Brandon is available for hire
Hire BrandonBrandon Pearlman
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Chicago, IL, United States
Toptal member since April 7, 2021
Bio
Brandon is a 20-year executive and ex-founder who co-founded and exited a Warburg Pincus-backed AI/ML company at an 8-figure valuation. As interim CEO of a corporate innovation incubator inside a $3 billion enterprise, he generated $20 million ARR in the 1st year. A former Global 1,000 consultant turned startup operator, Brandon's engagements span private equity acquisitions ($150+ million revenue), product builds, M&A due diligence, operational turnarounds, and 150%+ growth engagements.
Career Highlights
Founder & Fractional Executive
BP Genesis
Education Highlights
Master of Science Degree, with Honors
Illinois Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Arts Degree
University of Iowa
Case Studies
GTM Strategy: $20 Million Achieved in Year 1 & $200M Projected in Year 2 from an Innovation Program
AnalyticsBusiness AnalysisBusiness Process OptimizationBusiness StrategyEntrepreneurshipSales Pitches+ 64 more
Expertise
- Economics
- Entrepreneurship
- Growth
- Innovation
- Management Consulting
- Product Strategy
- Startups
- Strategy
Work Experience
Founder & Fractional Executive
2017 - PRESENT
BP Genesis
- Advised CEOs, PE/VC firms, and leadership teams independently. Engagements ranged from 2-day diagnostics to multi-year fractional roles.
- Set up an innovation incubator from scratch as the Innovation Team CEO at EmployBridge. Led the development of 7 products with a team of 45, securing seven-figure funding after presenting to the board of directors. Achieved $20 million ARR in Year 1.
- Acted as a VP of products and built a product operations function for a banking/insurance platform. Managed a multi-million-dollar roadmap. Evaluated 8+ tech partners. Directed organizational design through launch preparation.
- Assessed a deep-tech remote sensing company for the sovereign wealth fund at Kuwait Investment Authority (NASCO). Recommended terminating the acquisition, avoiding misallocation of tens of millions in capital.
- Led a multi-sprint transformation with 6+ senior executives at environmental operations and GTM in a Fortune 15 private conglomerate. Was retained for a second engagement involving GTM discovery for the advanced technology division.
- Collaborated with the CEO at TGIN on operations, sales strategy, and scaling. Analyzed POS data across 25+ retail locations. Achieved revenue growth from $4 million to $10+ million, representing an over 150% increase.
- Diagnosed a 90% revenue concentration risk, developed 30+ growth opportunities, and extended advisory partnership to address performance systems, product positioning, and valuation modeling over 12 months.
- Constructed a KPI/OKR framework and unit economics model for per-location profitability at a multi-location food service company. Provided an actionable dashboard for making data-driven expansion decisions.
- Advised the advisory board on an event technology SaaS platform through financial restructuring. Guided leadership on enhancing operational efficiency, refining market positioning, and devising a successful fundraising strategy.
- Conducted investment due diligence for a health technology startup at a strategic assessment, analyzing market sizing, competitive landscape, product-market fit, and GTM readiness.
Focus areas: Management Consulting, Strategy, Startups, Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Big Data, Product Strategy, Operations, Private Equity, Acquisitions, M&A Modeling, Due Diligence, Strategic Planning & Execution, Product Operations, Business Process Optimization, Analysis, Analytics, Business Strategy, Process Optimization, Business Development, Partnerships, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Healthcare, Wellness, Fundraising, Venture Capital, Pitch Decks, Market Assessment, Financial Modeling, Valuation, Growth Strategy, Executive Coaching, Organizational Design, CEO, Performance Improvement, Team Leadership, Profit & Loss (P&L), Turnaround Management, Business Transformation, Change Management, Contract Negotiation, Team Building, Turnaround, Product Owner, Backlog Management, Energy, Business Advisory, Consulting, Organizational Effectiveness, Fundraising Strategy, Early-stage Startups, Leadership, Revenue Growth, ROI, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Product-market Fit, Fintech, Market Research, Vendor Selection, Business Process Re-engineering, Process Mapping, R&D, Three-statement Modeling, Investor Presentations, Forecasting, Data Analytics, M&A (Sell-side), Operational Efficiency Improvement, COO, Process Improvement, Operating Models, Operational Modeling, Business Analysis, Executive Consulting, Market Research & Analysis, Executive Presentations, Fractional COO, Marketing Operations, Scalable Operating Models, Scaling, Fundraising Consultant, Communications Management, Business Planning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Corporate Strategy, Research, Competitive Intelligence, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Corporate Benchmarking, Business Plan Consulting, Writing & Editing, Nonprofits, Microsoft Excel, Strategy Consulting, Infrastructure, PowerPoint Design
Solutions Owner
2024 - 2025
Inspire11
- Developed an AI and advanced analytics strategy proposal for the AI strategy at Fortune 50 Pharma with around $55 billion in revenue. Identified use cases across drug discovery, supply chain, and commercial operations.
