The HousingWire Insiders Award program recognizes operational all-stars – ‘insiders’ who aren’t necessarily in the public spotlight but who are vital to a company’s success
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. /California Newswire – National News/ — Dark Matter Technologies (Dark Matter®), an innovative leader in mortgage technology, today announced its newly promoted Chief Technology Officer, Vikas Rao, has been named to HousingWire’s 2025 Insiders list. Now in its 10th year, the Insiders award honors the individuals whose strategic thinking and operational excellence keeps the housing ecosystem moving forward.
Rao joined Dark Matter in April 2024 as its deputy chief product officer after spending five years at Ellie Mae as vice president, product management, where he was responsible for the Encompass Lending Platform and the Ellie Mae partner network. Over the past year at Dark Matter, Rao has been at the forefront of redefining Dark Matter’s product vision, overseeing most of the company’s product portfolio by directly leading the Empower® LOS, AIVA® AI Virtual Assistants, Portals, and Partner teams, driving alignment, innovation and impact across key initiatives.
His influence culminated in the April 2025 launch of the Dark Matter Developer Platform, a fully open API ecosystem introduced at the company’s user conference. This initiative has opened Dark Matter’s tech to greater partner collaboration and positioned the company as a more agile, transparent and customer-responsive force in the market.
In addition, Rao has spearheaded multiple updates to Dark Matter’s point-of-sale portals, led the development of new workflow solutions within the Empower LOS and expanded the capabilities of the AIVA® Virtual Assistant. Rao has established feedback loops through structured customer working groups that keep product development closely aligned with lender needs and real-world challenges. His technical and cultural leadership has fostered an organization-wide commitment to continuous improvement.
“Vikas has played a pivotal role in reshaping Dark Matter Technologies’ product strategy, most notably by leading the development of the Dark Matter Developer Platform, a fully open API ecosystem that marks a strategic shift toward transparency and collaboration for clients and partners,” said Sean Dugan, CEO of Dark Matter. “He has reimagined our product development approach to deliver faster, more responsive solutions that drive growth, and we’re proud to announce his promotion to Chief Technology Officer today.”
“I’m incredibly honored to receive the HousingWire Insiders Award as I step into the role of Chief Technology Officer at Dark Matter,” said Rao. “This recognition reflects the hard work, talent and dedication of an exceptional team that is transforming the mortgage industry and empowering the people behind every transaction.”
For a complete list of HousingWire 2025 Insider Award winners, visit the HousingWire website.
About Dark Matter Technologies:
Operating with the nimble nature of a startup and the disciplined maturity of one of the industry’s leading providers, Dark Matter Technologies delivers powerful technology with unparalleled automation and relentless innovation to leading mortgage lenders, servicers and companies nationwide. For more information, visit https://www.dmatter.com/.
Learn More: https://www.dmatter.com
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NEWS SOURCE: Dark Matter Technologies. Story was sourced from a press release issued by Send2Press® and used with permission. View the original story at: https://www.send2press.com/wire/dark-matters-newly-minted-chief-technology-officer-vikas-rao-named-to-housingwires-2025-insiders-list/
