Brandon Pearlman
Verified Expert in Product Management
Growth Product Manager
Chicago, IL, United States
Toptal member since April 7, 2021
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 over 150% growth engagements.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Analytics
- Business Development
- Business Strategy
- Management Consulting
- Pricing Models
- Product Strategy
- Startups
- Strategic Planning & Execution
Work Experience
Founder & Fractional Executive
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.
Solution Owner
Inspire11 Design Icon
- 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.
Entrepreneur in Residence
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.
Co-founder | Chief Operating Officer (COO) | Chief Product Officer (CPO)
Digital H2O, Inc.
- 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.
Vice President of Operations | Business Development
CG LLC
- 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.
Senior Consultant
SMART Business Advisory & 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.
Analyst
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.
Project History
Founded, Grew, and Successfully Exited a Software Startup
Founded, raised venture capital, and scaled a big data and AI/ML software company. Successfully sold the business to a multinational public company in under four years.
The company, Digital H2O, provided insights into logistics and supply chain operations. Additionally, the company provided predictive analytics capabilities to inform operations. I served as the companies COO and CPO (chief product officer).
• Directed day-to-day operations including general management, product roadmap, ops, strategy, fundraising, finance, and sales.
• Managed engineers, data scientists, a UI/UX architect, and offshore contractors on all software/analytics development.
• Achieved product-market fit and managed all product-related development, roadmap, strategy, and resource allocation.
• Reduced software development time by ~33% by implementing a unique methodology based on Agile principles.
Led Innovation Team at a Multibillion-dollar Company
Led the team from concept through product prototype, pitched the board of directors, and secured subsequent funding from the board.
I was hired by the CIO of an industry-leading company (confidential) to run their innovation team.
Tasks:
• Responsible for all aspects of running the incubation process.
• Led a team of in-house employees and outside consultants through ideation, pain point interviews, customer discovery, storyboarding, and prototyping stages.
• Presented analysis and findings to the board of directors of the company.
• Built a case to continue to the next stage of the process and secured a funding commitment from the board.
• Secured funding for the next phase.
Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at a Venture Capital Firm
Led the evaluation of new and growth-stage companies, making recommendations that led to millions of dollars in investment capital deployed.
Energy Foundry, the VC fund, invests venture capital in today’s most promising energy innovators, and we work with the world’s leading energy companies to build and scale new ventures.
As an EIR, I Ied the evaluations into companies that have, at this point, raised tens of millions of dollars in venture capital from some of the most well-known VC firms.
My other responsibility as an EIR was evaluating commercialization opportunities through major universities’ technology transfer/commercial offices. I evaluated IP portfolios, met with inventors of interesting technologies, and made recommendations for those that could be a foundation for a new venture.
Education
Master of Science Degree, with Honors in Environmental Management and Sustainability
Illinois Institute of Technology - Chicago, IL, USA
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics
University of Iowa - Iowa City, IA, USA
Skills
Tools
Pivotal Tracker, Jira, Asana, InVision, Figma, Google Analytics, Confluence
Paradigms
Agile, Agile Product Management, Requirements Analysis, User Testing, Marketplace Platforms, Data Product Management, B2B2C, B2C, Agile Project Management, Scrum, Agile Software Development, Agile Workflow, Iterative Development, Mobile App Design, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C)
Platforms
ProductPlan, Blockchain
Industry Expertise
Toys & Children's Products, Alternative Energy, Renewable Energy, Consumer Products, Sustainability, Venture Capital, Energy, Oil & Gas, Utilities, Logistics, Financial Services, Banking & Finance, Marketplaces, Insurance, Agriculture, Hospitality, Transportation & Shipping
Other
Management Consulting, Business Development, Business Strategy, Product Strategy, Startups, Analytics, Pricing Models, Sales Strategy, Strategic Planning & Execution, Product Management, P&L Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Coaching, Mentorship, Process Optimization, Performance Management, Business Turnaround, Growth, Program Management, Product Development, Product Launch, Lean, B2B, Big Data, Product Roadmaps, Product-market Fit, Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Pitch Decks, Execution, Business Analysis, Data Analysis, Business Consulting, Market Research, Process Flows, Process Mapping, Roadmaps, Fundraising, Seed Fundraising, CEO, Early-stage Startups, Mobile, Web, User Stories, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategies, Digital Product Management, Product Vision, SaaS, Enterprise SaaS, Communication, Mentorship & Coaching, Innovation, R&D, Head of Product, Chief Operations Officer (COO), POS, Business Technology, Dashboards, Software as a Service (SaaS), Business Transformation, Business Transformation Program Management, Lean Startups, Marketing, IT Projects, Research, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Video Games, Product Operations, Product Leadership, Go-to-market Plans, Product Owner, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Backlog Grooming, Mockups, Consumer Technology, Data-driven Decision-making, Feature Prioritization, Conceptualization, Growth Strategy, Requirements, Consulting, Portfolio Management, Ideation, Business to Consumer (B2C), Data Analytics, Technology, Data, New Product Development, Startup Consulting, Direct to Consumer (D2C), Planning, Product Ownership, Budgeting, Web