About ZUZ
at ZUZ
We believe in:
- Advancing economic activity​
- Helping small businesses thrive
- Using technology for social good
- Increasing community wealth and well being
Our Story
We met over 10 years ago, and recognized that despite very different work settings, we share mutual interests. Through the years there were spirited discussions about systemic bias, labor markets and addressing inequity. We shared progress on our projects and desire to have greater impact. The pandemic highlighted challenges of small business owners and the importance of community. We decided to focus our time differently. In 2021 we joined forces to turn theoretical ideas into practical tools and deploy them into the community.
ZUZ Founder
Seth Copen Goldstein
As ZUZ Visionary and Product Lead, Seth is responsible for the firm's philosophical foundation, design, and development of technology. He has been a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University since 1997. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley and B.S. from Princeton University. Before attending UC Berkeley, Seth was CEO and founder of Complete Computer Corporation which developed and marketed object-oriented programming tools.
Seth's main research agenda focuses broadly on ensembles: large collections of interacting agents. He has worked in the areas of parallel computing (ensembles of tightly coupled processors), reconfigurable computing (ensembles of gates), molecular electronics (ensembles of molecules), programmable matter (ensembles of computing elements that can be programmed to work together to produce changes in the physical properties of the ensemble). Recently, Seth's research has been at the intersection of economics and technology; investigating how technological progress will change the labor market and designing tools to increase opportunity equality for everyone.
ZUZ Co-Founder
Lisanne Biolos
As ZUZ Business Lead, Lisanne is responsible for the firm's business operations and community relations. Lisanne spent nearly 15 years at KPMG focused on building an inclusive culture. As Director of Executive Talent Development, she managed the firm's talent review and succession process for senior leadership, institutionalizing the firm-wide process for identifying high potential talent and developing a pipeline of the firm's future leaders—increasing opportunities for women and people of color to be recognized and developed as leaders.
Prior to joining KPMG, Lisanne worked with leading management consulting firms designing and implementing large scale programs for clients in a variety of industries, including consumer products, retail, and financial services. Lisanne holds a B.A. degree from Wesleyan University and a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) from Cornell University School of Industrial Labor Relations.
Contributors to our success
We appreciate the research and development efforts of students at CMU and elsewhere that led to the development of the ZUZ platform. We are grateful to our Pittsburgh advisors, testers, and supporters.
Resources
For those that like to dig in deep - read the pre-ZUZ Bolt White Paper to learn about the foundational research and history of community currency.
Contact us
To create a more vibrant and sustainable community today.
