Mike Chahinian

Background

About Mike Chahinian

As the Founder and CEO of Krew Social, Mike is pursuing his dream of uniting the world, reducing polarization, and improving social wellbeing. After having moved several times as a young professional, Mike realized how challenging it is to rebuild community over and over again, and designed technology that would facilitate the process. Krew Social is a member of the Tampa Bay Wave Diversity Accelerator, Embarc Collective, Westshore Alliance, and is a Google Startup Partner. As the first Commercial Engagement Executive hired for a new initiative at the Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit, Mike built the processes used to scout for tech companies as well as conduct due diligence. He also promoted the DIU brand and met with cohorts at Techstars and other accelerators. In 2021 Mike was recognized by AFCEA International as a Young AFCEA 40 Under 40 Award Winner. As a ship officer in the Navy he led high-tech divisions on advanced destroyers, as well as a PR campaign that won the Navy’s highest award for public affairs. While at Citigroup as an investment banker in the #1 Industrials Group in the world he provided strategic advisory services on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising to Fortune 500 companies. As a congressional staffer he learned the inner workings of the U.S. government. His education spans technical skills, business, and liberal arts. As an undergrad at Cornell he studied Computer Science and Government, and worked on Starwars.com at Lucasfilm Ltd. While attending business school at NYU Stern he triple-concentrated in Finance, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. He also interned at a software private equity firm and did a consulting externship at a VC-backed startup. In his free time, he leads a monthly homeless serve project with his wife who he met at a Krew hangout, keeps up with the news and financial markets, and runs every morning.