2023 – Present
Trilogy Search Partners
Entrepreneur-in-Residence & Founder, Aone Partners
Gelila Zenebe Bekele
Connect with Gelila at gelila@aonepartners.com
Gelila is the founder of Aone Partners, a private search fund partnership backed by Trilogy and 14 industry-leading software CEOs, technology founders and global investors collectively managing over $1 billion in AUM. Prior to founding Aone Partners, Gelila served as Director at Banyan Software, a holding company that acquires and grows vertical market SaaS businesses.
Gelila started her career at BlackRock within the Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions Group, where she worked on developing capital allocation policies and investment governance frameworks for the Chief Investment Officers of some of the world’s largest Sovereign Wealth Funds, Endowments, and Foundations.
Gelila authored and published case studies that are used to educate thousands of masters level students at Stanford. Gelila worked closely with seven faculty members and heads of organizations such as SoftBank, Roblox, and Esusu to publish case studies on topics ranging from IPO strategy to sovereign LP structures and M&A in services industries. These studies are now taught in Stanford’s flagship entrepreneurship courses and are published through Stanford Business Publishing and the Harvard Business Review—platforms that reach over 18 million professionals and 7 million unique monthly visitors.
Gelila serves on the Boards of mission-driven organizations, including GGRF, a foundation at the intersection of athletics and education that has awarded merit scholarships to over 600 student athletes. She serves on the Grant Review Committee of Project Redwood, an organization that has improved the lives of over 1 million people in the U.S and around the world by providing catalytic capital to social entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations. She also serves on the ExCo as a Co-Chair of a committee in Stanford Women’s Circles, one of Stanford's fastest growing alumni programs with 1400+ members worldwide and 170 members in New York.
Gelila earned an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a BA in Economics and Computer Science from Columbia University, where she was a Kluge Scholar. In 2020, Gelila was awarded the Stanford Leadership Award for Extraordinary Service, an honor presented to 2% of candidates whose work embodies a commitment to service.
In her spare time, Gelila loves hosting events that bring exceptional people together. In addition, Gelila writes a weekly column with Forbes on entrepreneurship in finance and AI in private investing. She grew up in Addis Ababa and lives in New York.
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In 2020, Gelila was awarded the Stanford Leadership Award for Extraordinary Service.
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This distinction was conferred on behalf of President Barack Obama’s administration.
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Gelila was awarded the 2015 Columbia Spring Leadership Award for founding and leading CTP, an edtech platform that has worked with thousands of exceptional high school students in Ethiopia since 2014.
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In 2022, Gelila joined Pacific Lake Partners’ Executive Leadership Program (ELP) as one of ten executives for the year.
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In 2012, Gelila was awarded the Kluge Scholars Award, a leadership and academic distinction granted to 7% of admitted students at Columbia University.
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In 2019, Gelila received the Toigo Fellowship, selected following a rigorous selection process to recognize upcoming leaders in the financial capital markets and investments industry (Top 15%).
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In 2008, Gelila was awarded the ICS Scholar Award.
🌐 AI-Native M&A Investment Workflow
Developed AI-native technology systems for M&A workflow. Read Forbes Article on Aone Partners and AltsTech Interview for more.
🌐 Director of Vertical Market Software Holdco
Served as Director at a high growth software holding company, with a portfolio of over 50 software businesses.
🌐 Award-Winning Stanford Seminar on Global AI Innovation
Designed and led an award-winning Stanford seminar on global AI innovation, developing the curriculum and delivering the program alongside CEOs, investors, and government officials from Japan and the UK.
🌐 Global Technology Strategy at BlackRock
One of 50 leads selected from BlackRock’s 14,000 employees worldwide to serve on BlackRock Innovate, a Board-sponsored initiative to develop next-generation technology products. Led a cross-functional team across New York, London, Dublin, and Princeton to design the strategy for a financial technology platform, culminating in a presentation to the Board of Directors. Read about BlackRock Multi-Assets Group
🌐 Growth at Innovation Group
Led diligence on new markets for e-commerce technology businesses at ZX Ventures, AB InBev’s global innovation arm, focusing on capital allocation strategy in emerging high-growth markets.
🌐 Publications on Technology Businesses
Developed case studies on scaling technology businesses with Stanford faculty and executives from leading tech companies. Published in Harvard Business Review, reaching over 18 million professionals, with cases featuring companies including Roblox, SoftBank, Esusu, Bevi, and Honor Home Care. Access HBR and Stanford Publications
Software & Technology
🏛️ Investments for Sovereign Wealth Funds
Developed capital allocation frameworks and standard governance policies at BlackRock for some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, endowments and pension funds managing multi-billion-dollar portfolios. BlackRock Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions
🏛️ Partnerships with CEOs and Founders
Established Aone Partners by partnering with 14 leading private company CEOs, technology founders, and software investors collectively overseeing more than $1B in assets. Aone Partners Official Site
🏛️ Judge in Grant Review Committee
Project Redwood provides catalytic capital to social entrepreneurs and nonprofits who have worked across 77 ventures and 29 countries to improve the lives of 1 million people around the world. Project Redwood’s 2025 Grantees
🏛️ Board Director and Fundraising Committee
Board Director and member of fundraising committee of GGRF, a pioneering organization in athletics and education that has provided merit scholarships to 600+ student athletes. GGRF Official Site
🏛️ Harvard Business Review & Stanford Publications
Published studies on IPO strategy, sovereign wealth LPs, and capital allocation in partnership with CEOs and heads of organizations such as SoftBank, Roblox, Esusu and Pear VC. These studies are adopted in Stanford’s flagship entrepreneurship courses, ranked No.1 in the nation for business education (U.S. News & World Report). Access Harvard Business Review Publications
Financial Governance & Capital Allocation
Management & Board Director
🌐 Aone Partners Oversight and Execution
Led hundreds of CEO meetings, financial diligence workflows and quarterly reviews with legal and capital partners. Aone Partners Official Site
🌐 Co-Chair of Committee supporting 25 regions with 1300+ members
Served as Regional Leadership Board Member and Co-Chair of the RLS Committee for Stanford Women’s Circles, one of the university’s fastest-growing alumni networks with 1,300+ members worldwide. Stanford Women’s Circles Official Site
🌐 Director Overseeing Impact Portfolio
Served as Fintech Investor and Director of Operations at the Stanford GSB Impact Fund, overseeing a portfolio of 11 businesses with a combined valuation of $125M. More about the Stanford Impact Fund.
🌐 Partnerships with International Teams
Led analytics across global teams in New York, London, Hong Kong, and India.
🌐 Launched Award-Winning EdTech Platform
Founded and led Columbia’s award-winning CTP edtech program, overseeing 20 program leads to deliver solutions impacting over 1,000 students. Since its launch 10 years ago, the program has expanded to peer institutions including Harvard and Yale University.
From 2012 to Present
Gelila developed studies with Stanford faculty and heads of organizations such as Roblox, SoftBank and Esusu covering IPOs, search funds, M&A, and venture capital fund formation.
Gelila has co-hosted forums in New York city bringing together hundreds of entrepreneurs and business executives. She has also presented her work at industry conferences, universities and global summits across the U.S. and internationally at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.