After rapid expansion, Notarize hires new chief financial officer

Remote notarization startup Notarize announced Monday that it has hired a new chief financial officer to help lead the company through what it described as an “inflection point.”

Kartik Ramachandran

Kartik Ramachandran joins Notarize after doing stints as a top executive at several well-known companies including Groupon, Activision Blizzard, Splunk and others. A statement notes that while at Groupon he was “credited for his key role [in] leading Groupon’s IPO.” Immediately prior to joining Notarize, Ramachandran was serving as the founder of the Catahoula Collective, which among other things manages investment properties.

The statement adds that at Notarize Ramachandran “will be responsible for guiding the company’s investments to further accelerate high-growth, innovative initiatives across the business.”

Ramachandran also praised Notarize in the statement.

“Notarize’s trajectory and the pace at which it has achieved a leadership position in a beachhead to the future of commerce is impressive to say the least,” he noted. “As we have adjusted to a digital-first world over the past two years especially, Notarize stands out as a model company with both the foresight and capability to seamlessly serve rapidly evolving enterprise and consumer needs.”

The statement goes on to say that Ramachandran joins Notarize “at an inflection point in the company’s maturation as the platform continues experiencing rapid adoption across real estate, financial services, automotive, insurance, and other industries.”

Ramachandran’s hiring comes just four months after Notarize brought on David Razon as chief people officer and Derek Knudsen as chief technology officer. Those hirings came after years of rapid growth for Notarize that was fueled in part by the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting need for remote real estate services.

Spring of 2021 also saw Notarize raise $130 million in Series D funding and open its platform to independent notaries.

Additionally, last week Notarize hired Eddie Oddo to serve as vice president of strategic settlement service and strategy. An email from the company described Oddo as a senior leader who “leads the business development team responsible for accelerating the adoption of the Notarize’s online notarization platform in the real estate industry.”

Notarize works with companies in an array of industries, and among other things connects users to a notary via video conference. The technology eliminates the need to meet with a notary in person.

Pat Kinsel

In Monday’s statement, Notarize founder and CEO Pat Kinsel said the company ultimately selected Ramachandran to serve as CFO when it “became clear after countless conversations” that “he is both uniquely passionate and capable of building an exceptional and enduring company.”

“The best companies in the world boast finance teams that are always evolving and are passionate about understanding every aspect of the business,” Kinsel added, “and we are confident that Kartik is that person who will help Notarize accomplish our near-and-long-term goals efficiently and effectively.”

Email Jim Dalrymple II