Sharene Lee is the cofounder of Takadao, a technology platform that powers community-
owned insurance alternatives on the blockchain. Takadao technology powers The Life DAO, a
mutual life protection fund that has members from around the world. She is also the host
of [Takatalks](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe8K6hOOP2CF-9eqgNz-
F79ydBMHUtN7_&si=UqIaK_6KWnJdQtRu), a podcast on the intersections between crypto
and Islamic finance. Previously, Sharene was the co-founder and COO of Melltoo, a peer-to-
peer transactional marketplace for second-hand items, which was acquired in 2022 by the
IKEA group in Saudi Arabia. Sharene was awarded GITEX Supernova’s “Best Female Led
Startup” (2017) and Leap Rocket Fuel’s “Aviatrix Award” (2023). She was a recipient of a
KAUST-Taqadam grant (2023) and a finalist on "Meet the Drapers" (Season 6) and FII's
"Visionaries" (2023). She is also a prolific speaker with appearances at Step Conference,
Future Fest, Leap Conference, ETHRiyadh, Web3 Summit, Future Investment Initiative
(Riyadh), among others. She is also an occasional contributor to Entrepreneur magazine.
Sharene is on a mission to help individuals achieve financial freedom by creating community-
owned alternatives to insurance companies. She is a serial entrepreneur with two prior exits
in the analog economy and one in web2. She was born and raised in Singapore, but lived in
the United States prior to moving to the Middle East. She now lives in Riyadh. Her passions
include Islamic finance and the web3; in particular, how blockchains and crypto are a fertile
ground for the growth of new financial paradigms. Sharene has a Masters degree in Ed Tech,
dropped out of a PhD program to found her previous startup and has a patent pending.
Sharene enjoys mentoring and working with fellow female entrepreneurs. She is a mother of
7.
owned insurance alternatives on the blockchain. Takadao technology powers The Life DAO, a
mutual life protection fund that has members from around the world. She is also the host
of [Takatalks](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe8K6hOOP2CF-9eqgNz-
F79ydBMHUtN7_&si=UqIaK_6KWnJdQtRu), a podcast on the intersections between crypto
and Islamic finance. Previously, Sharene was the co-founder and COO of Melltoo, a peer-to-
peer transactional marketplace for second-hand items, which was acquired in 2022 by the
IKEA group in Saudi Arabia. Sharene was awarded GITEX Supernova’s “Best Female Led
Startup” (2017) and Leap Rocket Fuel’s “Aviatrix Award” (2023). She was a recipient of a
KAUST-Taqadam grant (2023) and a finalist on "Meet the Drapers" (Season 6) and FII's
"Visionaries" (2023). She is also a prolific speaker with appearances at Step Conference,
Future Fest, Leap Conference, ETHRiyadh, Web3 Summit, Future Investment Initiative
(Riyadh), among others. She is also an occasional contributor to Entrepreneur magazine.
Sharene is on a mission to help individuals achieve financial freedom by creating community-
owned alternatives to insurance companies. She is a serial entrepreneur with two prior exits
in the analog economy and one in web2. She was born and raised in Singapore, but lived in
the United States prior to moving to the Middle East. She now lives in Riyadh. Her passions
include Islamic finance and the web3; in particular, how blockchains and crypto are a fertile
ground for the growth of new financial paradigms. Sharene has a Masters degree in Ed Tech,
dropped out of a PhD program to found her previous startup and has a patent pending.
Sharene enjoys mentoring and working with fellow female entrepreneurs. She is a mother of
7.
