Fodder, which provides a way for grocers and other merchants to accept EBT payments online, has hired OFEC Lavyan as its chief operating officer.
LaVian oversees day-to-day operations including production, operations and partnerships.
Prior to joining Forage, he led the Payments and Commerce product teams at Instacart, highlights including the launch of new payment methods such as EBT/SNAP (food stamps) and PayPal, Instacart gift cards, prepaid cards, stored value and affiliate. -branded credit card by Chase (launching later this year).
Prior to Instacart, LaVian was the Product Manager for Uber Payments.
While there, he led key payment products including Tipping, the Uber Visa Credit Card, Uber Gift Cards, Pay with Venmon, PayPal, and Apple Pay.
“Ofek is one of the most knowledgeable payments experts in Silicon Valley – what he’s done at Instacart in two years has changed the entire payment landscape of their business,” said Justin Intal, CEO and co-founder, Feed.
“We are excited to have him join our executive team and accelerate our timeline to help you accept EBT payments online.”
“Ofec is joining us at a critical time in Forage’s growth, and its expertise in the payments space, working with technology leaders like Instacart and Uber, will help us fast-track our product development and partnership plans.”
“Feed is laying the groundwork to address a critical gap in allowing millions of Americans who rely on SNAP benefits to shop for groceries online,” said LaVian.
“The opportunity here is huge. During the past two years at Instacart, I’ve seen first-hand the importance of online grocery during the pandemic, especially for this population struggling with food insecurity.
“Forage payment technology has the power to democratize access to basic needs like groceries, and I couldn’t be happier to work for a company that brings that change to life.”
