About

Researcher and builder.

Raphael Press.

I'm an AI-fluent operator and emerging product builder with experience across operations, research, international programs, and policy advocacy. The through-line has always been the same: taking messy inputs and turning them into structured, useful material other people can act on.

Today I focus that instinct through AI. I build research tools, structured analyses, and small products that make complex situations easier to reason about — with SEFIN.ai as the flagship.

Experience

  • 2025–2026

    Operations & Acquisitions Analyst

    Yada Properties — New Jersey

    • Maintained structured Excel systems tracking transactions, outreach, vendor communication, and project timelines across multiple accounts.
    • Served as a primary contact across brokers, vendors, and external partners.
    • Prepared reports and briefing materials for leadership.
    • Coordinated logistics and scheduling across concurrent projects.
  • Jun 2024 – Nov 2024

    Market Research & Investment Intern

    David's Harp Realty — Netanya, Israel

    • Maintained CRM records for clients, property pipelines, and deal status.
    • Communicated with clients, brokers, and partners in English and Hebrew.
    • Compiled research and produced structured internal and client-facing reports.
    • Supported operations through documentation, data organization, and stakeholder communication.
  • Jan 2024 – Jun 2024

    Investment Research Associate Intern

    3 Pillars Real Estate Investments — New York

    • Compiled and organized datasets in Excel for acquisition analysis and internal reporting.
    • Maintained records of contacts, findings, and follow-ups across active projects.
  • 2022 – 2024

    Board Member & Congressional Advocate

    YU Political Action Club / AIPAC — New York

    • Engaged Congressional offices on U.S.–Israel relations, security policy, and foreign aid.
    • Researched foreign-policy positions and legislative priorities.
    • Organized events with policymakers, diplomats, and subject-matter experts.
    • Wrote and edited analytical content on geopolitics, Israel affairs, and international policy.
  • Summers 2021 – 2023

    Advisor & International Program Coordinator

    NCSY Euro International — Italy, Morocco, Spain, Israel

    • Coordinated logistics, vendor relationships, scheduling, and participant communication across international programs.
    • Facilitated programming on Israeli history, Middle East affairs, and U.S.–Israel relations.

Education

Yeshiva University, Sy Syms School of Business

BS, Strategy & Entrepreneurship; minor in Marketing · May 2024

Relevant coursework: Business Strategy Capstone, Information Systems, Organizational Behavior, Business Leadership.

Skills

AI product & methodology

Scoping what AI should and shouldn't do, designing case structures, and building workflows that keep output consistent across a system.

Research & analysis

Turning primary sources, filings, and reports into structured, comparable notes and briefings.

Operations

Designing simple systems that keep complex, multi-stakeholder work coherent over time.

Communication

Writing plainly for readers who don't share my context — internal memos, client-facing reports, and advocacy material.

Tools

Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint), CRM systems, database management, LLM tooling.

Languages

English (native), Hebrew (conversational), Dutch (conversational).

How I work

I like problems where the hard part is thinking clearly, not producing volume. I default to writing things down, structuring them, and cutting until only the load-bearing parts remain.

When I use AI, I try to use it to enforce consistency, surface gaps, and speed up drudgery — not to hand off judgment.