Primary Job Title CEO Primary Organization 
Up Sonder LLC
Location Los Angeles, California, United States Regions Greater Los Angeles Area, West Coast, Western US Gender Male Also Known As The Diplomat
Website www.upsonder.com Facebook View on Facebook X (Twitter) View on X
From senior advisor to the South Korean government to cofounder of a pioneering drone rental company, Derek Waleko has a rich business history. As a senior government advisor in charge of mergers and acquisitions at South Korea’s KOTRA agency he worked with many high technology companies pushing the limits in the aerospace industry. Today he works
to push those limits further with the sharing economy and his love for all things drones. Outside his international work he also gives guest lectures at UCLA’s A nderson School of Management on crossborder M&A, has served as President of Los Angeles’s Van Nuys Neighborhood Council and sat on the board of the Mayor’s Budget Advocate Committee, drafting recommendations to advise the Los Angeles Mayor on reducing the city’s deficit and increasing revenue. Derek
attended Texas Tech University earning his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry and studied film in New York at New York Film Academy.
