Thought Leader Profile

Mark Francis

Co-Founder & Non-Executive Director of Zetl
Zetl

"The best hires come from trusted human networks rather than broken job boards. We must make the hiring process smarter, faster, and more equitable for everyone."
Alternative SME Lending AI-Driven HR Tech Venture Scaling

Executive Overview

Mark Francis is a serial entrepreneur, venture builder, and FinTech innovator with nearly two decades of operational experience across Asia-Pacific's technology, executive search, and venture finance ecosystems. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Preferrd, an AI-driven HRTech platform revolutionizing talent acquisition, and as Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director of Zetl, an embedded financing platform that has provided over $1 billion in non-dilutive capital to asset-light SMEs across the region. As a Partner at Tyros, he also actively invests in and advises early-stage FinTech, HRTech, ESG, and Web3 startups, demonstrating a profound commitment to solving structural capital and talent bottlenecks for fast-growing companies.

Industry Impact & Key Contributions

  • Alternative SME Lending & Credit: Co-founded Zetl to pioneer non-dilutive working capital, payroll financing, and revenue-based growth capital for APAC businesses, successfully originating over $1 billion in institutional SME financing.
  • AI-Driven HR Tech & Talent Scaling: Leads Preferrd in re-engineering executive talent acquisition by combining machine learning matching models with trusted, incentivized peer networks, addressing the modern challenges of AI-generated applications.
  • Venture Scaling & Ecosystem Building: Founded, grew, and successfully exited multiple ventures in the human capital space (including Cleverly Search and Silverstrand), frequently advising early-stage founders and family offices on capital structuring and scale-up operations.

Why We're Honored to Feature Them

Mark Francis's exceptional track record of building impactful platforms at the intersection of FinTech, human capital, and artificial intelligence directly supports the TechX Summit's core vision of sustainable, technology-driven growth. While he will not be speaking at the event, featuring his proven expertise as a Thought Leader on our platform underscores our dedication to highlighting the architects of Asia-Pacific's innovation ecosystem, bringing vital strategic depth and prestige to our summit.

Connect on LinkedIn Follow for pioneering insights on AI-driven talent acquisition, alternative SME lending, and venture ecosystem building.

We are incredibly proud to recognize Mark Francis as a featured Thought Leader for the TechX Summit.
His proven expertise in FinTech, HRTech, and venture scaling underscores the architects of Asia-Pacific's innovation ecosystem.