The Team

Brian K.Y. Tan, Founder and CEO

Brian’s unending curiosity to learn and understand our world has taken him to 38 countries…and counting. From climbing the Great Wall to diving the Great Barrier Reef, from meditating at an Indian ashram to fine dining in Paris to wildlife watching in Venezuela, travel has always been an enriching experience for Brian. During his travels in developing countries, Brian also developed a passion for learning about and contributing to social entrepreneurship projects which improve the lives of local communities.

Brian has extensive Internet business experience, having launched and grown businesses from zero to several hundred million dollars in revenue. He spent 10 years in senior management roles at Cisco Systems, with responsibilities for growing Internet networking businesses as well as the Global Learning Network, a web-based learning solution. Brian received his MBA and MS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT as well as BS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University.

Yuchun Ku, Founder, Chief Travel Officer, and VP of Business Development

It’s rare to find anyone more passionate and enthusiastic about travel than Yuchun—hence we conferred her the title of Chief Travel Officer. For Yuchun, travel is about getting to know and deeply understand the people and its culture. And if that culture has good food, her interest can easily double. Her travels to 45 countries has taken her to all corners of the planet, from the Andes to Zanzibar, from the familiar countries of Europe to unfamiliar ones like Ethiopia and Uzbekistan. She has also volunteered in countries like Bangladesh and Ivory Coast.

Prior to founding Zicasso, Yuchun held senior strategy, finance and project management roles at Fortune 100 companies. She holds an MBA from the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley, and MS in Engineering from National Taiwan University.

Cailin Nelson, VP of Engineering

As VP of Engineering, Cailin leads our engineering team and has responsibility for all technology and infrastructure development for Zicasso. She brings a wide range of technical and web expertise to the company, including technology strategy, architecture, coding, design, and usability. She is currently most interested in advanced browser-based technologies that enhance the user experience, thus combining her passions for both technology and website design. Prior to Zicasso, Cailin was a software development manager at SquareTrade.

When she’s not working on the next cool technology, Cailin enjoys surfing at tropical destinations and spending time with her baby daughter. She is the official surf travel agent and group trip planner for her friends and family (and wants Zicasso to help make that job simpler!) She holds a Ph.D. in Physics from UC Berkeley and BA in Physics from Dartmouth College.

Jenny Dickinson, Senior Engineer

With every cool website, there's at least one engineer who will stop at nothing short of perfection. Jenny fits the bill well for Zicasso. A perfectionist to the core, Jenny has a unique ability to out-geek all other geeks around her. She is passionate about giving users the best possible experience using the latest web technologies. Jenny is a true Web 2.0 engineer, a master of CSS and a JavaScript ninja. Her professional career spans diverse areas of software engineering from scientific programming for the Department of Energy, through front-end programming for consumer facing websites.

When Jenny is not in front of the computer, she enjoys baking desserts and a few activities to work off those sweets: rock climbing, yoga, and traveling. Jenny holds a BS in Computer Science from The College of William & Mary.

John Quinn, Interim Chief Technology Officer

With 20 years of experience, John is an Internet industry veteran who is instrumental in developing Zicasso’s technology plan and direction. John brings broad experience in all aspects of building and running a high transaction web infrastructure. He is focused on technology platform strategies, information architecture, and infrastructure scaling while championing innovation across functions. Prior to Zicasso, John held senior engineering and CTO positions at Oracle, The Santa Cruz Operation, and SquareTrade.

John is a passionate surfer and avid photographer. He holds an MS in Information Technology and BS in Applied Chemistry from Strathclyde University, Scotland.

Ann Chao, Business Development Manager and Travel Services Manager

Ann's travel experiences range from backpacking through Tibet to luxury European culinary tours. Having been to over 40 countries in most of Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, Ann enjoys meeting fellow travelers and learning about different cultures.

At Zicasso, Ann selects and develops partnerships with quality travel companies. She also serves as a resource to Zicasso's travelers, providing guidance and matching them to our travel company partners. Prior to Zicasso, Ann worked in business development at starts-ups such as Like.com and myTriggers.com, and investment banking at Citigroup.

Besides travel, Ann is also passionate about cooking and spent over a year in Paris, learning all about French cuisine and culture. She also enjoys running and yoga. Ann holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University.