- Led a multi-six-figure engagement at JBT in security remediation, remediating critical Tenable findings. Designed hub-and-spoke architecture for 4 plants with a team of 6 in 8 weeks. Achieved SOC 1 and 2 readiness.
- Conducted executive interviews and gap analysis for the IT blueprint at ASP Global, a Platinum Equity portfolio company. Delivered a global IT consolidation strategy that unified fragmented systems across multiple regions.
- Designed a $125,000 predictive ordering proof of value for a multi-location retailer at Cloud9 Cannabis. Scoped a machine learning pipeline from POS data for demand forecasting to automated purchasing.
Focus areas: Strategy, Operations, Digital Transformation, Leadership, Revenue Growth, ROI, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Product-market Fit, Fintech, Market Research, Business Process Re-engineering, Process Mapping, R&D, Investor Presentations, Forecasting, Data Analytics, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Process Improvement, Operating Models, Operational Modeling, Business Analysis, Healthcare, Executive Consulting, Market Research & Analysis, Executive Presentations, Fractional COO, Marketing Operations, Scalable Operating Models, Scaling, Change Management, Communications Management, Business Planning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Corporate Strategy, Research, Competitive Intelligence, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Corporate Benchmarking, Business Plan Consulting, Writing & Editing, Microsoft Excel, Strategy Consulting, Infrastructure, PowerPoint Design
Entrepreneur in Residence
2017 - 2019
Energy Foundry | Earth Foundry
- Reviewed around 25 deals in the investment pipeline and conducted feasibility assessments for the managing director across cleantech, energy, and industrial technology sectors.
- Evaluated business models, technology readiness, market sizing, and team composition for early-stage venture investments.
- Built relationships with major university tech transfer offices to evaluate IP pipelines and source early-stage investment opportunities.
Focus areas: Renewables, Clean Energy, Startups, SaaS, Early-stage Venture Capital, New Product Business Cases, Energy Efficiency, Fundraising Strategy, Hardware, Early-stage Startups, Leadership, Revenue Growth, ROI, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Product-market Fit, Market Research, Vendor Selection, R&D, Three-statement Modeling, Investor Presentations, Forecasting, Data Analytics, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Process Improvement, Operating Models, Operational Modeling, Business Analysis, Executive Consulting, Market Research & Analysis, Executive Presentations, Fractional COO, Marketing Operations, Scalable Operating Models, Scaling, Fundraising, Fundraising Consultant, Change Management, Communications Management, Business Planning, Corporate Strategy, Research, Competitive Intelligence, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Business Plan Consulting, Writing & Editing, Microsoft Excel, Strategy Consulting, Infrastructure, PowerPoint Design
Co-founder | Chief Operating Officer | Chief Product Officer
2012 - 2017
Digital H2O
- Co-founded a Warburg Pincus-backed AI/ML software company for the energy industry. Built enterprise value from $0 to 8-figures in under four years. Exited to a public company 18 months after funding with 115% IRR.
- Directed operations, including general management, GTM strategy, finance, and enterprise sales. Achieved 6 times YoY revenue growth. Remained post-acquisition to integrate the platform into the acquiring company.
- Drove a product from concept through product-market fit. Managed P&L, secured customer-funded pilots that validated the platform before institutional fundraising.
- Converted 40+ major oil-and-gas companies to customers, negotiating contracts with management and C-suite buyers.
- Managed data scientists (PhD/MS from the University of Chicago and Northwestern), engineers, UI/UX, and offshore contractors. Oversaw partnerships, including the Microsoft Innovation Center collaboration.
- Developed industry-leading artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) analytics products.
- Achieved a product-market fit and managed all product-related development, roadmap, strategy, and resource allocation.
