemption of over $230M in this pursuit
Financial Associate
2008 - 2010
Financial Analyst
2006 - 2008