2023 – Present
Trilogy Search Partners
Entrepreneur-in-Residence & Founder, Aone Partners
Gelila Bekele
Connect with Gelila at gelila@aonepartners.com
Gelila is a founder, author and board director.
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 vertical market software holding company ranked No.1 in the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing private software companies in North America in 2021.
Gelila started her career at BlackRock within the Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions Group, where she worked directly with the CIOs 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 and serve as foundational teaching documents in Stanford's entrepreneurship curriculum, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation by U.S. & World Report. The studies were developed in partnership with industry-leading faculty at Stanford University and published in the Harvard Business Review, which attracts 7 million unique visitors monthly, and reaches over 18 million professionals across its digital platforms.
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 Regional Leadership Board and Co-Chair of RLS in Stanford Women’s Circles, one of Stanford's fastest growing alumni programs with 1300+ members worldwide and 170 members in New York.
Gelila earned an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a BA in Computer Science and Economics from Columbia University, where she was a Kluge Scholar. In 2020, Gelila was awarded the Stanford Leadership Award for Extraordinary Service, one of the highest honors presented to 2% of candidates whose work embodies a commitment to service.
Gelila grew up in Addis Ababa and lives in New York. In her spare time, she loves hosting events that bring exceptional people together.
-
This distinction was conferred on behalf of President Barack Obama’s administration as part of an international initiative to recognize top-performing students across the United States and international academic institutions.
In 2012, Gelila was the recipient of the Gold Seal award, following her selection as one of four students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to receive a four-year, full merit scholarship and graduating Valedictorian.
-
In 2020, Gelila was awarded the Stanford Leadership Award for Extraordinary Service, one of the highest honors for leadership and service at Stanford GSB awarded to the top 2% of students for exceptional contributions to innovation and Stanford’s entrepreneurship curriculum, which is ranked No.1 in the nation.
-
In 2022, Gelila joined Pacific Lake Partners’ Executive Leadership Program (ELP) as one of ten executives for the year.
Pacific Lake Partners is a multi billion dollar investment firm whose programs develop business executives to scale and operate the top-tier companies in the entrepreneurship through acquisition and search fund industry.
-
In 2012, Gelila was awarded the Kluge Scholars Award, a leadership and academic distinction granted to the top 7% of admitted students at Columbia University.
This award, valued at over $200K, recognizes outstanding leadership, academic excellence, and major contributions to the community
-
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.
-
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%).
-
In 2008, Gelila was awarded the ICS Scholar Award, one of four from Addis Ababa to receive a four-year merit scholarship Award and graduated top of class.
Financial Governance & Capital Allocation
🏛️ Financial Partnerships with CEOs and Founders
Set up Aone Partners with the backing of 14 industry-leading software CEOs, technology founders and private investors who collectively manage over $1B in assets.
🏛️ Mandates with Multi-billion Dollar Asset Managers
Developed capital allocation policies and standard governance frameworks at BlackRock for CIO’s and CRO’s managing institutional capital ranging from $100M to multi-billion dollar portfolios.
🏛️ Thought Leadership in Financial Governance
Published Stanford case studies on IPO strategy, sovereign LPs, and capital allocation at scale—by working alongside Heads of organizations such as SoftBank, Roblox, Pear VC, and VisionSpring. These studies are used to educate thousands of master’s-level students and serve as foundational teaching documents in Stanford’s No. 1 ranked entrepreneurship curriculum (U.S. News & World Report).
🏛️ Executive Judge in Grant Review Committee
Voted on the allocation of $900k to $1M in grants per year to social entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations. Projects backed have collectively impacted the livelihood of over 1 million people in the U.S. and across the globe.
🏛️ Board Director and Fundraising Committee
Board Director and member of fundraising committee of GGRF, pioneering organization in athletics and education that has provided merit scholarships to 600+ student athletes.
Management & Board Leadership
🌐 International Teams with Global Clients
Responsible for driving analytics workflow and processes across global teams in New York, London, Hong Kong, and India to support international clients.
🌐 BlackRock CIO and Board Meetings
Developed and presented the BlackRock team’s analysis and portfolio allocation advice to CIO’s, including both internal and external committees, in order to educate Board members and their teams.
🌐 Director Overseeing Impact Portfolio Companies
Served as Director of Operations of GSB Impact Fund, overseeing a portfolio of 11 businesses with a combined valuation of $125M. Managed the team’s work to define measurable impact metrics, assess new market opportunities, and develop financial models for scenario planning, cash flow forecasting, and cost optimization.