Focus areas: Big Data, Entrepreneurship, Product Strategy, Growth, Project Management, Sustainability, Economics, Management Consulting, Strategy, Startups, Innovation, Operations, Private Equity, Acquisitions, M&A Modeling, Due Diligence, Strategic Planning & Execution, Product Operations, Business Process Optimization, Analysis, Analytics, Business Strategy, Process Optimization, Business Development, Partnerships, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Fundraising, Venture Capital, Pitch Decks, Market Assessment, Financial Modeling, Valuation, Growth Strategy, Executive Coaching, Organizational Design, CEO, Performance Improvement, Team Leadership, Profit & Loss (P&L), Turnaround Management, Business Transformation, Change Management, Contract Negotiation, Team Building, Turnaround, Product Owner, Backlog Management, Energy, Business Advisory, Consulting, Organizational Effectiveness, Fundraising Strategy, Hardware, Early-stage Startups, Leadership, Revenue Growth, ROI, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Product-market Fit, Market Research, Vendor Selection, Business Process Re-engineering, Process Mapping, R&D, Three-statement Modeling, Investor Presentations, Forecasting, Data Analytics, M&A (Sell-side), Operational Efficiency Improvement, COO, Process Improvement, Operating Models, Operational Modeling, Business Analysis, Executive Consulting, Market Research & Analysis, Executive Presentations, Fractional COO, Marketing Operations, Scalable Operating Models, Scaling, Fundraising Consultant, Communications Management, Business Planning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Corporate Strategy, Research, Competitive Intelligence, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Corporate Benchmarking, Business Plan Consulting, Writing & Editing, Microsoft Excel, Strategy Consulting, Infrastructure, PowerPoint Design
Vice President of Operations | Business Development
2008 - 2012
Carbon Green
- Led the acquisition of a $40 million distressed ethanol plant with $4 million equity, $36 million debt, and a $10 million revolver.
- Achieved $150+ million in revenue and approximately $20 million in net income by Year 2. Identified the firm's most successful acquisition, MightyVine.
- Developed a multi-plant biomass business plan with each plant generating over $20 million in revenue.
- Negotiated incentives totaling more than $660,000 from state and federal sources. Took part in the development of a cooperative program totaling $700 million.
- Led a cross-functional team on waste heat recovery analysis and the City of Chicago sustainability RFP. Served as a board observer by invitation of the executive chairman.
- Evaluated the biomass market, identified an unmet need in the market, and licensed proprietary tech to serve that market need, including negotiating and securing an exclusive agreement.
Focus areas: Acquisitions, Operations, Private Equity, M&A Modeling, Due Diligence, Product Strategy, Sustainability, Economics, Management Consulting, Strategy, Startups, Innovation, Growth, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Planning & Execution, Product Operations, Business Process Optimization, Analysis, Analytics, Business Strategy, Process Optimization, Business Development, Partnerships, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Fundraising, Venture Capital, Pitch Decks, Market Assessment, Financial Modeling, Valuation, Growth Strategy, Organizational Design, CEO, Performance Improvement, Team Leadership, Profit & Loss (P&L), Turnaround Management, Business Transformation, Change Management, Contract Negotiation, Team Building, Turnaround, Product Owner, Backlog Management, Energy, Business Advisory, Consulting, Organizational Effectiveness, Fundraising Strategy, Hardware, Leadership, Revenue Growth, ROI, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Product-market Fit, Market Research, Vendor Selection, Business Process Re-engineering, Process Mapping, R&D, Investor Presentations, Forecasting, Data Analytics, M&A (Sell-side), Operational Efficiency Improvement, Process Improvement, Operating Models, Operational Modeling, Business Analysis, Market Research & Analysis, Executive Presentations, Marketing Operations, Scalable Operating Models, Scaling, Fundraising Consultant, Communications Management, Business Planning, Corporate Strategy, Research, Competitive Intelligence, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Business Plan Consulting, Writing & Editing, Microsoft Excel, Strategy Consulting, Infrastructure, PowerPoint Design
Senior Consultant
2006 - 2008
Smart Business Advisory and Consulting
- Partnered with Tyco International COO to deploy a global legal management system across 300+ attorneys in 60+ countries. Managed deliverables across distributed stakeholder teams.
- Spearheaded joint application development (JAD) sessions with client stakeholders to elicit requirements and ensure solution alignment.
- Facilitated executive stakeholder liaison for reporting, project tracking, and governance across concurrent engagements.
