# André Vellozo

> André Vellozo is a Brazilian-American entrepreneur, inventor and systems thinker who founded DrumWave in 2015. From Silicon Valley, he has spent years developing a financial vocabulary and technical infrastructure for personal data: dWallets, valuation algorithms and Data Savings Accounts intended to let people and companies own, manage and participate in the value created by their information.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at DrumWave
- **Organizations:** DrumWave, International Data Reserve, Between, RedDrummer, PayChief
- **From:** Brasília, Brazil
- **Nationality:** Brazilian-American
- **Education:** Self-taught in cybernetics
- **Known for:** Founded DrumWave and led the development of its dWallet platform, data valuation technology and Data Savings Account concept., Named to Bloomberg Línea's 100 Innovators of Latin America list in 2022, 2023 and 2024., Named as an inventor on granted U.S. patents for one-time authorization and bidirectional authentication systems.

## Career timeline

- **Childhood** — Began programming as a child in Brazil.
- **2012** — Relocated to the United States and continued building technology ventures.
- **2015** — Founded DrumWave in Palo Alto with Santiago Ortiz and Alberto Blumenschein-Cruz.
- **2015** — Was named as an inventor on U.S. patents covering one-time authorization and bidirectional authentication systems.
- **2018** — DrumWave raised a reported $5 million seed round after being funded initially by Vellozo, friends and family.
- **2020** — A planned March launch of DrumWave's data wallet was interrupted, and the company shifted its business plan to survival mode.
- **2021** — Fernando Teles, formerly CEO of Visa Brazil, joined DrumWave as president and chief revenue officer while Vellozo remained CEO.
- **2022** — Publicly advanced the data-ownership thesis in Brazilian media and was included in Bloomberg Línea's innovation coverage.
- **2023** — DrumWave's work entered Brazil's policy debate through PLP 234/2023, a proposal concerning a data monetization ecosystem.
- **2024** — DrumWave unveiled the dWallet platform and Data Savings Account at Money20/20 USA.
- **2025** — DrumWave and Dataprev presented a Brazilian data-savings initiative at Web Summit Rio.
- **2026** — Spoke at the Milken Institute Global Conference and Point Zero Forum and participated in international discussions on AI, data value and governance.

## Achievements

- Founded DrumWave and led the development of its dWallet platform, data valuation technology and Data Savings Account concept.
- Named to Bloomberg Línea's 100 Innovators of Latin America list in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
- Named as an inventor on granted U.S. patents for one-time authorization and bidirectional authentication systems.
- Co-authored a TechCrunch essay with fintech author Brett King on data ownership and the next technology cycle.
- Helped move the concept of individual data ownership into Brazil's legislative discussion through ideas cited in PLP 234/2023.
- Became a founding member of the International Data Reserve in Switzerland.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Participated at Point Zero Forum in Zurich in a session on governing AI applications in financial services.
- **2026-05** — Spoke on the Tech Supercycle at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles.
- **2026-03** — DrumWave announced that it had been invited to join the World Data Organization and later participated in its Beijing general assembly as its only U.S.-based member.
- **2025-11** — Published and promoted commentary connecting AI, data savings and economic participation.
- **2025-04** — DrumWave presented its work with Dataprev and data ownership advocates at Web Summit Rio 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://drumwave.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andr%C3%A9-vellozo-4431361b0

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/andre-vellozo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-17