Nikken is the Founder of SeaQuality, a supplier of building materials in Kigali, Rwanda, and Co-Founder of Ajax Analytics, an environmental data firm based in Colorado. He serves on the Board of Directors of Brassica Protection Products, a private company with technology licensed from Johns Hopkins University, and Students Shoulder to Shoulder, a Colorado-based nonprofit. He has previously worked for Goldman Sachs and the US Government in a variety of economic and financial research capacities. He has a BA in economics from Yale University and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.