Jason Cao joins Tidalwave as COO

Tidalwave, an agentic AI mortgage technology startup integrated with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, recently announced the hiring of Jason Cao as chief operating officer.

Cao, an early investor in Tidalwave two years ago, was most recently COO at CertiK, where he helped build it into a unicorn as the world’s largest blockchain security company.

“Jason was instrumental in CertiK’s growth, and I feel so fortunate and blessed that he’s joined me at Tidalwave,” founder and CEO Diane Yu told HousingWire. “He invested before we even had a product. And when I told him that the company is scaling, he said, ‘Let’s work together and make this happen.”

Yu said that she and Cao are partnering closely to lead the company’s upscaling efforts, and that his new role includes oversight of day-to-day operations and running the company’s financial model.

Cao confirmed that his first day was at the end of October.

“I’ve known Diane for quite a long time. … I believe in Diane’s vision, her capability and her team. So that’s why I invested in the company earlier. But that wasn’t enough [for me], so I’m here,” he said.

Tidalwave‘s addition of Cao to the team builds upon its recent hirings, including former Intercontinental Exchange executives Chris McLendon (chief revenue officer) and John Stephenson (head of national sales), as well as Frank Pastirchak, a former nCino and Reggora executive.

The company has also brought on mortgage tech operators Ivón Vazquez, who built the Encompass and SimpleNexus systems, and Shelby Huster, a veteran consultant at Ellie Mae.

“We’re at about 40 people right now, and we’re going to grow to be the next unicorn,” Yu added.

Late in the summer, Tidalwave also announced a partnership with NEXA Lending that gives NEXA’s 3,200-plus brokers access to Tidalwave’s platform.

Tidalwave — which integrates with Plaid, Argyle, Truv and ICE Mortgage Technology to automate income, employment and asset verification — has also partnered with First Colony Mortgage.