Who We Are
Born out of the Allen Institute for AI in Seattle
Friday Harbor is a Seattle-based AI-native technology company founded in 2024. Our first investor was a VC fund born out of the Allen Institute for AI (AI2 Incubator).
We pride ourselves on combining deep fintech expertise with real-world understanding of the mortgage industry. Our CEO was an early employee and Head of Growth, US, at Pagaya Technologies, joining years prior to Pagaya’s $9bn 2022 Nasdaq listing. Founding Engineers have joined from Opendoor, BitGo, AWS, Bloomberg, and other leading fintech companies.
Other members of the early team have decades of blue chip experience at the executive level in mortgage banking, including at Supreme Lending, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Dark Matter Technologies, National MI, and Evergreen Home Loans.
Our team’s corporate HQ is in downtown Seattle, across the street from Meta’s Seattle campus in South Lake Union.
The Team
The Friday Harbor Team
High velocity, customer-focused, and really into mortgage.
Theo Ellis
CEO
Lisa Casner
Head of Engineering
Chris Simms
Head of Strategic Partnerships
Paddy Quinn
Lead Software Architect
Gregory Buehler
Founding Product Manager
Yannis Katsaros
Founding Engineer
Matt Mitman
Founding Engineer
Kate Schilling
Director of Sales
Rob Shaw
Founding Engineer
Melina Stayton
Customer Success Manager
Jason Katsaros
Software Engineer
We’re hiring
Join a team that is applying the latest AI tools to a real problem in massive industry.
Industry Involvement
We are proud to be part of this industry
Friday Harbor participates in the events and groups shaping the the evolving application and governance of AI in the US mortgage industry. We share our perspective as AI practitioners, learn directly from lenders, and contribute to an industry that advocates for greater homeownership.
Investors &
Recognition
Backed by AI2, Abstract Ventures, CoFound, Mischief, Wischoff
Backed by some of Silicon Valley’s top investors.
Trusted by the nation’s leading mortgage banks
Including three of the country’s top fifteen independent mortgage banks. Being used at production scale, not just pilots.
HousingWire Tech100 Mortgage 2026
Recognized among the most innovative technology companies serving the mortgage industry.
Authorized GSE Technology Service Provider
One of only ten companies in the industry with a direct integration to Fannie Mae’s income calculator, providing rep & warrant relief on eligible income sources.
AI Governance Leadership
The first mortgage technology platform to receive a completed Brody Gapp AI governance attestation, demonstrating policies aligned with federal fair lending and GSE AI governance directives.
25+ national lenders on platform
Processing over $1.5bn in live loan volume monthly and growing rapidly. The most at-scale AI native mortgage technology platform in the industry.
Ready to learn more?
Speak with us to learn if Friday Harbor is a good fit for your organization.