# Rebecka Zavaleta

> Rebecka Zavaleta is the co-founder and CEO of Paismo, an HR-tech and people-automation platform built for small and mid-sized businesses in emerging markets and pitched as 'made in Pakistan, for the world.' Before Paismo she spent more than a decade as a product and design leader whose work touched Google, TikTok and Meta, and she founded First Milli, a first-generation wealth-building education platform recognized by NextAdvisor in partnership with Time. A University of Pennsylvania political-science graduate who has traveled to dozens of countries and works across several languages, she blends product craft, financial literacy and a builder's stubbornness about fixing systems that 'do not exist or are not streamlined.'

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Paismo
- **Organizations:** Paismo, First Milli, Entrepreneurs' Organization, Penn Club / Penn Alumni network (Los Angeles)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA, Political Science (International Relations); study abroad in Argentina and Spain, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Paismo, an HR-tech platform serving small and mid-sized businesses across emerging markets (MENA, South Asia, Southeast Asia)., Raised a $1.5M total / $1.3M oversubscribed seed round led by Indus Valley Capital with Antler and Jedar Capital., Founded First Milli and was recognized by NextAdvisor in partnership with Time Magazine as a top money expert in 2020.

## Career timeline

- **2009** — Graduates from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science / international relations.
- **2010s** — Spends over a decade in product and design across adtech, fintech and geo-social tech, with work touching Google, TikTok and Meta.
- **2020** — Founds First Milli, a first-generation wealth-building platform; named a top money expert by NextAdvisor in partnership with Time.
- **2021** — Co-founds Paismo with Usama Mahmud to build HR and people-automation software for emerging markets.
- **2023** — Paismo closes an oversubscribed seed round; total funding reaches $1.5M, led by Indus Valley Capital with Antler and Jedar Capital.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Paismo, an HR-tech platform serving small and mid-sized businesses across emerging markets (MENA, South Asia, Southeast Asia).
- Raised a $1.5M total / $1.3M oversubscribed seed round led by Indus Valley Capital with Antler and Jedar Capital.
- Founded First Milli and was recognized by NextAdvisor in partnership with Time Magazine as a top money expert in 2020.
- Product and design career with global releases touching Google, TikTok and Meta.
- Contributed to a human-in-the-loop AI patent and an underwriting algorithm for asset-backed leasing.

## Latest updates

- **2023-08** — Paismo announced an oversubscribed seed round bringing total funding to $1.5M, led by Indus Valley Capital with Antler and Jedar Capital.
- **2025-01** — Continued building Paismo as Co-Founder & CEO, sharing product and team milestones publicly.

## Links

- Website: https://beckyzav.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeckazavaleta
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/rebeckazavaleta
- GitHub: https://github.com/rebecka-zavaleta-paismo
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeckazavaleta
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rebeckazavaleta

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/rebecka-zavaleta
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-21