Focus areas: Management Consulting, Strategic Planning & Execution, Project Management, Product Operations, Economics, Strategy, Product Strategy, Operations, Business Process Optimization, Legal, Analysis, Analytics, Business Strategy, Process Optimization, Business Development, Partnerships, Pitch Decks, Performance Improvement, Team Leadership, Turnaround Management, Business Transformation, Change Management, Contract Negotiation, Team Building, Turnaround, Product Owner, Backlog Management, Business Advisory, Consulting, Organizational Effectiveness, Leadership, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Process Mapping, R&D, Data Analytics, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Process Improvement, Business Analysis, Communications Management, Business Planning, Corporate Strategy, Research, Business Plan Consulting, Writing & Editing, Microsoft Excel, Strategy Consulting, PowerPoint Design
Analyst
2005 - 2006
Huron Consulting Group
- Worked on engagements with Fortune 500 companies spanning multiple industries.
- Conducted a forensic analysis for biotech and financial institutions concerning the Fannie Mae SEC investigation ($2 billion earnings restatement). This involved complex data analysis and regulatory deliverables.
- Served as a lead analyst on a 7-figure Aon enterprise deployment with 300 global users across 12 international markets. Managed requirements gathering, UAT coordination, and go-live support.
- Developed process flow maps and recommended business process optimization improvements across Fortune 500 client engagements.
Focus areas: Management Consulting, Business Process Optimization, Legal, Analysis, Analytics, Business Strategy, Process Optimization, Economics, Strategy, Product Strategy, Operations, Partnerships, Performance Improvement, Team Leadership, Business Transformation, Change Management, Team Building, Product Owner, Business Advisory, Consulting, Data Analysis, Process Mapping, R&D, Data Analytics, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Process Improvement, Business Analysis, Communications Management, Business Planning, Research, Writing & Editing, Microsoft Excel, Strategy Consulting
Education
2012 - 2014
Master of Science Degree, with Honors in Environmental Management and Sustainability
Illinois Institute of Technology - Chicago, Illinois, USA
2000 - 2004
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics
University of Iowa - Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Skills
Finance
Private Equity, M&A Modeling, Due Diligence, Fundraising, Financial Modeling, Valuation, Profit & Loss (P&L), Business Advisory, ROI, Data Analysis, Market Research, Forecasting, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Three-statement Modeling, M&A (Sell-side)
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets
Industry Expertise
Sustainability, Venture Capital, Early-stage Startups, Healthcare, Nonprofits, Software
Other
Development, Economics, Management Consulting, Strategy, Startups, Growth, Innovation, Big Data, Entrepreneurship, Product Strategy, Project Management, Acquisitions, Operations, Strategic Planning & Execution, Product Operations, Business Process Optimization, Legal, Analysis, Analytics, Business Strategy, Process Optimization, Execution, COO, CEO, Business Analysis, Growth Strategy, Business Development, Partnerships, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Pitch Decks, Market Assessment, Executive Coaching, Organizational Design, Performance Improvement, Team Leadership, Turnaround Management, Business Transformation, Change Management, Contract Negotiation, Team Building, Turnaround, Product Owner, Backlog Management, Energy, Consulting, Organizational Effectiveness, Fundraising Strategy, Leadership, Revenue Growth, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Visualization, Product-market Fit, Fintech, Vendor Selection, Business Process Re-engineering, Process Mapping, R&D, Investor Presentations, Data Analytics, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Process Improvement, Operating Models, Operational Modeling, Executive Consulting, Market Research & Analysis, Executive Presentations, Fractional COO, Scalable Operating Models, Scaling, Fundraising Consultant, Communications Management, Business Planning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Corporate Strategy, Research, Competitive Intelligence, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Corporate Benchmarking, Business Plan Consulting, Writing & Editing, Strategy Consulting, Infrastructure, PowerPoint Design, Wellness, Hardware, Marketing Operations, Sales Pitches, Zoom, Slack, Asana, Miro, Notion, Airtable, Pivotal Tracker, Agile, Microsoft Office, Excel Expert, Diagnostics, Agency, Industrial IT, Innovation Labs, M&A Strategy, M&A Due Diligence (Technology), M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Digital Transformation, Renewables, Clean Energy, SaaS, Early-stage Venture Capital, New Product Business Cases, Energy Efficiency
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