🌐 Committee for Hiring Executive Director
Served as voting board member on the committee for the selection and recruitment of executive director.
🌐 Talent Development and Recruiting
Established a competitive internship and training program (Top 5% admission) recruiting from the nation’s leading graduate and undergraduate institutions. Completed registration in 48 hours after receiving over 500 applications. Set up the full evaluation process—including case studies, interviews, and final selection—ultimately selecting 21 masters-level and undergraduate candidates from leading university programs. Aone Internship Alumni have gone on to secure roles in prominent investment banks, growth equity firms, and financial institutions across the U.S.
🌐 Aone Partners Oversight and Execution
Led firm strategy, management meetings, industry expert conferences, quarterly reviews, and work with legal and capital partners.
🌐 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.
🌐 Chair of Committee Overseeing 25 Regions
Appointed as Co-Chair of the Regional Leadership Support Committee at Stanford Women’s Circles, Stanford’s fastest growing alumni association. Responsible for overseeing the organization’s five-year growth plan across 25 regions, directing recruitment for regional board leaders who in turn support a community of 1,300+ members.
Software & Technology Innovation
🌐 Award-Winning Stanford Seminar on Global AI
Designed and led a Stanford University 6-week seminar on global AI innovation ecosystems, with a focus on AI in Japan and the UK. Featured international CEOs, investors, and industry experts as guest lecturers. The leadership team of the seminar was awarded for contributing to Stanford’s entrepreneurship curriculum, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation (U.S. News & World Report).
🌐 Director in Vertical Market Software Holding Company
Served as Director at Banyan Software, ranked the No.1 fastest growing software company in North America by Inc 5000 in 2021, with a portfolio of over 50 software businesses. Selected as one of 10 executives in the Executive Leadership Program at Pacific Lake Partners, a leading multi-billion-dollar search investment firm and Banyan Software’s lead investor.
🌐 AI-Native Technology Stack
Developed AI-native technology systems and end-to-end workflows in Aone Partners.
🌐 Technology Strategy & BlackRock Board Directors
Selected in special task force to lead an innovation project (50 selected from 14,000 employees across the globe). BlackRock Innovate was sponsored by Blackrock’s Board of Directors to develop next-generation technology products for the firm. Led a cross-functional team across New York, London, Dublin, and Princeton to design the strategy for a financial technology platform, which resulted in a presentation to BlackRock’s Board of Directors.
🌐 Growth and Market Expansion at Innovation Group
Led analysis on ecommerce technology businesses at ZX Ventures, AB InBev’s global innovation group, to inform capital allocation strategy in emerging high-growth markets.
🌐 Thought Leadership in Growing Technology Businesses
Developed case studies on scaling technology businesses in partnership with Stanford faculty and executives from leading tech companies. The cases, published in Harvard Business Review (which reaches over 18 million professionals across its digital platforms and attracts 7 million monthly readers), feature companies including Roblox, SoftBank, Esusu, Bevi, and Honor Home Care.
2012 - Present
Gelila partnered with distinguished Stanford faculty and world-renowned businesses to co-author case studies, which were published in the Harvard Business Review and Stanford University Publishing. HBR attracts 7 million unique visitors monthly and reaches over 18 million professionals across its digital platforms.
-
Publication: Harvard Business Publishing and Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: Gelila Bekele, Anne Beyer, Robert Siegel
Stanford Course: GSBGEN 392 Financial Management for Entrepreneurs
Year of Publication: 2022
"Roblox: The Path to Going Public" is one the first case studies to analyze a high-profile direct listing in depth, using Roblox as a real-world example to examine alternative IPO strategies
-
Publication: Harvard Business Publishing and Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: Russell Siegelman, Gelila Bekele
Stanford Course: STRAMGT 325 Impact From Idea to Enterprise
Year of Publication: 2021
"Esusu: The Missing Link in Credit Reports" is the first case study to explore the integration of rental payment data into credit scoring, a new social entrepreneurial venture that is a breakthrough in financial inclusion. By analyzing Esusu’s fintech model, the study provides a structured framework for using alternative credit data to expand financial access.
-
Publication: Harvard Business Publishing and Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: Anne Beyer, Robert Siegel, Gelila Bekele
Stanford Course: GSBGEN 392 Financial Management for Entrepreneurs
Year of Publication: 2022
"SoftBank Vision Fund" analyzes the launch, strategy, and operations of a $100 billion venture fund—the largest of its kind. The study provides a structured framework for understanding fundraising from sovereign wealth funds, capital deployment at scale, and the transformation of venture capital deal-making.
