The TechStart Team has years of experience in software development, startup growth, management, entrepreneurship and mergers & acquisitions.
Fran Moya – President, Co-Founder
Francisco Moya is originally from Seville, Spain where he began his career in Information Technology. Professional opportunities took Fran to the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain and, in 2009, the United States. During his many years of experience in the IT industry, Fran has worked with companies in various stages of their growth. Most recently, serving as Chief Technology Officer of Buyers Edge, Fran has played a key role in bringing Buyers Edge’s technology to the next level. Specifically, he has managed projects which developed some of their most crucial reporting tools, their customer portal and their mobile app among others. During his tenure at Buyers Edge, the company has quadrupled their revenue; a demanding challenge for leadership, this provided Fran with experience addressing the needs of a rapidly expanding IT department. As a result, Fran has invaluable expertise in the difficulties of creating quality software while working with a mix of in-house and remote IT teams.
A people person by nature, a rare find in a software engineer, Fran has a unique ability to connect people with the solutions, resources and talent they need to meet their business goals. His comprehensive understanding of software technology, communication skills, and experience managing onshore and offshore teams provide him with the necessary perspective and capacity to offer IT solutions which bridge-the-gap between the tech and business world. It is this passion that inspired Fran to co-found TechStart USA, a company that connects talent in Latin America with growing companies in the US.
Fran lives in Connecticut with his wife and their two children and is an active supporter of the Connecticut Hispanic Alliance Scholarship Program.
Sarah Davie – VP, Business Development
Sarah Davie is proud to be in the role of Business Development for TechStart USA. Sarah currently is also the acting SVP of Shared Services for Dining Alliance Companies a conglomerate of seven distinct companies all focused on leveraged purchasing in the foodservice sector. She oversees a team of 45+ people who cross the fields of human resources, marketing, office management, sales operations, finance, data and analytics and manufacturer relations. Prior to this role she was CFO of Dining Alliance for five years and, before that, Interim Controller for a large international NGO Helen Keller International in New York City. During Ms. Davie’s twenty year career in operations and finance she worked for high-growth companies and as a result played an active role in acquisitions, exits, new company incubation, strategic partnerships, organizational restructuring, national and international expansion strategy. Ms. Davie has a MPA from New York University with a specialization in Finance and Policy and is in process of earning a Certificate in Executive Leadership from eCornell. As a passion-project, she is also the Executive Director and Founder of the Global Opportunity Fund, a non-profit focused on women and children’s advancement in Africa.
John Davie – Co-Founder
Serial Entrepreneur, John Davie brings his talent for guiding young companies to TechStart. As CEO of Dining Alliance, John oversees ten separate companies, including the nation’s largest group purchasing organization for independent restaurants, the country’s leading produce management company and a leading data processing companies in the foodservice purchasing industry.
John has a unique talent for recognizing niche opportunities and starting or acquiring companies to maximize the profitability of that particular space. His experience working with offshore development teams led him to look for a new option in development services for his companies. The opportunity to work with nearshore, as opposed to offshore teams, proved successful for his many ventures and naturally progressed into the founding of TechStart.
John is an NYU/Stern graduate, and lives in Newton, MA with his wife and their three children. He is an avid Boston sports fan and a top-ranked Boston-area billiards player.