# Dusko Kelez

> Dusko Kelez is the Peruvian founder and CEO of Hapi App (YC W21), a San Francisco-based fintech that lets anyone in Latin America invest in U.S. stocks and crypto with no broker commissions and no minimums. After leading operations at Grin Scooters across seven countries and noticing that Latin Americans had no easy way to access global markets, he co-founded Hapi in 2020 with engineers Piero Sifuentes and Billy Caballero. Today the platform serves over 500,000 users in 20 countries, has raised $4.3M from Y Combinator and leading investors, and is celebrating milestones on the NASDAQ tower in Times Square.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Hapi App
- **Organizations:** Hapi App, Y Combinator (W21), Grin Scooters, Taximo, PwC Peru, Nexus Group
- **From:** Peru
- **Nationality:** Peruvian
- **Education:** Bachelor of Economic Sciences (Regulation & Public Policy), Universidad del Pacífico, Computer Science for Business Professionals (continuing education), Harvard University
- **Known for:** Built Hapi App from zero to 500,000+ users across 20 Latin American countries, Accepted into Y Combinator Winter 2021 cohort, Secured $4.3M in total funding from Y Combinator, Utec Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, Softeq Ventures, and Mural Capital

## Career timeline

- **2003-2008** — Studied Economics at Universidad del Pacífico, Lima, Peru
- **~2008** — Started career as Senior Financial Planning Analyst at Interbank
- **~2009** — Senior Tax & Legal Analyst / Business Intelligence Analyst at PwC Peru
- **~2011** — Consultant at Nexus Group (private equity), Lima
- **~2012-2014** — Founded DUKE Clothing retail brand in Peru (MegaPlaza, near Larcomar locations)
- **~2015** — Founded and ran Mambo and Club J ventures
- **~2016** — Plaza 21 marketplace venture (~18 months)
- **~2017-2018** — COO at Taximo (Colombian mobility startup)
- **~2018-2020** — COO at Grin Scooters - led 2,100 people across 7 LATAM countries
- **2020** — Co-founded Hapi App with Piero Sifuentes and Billy Caballero
- **2021** — Hapi accepted into Y Combinator Winter 2021 batch; raised initial $125K
- **2022** — Hapi obtained U.S. broker-dealer license (SEC-registered, FINRA member, SIPC-insured)
- **2023** — Raised $1.6M seed round led by Utec Ventures; total raised reaches $4.3M
- **2024** — Hapi crosses 500,000 users across 20 LATAM countries; celebrated on NASDAQ tower in Times Square
- **2024** — Launched Hapi Prime premium subscription and DRIP dividend reinvestment program
- **2025+** — Targeting 1 million users; planning portfolio-matching tool and U.S.-rate credit product

## Achievements

- Built Hapi App from zero to 500,000+ users across 20 Latin American countries
- Accepted into Y Combinator Winter 2021 cohort
- Secured $4.3M in total funding from Y Combinator, Utec Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, Softeq Ventures, and Mural Capital
- Obtained SEC-registered broker-dealer license, FINRA membership, and SIPC insurance for Hapi Securities LLC
- Scaled Grin Scooters operations as COO across 7 countries with a team of 2,100 people
- Celebrated 500K user milestone with a display on the NASDAQ tower in Times Square
- Processing 15,000-20,000 daily transactions with over $2 trillion total processed
- Built platform offering 12,000+ assets and 40 cryptocurrencies with $5 minimum investment

## Latest updates

- **2024-09** — Hapi celebrated 500,000+ users across 20 LATAM countries with a NASDAQ Times Square display
- **2024-07** — Launched Hapi Prime premium subscription tier and DRIP dividend reinvestment program
- **2023-11** — Raised $1.6M seed round led by Utec Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, Softeq Ventures, Mural Capital; total funding reaches $4.3M
- **2024** — Expanded to 20 Latin American countries and Spain; platform now offers 12,000+ assets and 40 cryptocurrencies

## Links

- Website: https://hapi.trade
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duskokelez
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/hapiapp_
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duskokelez/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dusko.kelez/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dusko-kelez
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-07