Meet the Shelf Engine Team

Stefan is the Co-Founder and CEO who leads the talented Shelf Engine team. Stefan started his career in the food industry in 2009 when he founded Molly’s, a grab & go food company. While growing Molly's to over 400 regional retail locations, he encountered the problem of food waste first hand. Hungry for a better solution, Stefan co-founded Shelf Engine in 2016. He studied actuarial science and earned a degree in mathematics and economics from Western Washington University. Stefan feels most inspired by data showing the dramatic reduction of food waste and simultaneous business benefit that Shelf Engine makes possible for customers. His favorite thing about working at Shelf Engine is the team's tireless ability to innovate at warp speeds. When Stefan isn't making it happen at Shelf Engine, you can find him with his wife hunting for fresh tracks, on WhatsApp catching up with his family in France, or baking bread at 2am.

Bede is the Co-Founder and CTO of Shelf Engine who leads the engineering, data science, and product teams. Fun fact: Shelf Engine is only his second job! Prior to launching Shelf Engine, Bede worked at Microsoft as an engineer and managed engineering teams. His favorite project from his Microsoft days was working on augmented reality on the HoloLens team. Bede attended QUT in Brisbane, Australia, earning degrees in both electrical and software engineering. Bede believes technology is a transformational tool, able to solve the problem of food waste at scale. His favorite part about working at Shelf Engine? The team. Bede is constantly inspired working alongside such fantastically talented folks. When he isn't writing code, you can find him hiking, skiing, kayaking, or playing ultimate frisbee.

Deborah and her team ensure that customers using Shelf Engine have a terrific experience. A Certified Public Accountant, Deborah started her career in management consulting at a Big Four accounting firm. The experience helped her realize just how much she loves building and scaling robust processes across organizations. Deborah attended Boise State University, where she earned her master’s degree in accounting. She joined Shelf Engine for the ability to build processes from the ground up with a great bunch of people in a company focused on sustainability. She is inspired by Shelf Engine's mission, believing that our ability to reduce food waste along the entire value chain while improving business results for our customers is a unique offering. When Deborah isn’t innovating at Shelf Engine, you can find her discovering new ways to grow food on a houseboat.

Ryan dives into whatever will help Shelf Engine run smoother, grow faster, and operate more efficiently. Prior to joining Shelf Engine, Ryan was in Sales Strategy and Operations at Fundera, and did Model Risk Analytics at M&T Bank after studying philosophy and economics at Amherst College. He joined the Shelf Engine team for the unique opportunity to help build a truly exceptional business that is unambiguously good for the world. Ryan is inspired by the inherent alignment between Shelf Engine’s success and our customers’ success, since our fiscal performance hinges on our ability to minimize food waste in the supply chain. His favorite part about working on the team is getting to solve really challenging and unique problems, and having the agency and autonomy to explore bold, creative solutions. When Ryan isn't moving Shelf Engine forward, you can find him waterskiing, hiking, or (when it gets too wet outside) in his makeshift woodshop. (Fun fact: Ryan was a Green Bay Packers ball boy!)

Sophi is the head of product management, overseeing a team dedicated to translating quantitative and qualitative feedback into product innovations. These features reduce pain points, bring efficiencies, and enable growth for retail customers. Prior to Shelf Engine, Sophi held a variety of lead product roles at Amazon spanning retail supply chain optimization, Amazon and Whole Foods Market integration, and Just Walk Out—the same technology powering Amazon Go stores. Sophi joined Shelf Engine to work towards the meaningful mission of reducing food waste alongside industry-leading talent. A US Navy veteran, Sophi holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. When she’s not revolutionizing retail technology, Sophi enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest, touring art museums, and watching local performing arts.

Salar ensures that the Shelf Engine brand effectively connects with all stakeholders to generate goodwill for the company and demand for our solutions to further our mission to reduce food waste through automation. He started his career as a financial analyst at Amazon, but quickly fell in love with digital marketing and growth hacking. Salar was the founder and CEO of a digital marketing agency that he successfully grew over six years and sold to Disruptive Advertising in 2016. Prior to joining Shelf Engine, he was the VP of Strategy & Growth at a publicly-traded business process automation company where he managed the global and inside sales functions. Salar is a graduate of Seattle University where he studied finance and economics. Salar chose to work at Shelf Engine because he gravitates toward mission-driven businesses. His favorite thing about working here is collaborating with super smart people to solve meaningful problems in an environment that promotes trust and autonomy. When Salar isn’t leading marketing at Shelf Engine you can find him in scuba gear exploring the oceans.

Maura leads the nationwide field team that provides invaluable support to Shelf Engine’s grocery retail customers. Prior to Shelf Engine, she held several management roles at nationally recognized retailers, including working with franchisees to sync their business models to corporate structures. Maura’s exceptional ability to implement strong procedures was evident during her tenure as Regional Manager on Shelf Engine’s Field Team serving the eastern United States. Maura has a BS in Business Administration from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY, and was initially attracted to Shelf Engine because of its mission to eliminate food waste. She has stayed because of the team’s appetite to find novel ways to improve processes. When she’s not preparing for the team’s massive growth, Maura enjoys reading, building and refurbishing furniture, and hanging out with her husband and four kids.

Kaylee leads the Account Management & Launch team responsible for managing customer relationships and efficiently onboarding new retailers and vendors onto the Shelf Engine platform. Prior to joining Shelf Engine, Kaylee held various leadership positions at Ibotta including Business Development, where she managed innovative partnerships, and Business Transformation, where she built and scaled the project management team. Kaylee studied environmental management at Yale University for her undergraduate and master’s degrees. She started her career in environmental education and was drawn to Shelf Engine’s mission to reduce food waste through automation. Kaylee loves that Shelf Engine’s product gives retailer and vendor partners the opportunity to do well and do good. When she isn’t accelerating Shelf Engine launches you can find Kaylee enjoying the great outdoors—cycling, hiking, or hanging out at the park—with her family in Colorado.

Jeff leads the People Operations team responsible for executing the company’s talent strategy and enabling the organization to deliver on its goals and objectives through our most valuable asset—our people. Prior to joining Shelf Engine, Jeff held various human resources and people operations leadership roles in service delivery and technology industries both domestically and internationally. He studied organizational development and received his bachelor of arts degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. Jeff started his career in sales and marketing, working in the hospitality industry. He joined the Shelf Engine team because of his passion for helping improve the carbon footprint we are leaving on the environment while also getting to work with a talented team who shares this vision. When he isn’t focused on helping to create a great employee experience at Shelf Engine, you can find Jeff tending to his five-acre hobby farm that is home to goats, chickens, turkeys, geese and a livestock guardian dog named Tully. He is also a travel enthusiast and enjoys experiencing different cultures during his many adventures.