Arek Der-Sarkissian

Mercury by โ˜€๏ธ | Unicorner by ๐ŸŒ™

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

About

I'm a product builder with a passion for finance and computer science. In the past, I worked on developing web-based businesses that have served content to millions of users worldwide. Currently, I write about the coolest startups out there every Monday morning.

Experience

  • Co-Founder & ๐Ÿฆ„ at Unicorner
    2020 - Present ยท 6 yrs 6 mos

    Building the premier community for everything startups. Unicorner brings the stories of the best startups and unicorns-to-be directly to your inbox. With over two hundred startup covers and nearly 100k global readers, it's a top destination for startup content, events, and investment opportunities.

  • Software at Mercury
    Jun 2023 - Present ยท 3 yrs 1 mo

    Helping startup founders get control over their finances.

  • SmartGateVC (2 yrs)
    • Community + Operations
      Feb 2021 - Jan 2023 ยท 2 yrs

      First hire in the US. Building Hero House @ HyeRise, a 7k sq. ft. innovation hub and coworking space serving entrepreneurs, professionals, investors, and students based in SoCal.

    • Director, Armenia Tech Trip
      Feb 2022 - Sep 2022 ยท 8 mos

      Organizing a 10-day long visit to Armenia for 15 Diasporan tech professionals. The goal is to introduce early-career individuals from countries like the U.S. to the budding Armenian tech ecosystem and discuss ways to get involved. A LinkedIn blurb can't put into words the tremendous amount of effort (and amazing people) that went into making this trip possible.

  • Product at GoodRx
    Jun 2021 - Sep 2021 ยท 4 mos

    Building and launching GoodRx Rewards, a brand new initiative intended to increase app-wide engagement. Launched to thousands of core app users. Also in charge of DJ-ing company brainstorm sessions.

  • Managing Partner at BloxNET
    Apr 2016 - Jun 2019 ยท 3 yrs 3 mos

    BloxNET was a holding company I created to manage several websites and resources that I owned/directed in high school. โ€ข Served content to ten million online visitors over a three-year period โ€ข Scaled to $10k ARR across projects โ€ข Forged partnerships with content creators and influencers โ€ข Oversaw a global team of staff members and freelance specialists โ€ข Acted as Editor-in-Chief for a gaming blog with thousands of viewers โ€ข Participated in three business acquisitions and two exits