-
Publication: Harvard Business Publishing and Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: Patricia Nakache, Gelila Bekele
Stanford Course: STRAMGT 353 Entrepreneurship Formation of New Ventures
Year of Publication: 2022
"Bevi: Unbottling the Future" analyzes a hardware-enabled social enterprise scaling through a dual distribution model, balancing direct and channel sales. By exploring Bevi’s expansion, pricing structures, and sales incentives, the study introduces a framework for navigating hybrid revenue models, a key challenge for many U.S. startups operating in similar spaces.
-
Publication: Harvard Business Publishing and Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: Rob Chess, Gelila Bekele, Susan Pohlmeyer
Stanford Course: GSBGEN 551 Innovation and Management in Health Care
Year of Publication: 2022
"Honor Home Care" analyzes the trade-offs between high-frequency Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) strategies versus a single transformative acquisition in a fragmented industry such as home healthcare. By exploring Honor Home Care’s decision to either consolidate smaller agencies incrementally or acquire an industry giant, the case provides a structured framework for evaluating acquisition strategies in service-based industries.
-
Publication: Harvard Business Publishing and Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: David Dodson, Gelila Bekele
Stanford Course: STRAMGT 543 Entrepreneurial Acquisition
Year of Publication: 2022
"Vitana: Choosing Partners" explores the co-founder selection process within search funds and entrepreneurship through acquisition, analyzing the trade-offs between financial alignment, equity control, and long-term founder compatibility.
-
Publication: Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: David Dodson, Gelila Bekele
Stanford Course: STRAMGT 355 Managing Growing Enterprises
Year of Publication: 2022
The case provides a framework for firm-building, scaling leadership, and operational discipline within search funds, holding companies and private equity. The case uniquely explores talent strategy—particularly Alpine’s patented CEO-in-Training program, which develops executives to lead private businesses.
-
Publication: Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: Laura Hattendorf, Gelila Bekele, Yin Li
Stanford Course: STRAMGT 325 Impact From Idea to Enterprise
Year of Publication: 2022
"VisionSpring: Scaling a Social Enterprise" is a case study that explores how a social enterprise balances philanthropic funding and earned revenue while expanding access to affordable eyeglasses.
-
Publication: Harvard Business Review and Stanford Business Publishing
Authors: Robert Siegel, Anne Beyer, Gelila Bekele
Stanford Course: GSBGEN 392: Financial Management for Entrepreneurs
Year of Publication: 2022
"Pear VC: Early-Stage Venture Capital in 2022" is a study that provides an in-depth analysis of how an emerging venture capital firm, like Pear VC, scaled from a two-person team to one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent early-stage investors. The study provides a structured framework for understanding fund economics, LP relations, portfolio construction, and deal flow management. By exploring Pear VC’s approach to differentiation in a highly competitive landscape, the case offers key insights into fundraising, sector allocation, and investment decision-making in early-stage venture capital.
Gelila has co-hosted forums in New York city bringing together hundreds of entrepreneurs and business executives and has been invited to present her work at industry conferences, universities and global summits across the U.S. and internationally at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, where she presented a keynote address to Prime Ministers and Heads of States.
Recently, Gelila was invited to lead a discussion panel at the 2025 DCD Connect Conference, one of the largest conferences focused on data center and AI infrastructure innovation, attended by over 2,800 data center executives, investors, and entrepreneurs from around the world.
Gelila designed and led an award-winning seminar at Stanford University focused on AI innovation and entrepreneurship in Japan and the United Kingdom. The 6-week seminar featured international guest speakers including CEOs, investors, and industry experts. The seminar was awarded by Stanford University for its contribution to Stanford’s entrepreneurship curriculum, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation (U.S. News & World Report).
Gelila is a member of the following organizations and associations:
Founder of Aone Partners, a private search fund partnership backed by Trilogy Search Partners and 14 software CEOs, technology founders and industry-leading private investors.
Regional Board Leader and Co-Chair of RLS at Stanford Women’s Circles, one of Stanford's fastest growing alumni programs with 1300+ members worldwide and 170 members in New York.
Grant Review Committee member at Project Redwood, an association that has backed social entrepreneurs and non profits and collectively impacted the lives of over 1 million people.
Board Director at Girls Gotta Run Foundation, a nonprofit that has provided merit scholarships to over 600 student athletes.
