Case studies
Statistical and Financial Model for Growth Strategies- Growth Strategy
- Banking & Finance
- Statistics
- Startups
Management Consulting Expert in New York, NY, United States
Member since November 21, 2017
A data scientist and Harvard MBA with distinction, Erik co-founded a global venture capital fund and has invested in 50 startups that have raised over $500 million, realizing six exits. He previously led analyses for cases including restructurings of $3 billion in global operations and M&A deals worth over $10 billion. Erik's work has been noted in Forbes, CNBC, and HBR. He speaks four languages and serves as Toptal's Chief Economist, leading analyses on the talent economy and future of work.
Erik is now available for hire
Career Highlights
- Firstrock Capital
- NERA Economic Consulting
- Amaranth
Education
- Harvard University
- Pomona College
Industry Expertise
- Banking
- Financial Modeling
- Startups
Other Expertise
- Business Models
- Data Science
- Early-stage Venture Capital
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Real Options Reasoning
- Seed Fundraising
- Statistics
- Valuation
Employment
Founding Partner
2013 - PRESENTFirstrock Capital- Funded 50 global tech companies that have raised a capital of over $500 million. Realized six exits.
- Invested early in Clipboard Health, raised 93M at 1.3B valuation; Pachama, raised 93M; Authy, exit; Bluesmart, raised 25.6M; Streem, exit; Meural, raised 9.3M, exit; Snappr, raised 13M; Trueface, raised 5M, exit; and Stabilitas, raised 5M, exit.
- Worked with portfolio companies in all elements of the product, business development and growth, fundraising, and financial strategy.
- Built a statistical platform for portfolio companies to analyze growth trends across user cohorts, client actions most associated with long-term engagement, the impact of product updates on growth and engagement, and funding needs.
- Closed a global group of limited partners (LPs) and worked with several of them to strengthen the data and financial strategies of their own multinational financial and industrial companies.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Capital Raising, Business Planning, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Modeling, Investment Thesis, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), FintechFinancial Analyst | Project Leader
2005 - 2011NERA Economic Consulting- Conducted statistical and financial analyses and led project teams directly under the chairman of the global securities practice to help US and European clients including financial institutions and consumer product and technology companies with challenges including M&A transactions worth over $10 billion and restructuring of over $3 billion in global subsidiaries.
- Conducted analyses in derivatives modeling, econometrics, valuation, and client population evolution.
- Led senior business development strategy sessions and firm-wide R&D projects on the implications of market events such as the subprime collapse, reporting to the firm's clients.
- Created expert reports and presentations to communicate results of analyses to clients' senior management, attorneys, and the courts if the case occurred in the context of legal actions.
Focus areas: Valuation, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)Financial Analyst
2000 - 2002Amaranth- Analyzed pricing and risk parameters for options and convertible bonds alongside fund portfolio managers.
- Modeled macro-arbitrage opportunities, high-frequency volatility, derivatives payoff, and restructuring.
Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Risk Models, Derivative Pricing
Other Experience
- Tough Times Don’t Have to Mean Tough Terms: Leveraging Financial and Cap Table Modeling in VC Negotiations (Publication)When capital is scarce, VCs may tighten their terms to reduce their risk. Here’s how to think through three of the most common preferred terms to ensure you don’t give away too much of your company.
- Raising Venture Capital in Down Markets: A Guide to Early-stage Funding (Publication)In tough financial times, VCs often focus on shoring up portfolio companies rather than investing in new opportunities. But it’s still possible to raise capital—if you refine your approach.
- The Evolution of Venture Capital: Investing in Global Talent (Publication)By adopting a global talent acquisition strategy, venture capital not only extends the opportunities of entrepreneurship across the world, it helps startups reduce churn and break even faster.
- Applications of Statistics for Measuring Company Growth (Publication)Eyeballing the top-line figures of company growth is unlikely to uncover anything particular radical. To understand the trends that lead to user growth, retention, and/or engagement, statistical tools should be employed to test the underlying drivers behind performance.
- Mastering Sustainable Startup Growth and Finding Your Relevant KPIs (Publication)To unlock growth in a company, you must first find the KPI that is core towards increasing company value. More effective knowledge of growth comes from a deeper understanding of the characteristics of a "perfect client," the trends between user cohorts, and finding the tipping point that solidifies retention and engagement.
Education
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree in General Management2011 - 2013Harvard University - Boston, MA, USA
- Bachelor's Degree in Economics2000 - 2003Pomona College - Claremont, CA, USA
