Business Development & Growth

Building the business behind culture.

Head of Business Development & Growth at Got Sole, The World's Greatest Culture Festival

Head of partnerships, sponsorships, and new verticals for a live events platform spanning 14 cities, from New York to Tokyo. Building the tech infrastructure behind the machine, utilizing a computer science background to grow the product at scale.

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Murad Alhassen
14Cities worldwide, from NYC to Tokyo
400+Vendors per festival across 5 categories
100M+Monthly views across Got Sole content
5Categories under one roof: sneakers, cards, streetwear, vintage, luxury

01 / About

From software at JPMorgan to growth at Got Sole.

Leading Business Development and Growth at Got Sole, the platform that grew from a sneaker convention into The World's Greatest Culture Festival, bringing sneakers, trading cards, streetwear, vintage, and luxury together under one roof in 14 cities.

With a background in computer science and previous experience building AI-powered intelligence products end to end at JPMorgan Chase (2024 - 2026). Utilizing that experience to help build the automated workflows growing Got Sole at scale.

That background shapes the whole approach. Beyond the deals, the job is owning a product and its full lifecycle: building the workflows, automations, and tech infrastructure that let a lean team scale a festival platform city after city. The business side of that equation was sharpened at Harvard Business School's Summer Venture in Management Program.

02 / Focus Areas

Four engines behind the growth.

No. 1

Partnerships & Sponsorships

Owning the sponsorship pipeline end to end: prospect research, pitch frameworks, pre-call briefs, and the sales materials that turn conversations into signed partners across pop culture, collectibles, and consumer brands.

No. 2

Brand Activations

From concept to show floor. Interactive brand activations designed and delivered at Got Sole festivals, including a Monster Energy game activation at Got Sole Tokyo that put a global brand directly in front of thousands of fans.

No. 3

Workflows, Automation & Growth Systems

Building the technological workflows and automations that let Got Sole grow at scale: an email and SMS engine in Klaviyo, audience segmentation, AI-assisted research, and internal tooling that multiplies what a lean team can do.

No. 4

New Verticals & Show Operations

New cities, new formats, new inventory. Everything from festival floorplan build-outs to designing new sponsorship inventory, expanding the product without losing what makes it special.

03 / Experience

The track record.

May 2024 - PresentFull-time

Head of Business Development & Growth

Got Sole · The World's Greatest Culture Festival

  • Head of partnerships, sponsorships, and new verticals for a festival platform spanning 14 cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Tokyo.
  • Own the product and its full lifecycle: shaping what the festival is, how it grows, and what it becomes next as it scaled from a sneaker convention into a full culture festival with 400+ vendors per show and 100M+ monthly content views.
  • Building the tech infrastructure behind the machine: workflows, automations, and internal tooling that let a lean team grow at scale.
  • Delivered on-floor brand activations, including a Monster Energy game activation at Got Sole Tokyo.
  • Run lifecycle marketing across email and SMS in Klaviyo, converting festival audiences into repeat attendees city after city.
  • Built the pitch frameworks, pre-call briefs, and sales materials behind the sponsorship pipeline.
Product OwnershipPartnershipsSponsorshipsAutomationActivationsKlaviyo
2024 - 20262x Intern

Software Engineering Intern

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

  • Engineered and shipped the firm's proprietary internal translation platform on the Self Service team using Python and Java, replacing a third-party vendor solution and driving a projected $3M in cost savings by end of 2026.
  • Developed and deployed an AI-powered language intelligence tool in Python and JavaScript that standardizes terminology across all Lines of Business, cutting the time employees spent shipping external communications by 50%.
  • Collaborated with cross-continental engineering teams to take two products from development through production release, leveraging TrueCD to automate CI/CD pipelines and streamline deployments in a fast-paced environment.
  • Won 1st place at the firm's Data for Good Hackathon, leading a team that built an AI-powered insights platform for a Dallas nonprofit in a 24-hour sprint.
PythonJavaJavaScriptAI ToolingCI/CD

04 / The Technical Edge

An engineer's toolkit, pointed at revenue.

Technical problems don't get handed off. The same skills that shipped software at a global bank now build workflows, automate operations, and turn event data into sponsorship dollars.

Engineering

  • Java, Python, TypeScript, C++
  • React, Next.js, Spring Boot, FastAPI
  • Machine learning & data analysis with Pandas
  • Git, Agile, API design

Growth Stack

  • Klaviyo email & SMS lifecycle marketing
  • Workflow automation & internal tooling
  • AI-assisted prospect research & pitch prep
  • Audience segmentation & campaign analytics

Business

  • Sponsorship packaging & pricing
  • Partner pitch frameworks & negotiation
  • Event P&L awareness & vendor economics
  • Harvard Business School SVMP case method

05 / Leadership & Community

Building rooms, not just joining them.

ColorStack at ASU

Co-Founder & Co-President · 2024 - Present

Founded a community of 70+ Black and Latinx computer science students, hosting technical sessions with companies like Meta, Amazon, Google, and American Express.

National Society of Black Engineers

Region VI Vice Chairperson & ASU Vice President

Help oversee chapters across the West Coast and co-lead the Fall Regional Conference, where 30+ companies recruit engineering talent. As ASU VP, led an annual fair that raised $42,000.

Pinterest Engage Scholar

1 of 31 Scholars Selected · 2024 - 2026

Selected for Pinterest's development program advancing underrepresented talent in tech through technical training, mentorship, and professional development.

MLT & SEO Fellow

Management Leadership for Tomorrow · SEO Technology

Selected for two of the most competitive career development programs in the country, with intensive training in leadership, business fundamentals, and personal branding.

Arizona State University

B.S. Computer Science · Minor in Project Management · Class of 2027

3.75 GPA. Coursework spanning data structures and algorithms, programming languages, software design patterns, and digital design.

Harvard Business School

Summer Venture in Management Program · 2026

Selected for HBS's pre-MBA residential immersion. Case discussions on tech investment, crisis management, and leadership, taught by HBS faculty. Pursuing a deferred MBA.

06 / Contact

Let's build something.

Whether it's a partnership with Got Sole, a sponsorship conversation, or just trading notes on growth and technology, my inbox is open.

Email me LinkedIn GitHub 480-492-1157