Product Management, Business to Business (B2B), Optimization, Business Requirements, Vendor Management, Vendor Selection, Product Discovery, Business Process Analysis, Systems Analysis, System Process Mapping, Business Process Management (BPM), Customer Interviews, Analysis, Channel Strategy, Business, Management, Training & Training Content Development, Platform as a Service (PaaS), Platforms, Requirements & Specifications, Business Planning, Stakeholder Management, Launch Strategy, Product Planning, Business Models, Product Consultant, Pricing, SaaS Product Management, Product Strategy Consultant, Business Management, Product Growth, New Products, New Products & Services, Business Intelligence (BI), Analytical Thinking, Business Processes, Critical Thinking, Service, Team Building, Acceptance Criteria, Proof of Concept (POC), COO, Client Delivery Management, Process Development, New Product Business Cases, Business Operations, Business Coaching, Executive Coaching, Scaling, Business Process Modeling, Operating Models, B2B Product Management, Product Sales, Sales Growth, Sales, Monetization Models, Monetization, Scope, Revenue Strategy, Product Coach, Market Research & Analysis, Market Strategy and Research Product Manager, Commercial Strategy, Best Practices, Workflow, User Requirements, System Requirements, Business Partnerships, Strategic Partnerships, Partnerships, Market Sizing, Market Segmentation, Market Opportunity Analysis, Business Cases, Backlog Management, Scope Management, Distributed Team Management, Value Proposition, Market Fit, Social Media, Sales Pipeline Management, Brand Building, Business Plan Consulting, Research & Investigation, Project Timelines, Workshops, Project Estimation, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Project Planning, Process Improvement Project Management, Digital Product Development, Solution Architecture, Web App UX, Feature Analysis, Data Research, API Integration, Product Analytics, Beta Testing, User Surveys, Customer Acquisition, Customer Journey, Journey Mapping, Data-driven Dashboards, Dashboard Development, Data Visualization, Timelines, Social Media Apps, Software Consulting, Capital Raising, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Use Cases, User Feedback, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Project Scoping, Senior Executive Management, Chief Product Officer (CPO), Technology Strategy & Architecture, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Feasibility Studies, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Enterprise Software, Team Leadership, Content, Media, Product Delivery, Cross-functional Collaboration, Stakeholder Engagement, Vision Development, Presentations, Strategic Initiatives, Project Consultancy, Qualitative Research, Investor Presentations, Pitch Deck Consultant, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Project Reporting, Project Delivery, Technical Hiring, Resource Allocation, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Revenue & Expense Projections, Web & Mobile Applications, Community Growth, User Validation, Opportunity Identification, SaaS Product Marketing, A/B Testing, Tech Sales, Product Frameworks, Customer Insights, Corporate Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), App Development, ROI, User Personas, Data Strategy, Strategic Planning, User Engagement, Operations Improvement, Process Design, Team Effectiveness, Jobs to be Done (JTBD), UX Wireframes, Functional Requirements, UI Prototyping, Director of Product, Business Administration, B2B Lead Generation, Applications, Sales Enablement, Product Positioning, Sales & Channel Enablement, Technology Trends, Go-to-market Optimization, Service Design, Operational Workflow, Startup Funding, Google Sheets, Excel Expert, Apps, Beta Programs, Storytelling, Negotiation, Consumer Electronics, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Innovation Management, Innovation Strategy, Advisory, Facilitation, Innovation Workshops, Sales, Sales Pipeline Management, B2B, Enterprise SaaS, Customer Success, B2B Partnerships, COO, Startups, Scalable Operating Models, Leadership, Analytics, Knowledge Management, Workflow Diagrams, Process Analysis, SOP Development, Business Process Re-engineering, Prototyping, Economics, Private Equity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Acquisitions, Operations, Project Management, Joint Application Development (JAD), Business Process Optimization, Legal, Customer Discovery, Sales Pitches, Customer Analysis, Regulated Industries, Software Development, eCommerce, Investments, Cryptocurrency, Internet of Things (IoT), Growth Marketing, Operations Management, Restaurants & Dining, Mobile Apps, Instruction & Coaching, Product Design, User Experience (UX), Marketing Strategy, User Research, User Journeys, Discovery Workshops, Fintech, User Flows, Content Strategy, Writing & Editing, Technical Writing, Agile Product Delivery, Growth Hacking, Growth Marketing Product Manager, Machine Learning, Process Improvement, User Interface (UI), Wireframing, Customer Experience, Finance Product Manager, Lean Product Manager, UI Design, UX Design, Feature Planning, Hiring, Subscriptions, Branding, Agile Practices, Manufacturing, Cloud, Digital Marketing Strategy, User Interviews, Feature Roadmaps, App Growth, Miro, Notion, Airtable, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Financial Modeling, Subscription Pricing, Agile Sprints, Sprints, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Competitive Strategy, Crypto, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Forecasting, Cost Estimation, Operations & Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS), Product Marketing, Finance, Digital Asset Management, Financial Products, Financials, Sprint Planning, Organizational Design, Structure & Organizational Design, Organizational Development, Technology Consulting, Web Applications, Technical Requirements, Product Requirements Documentation (PRD), User Journey Maps, Process Automation, Agile Leadership, IT Business Analysis, Software Implementation, UX Research, Validated User Research, Brand Strategy, Commercial Banking, Mobile UX, Consumer Applications, Mobile Applications, Mobile App Development, Web 3.0, Digital Marketing, APIs, Technical Consulting, B2C Marketing, CTO, Accounting, Intellectual Property Valuation, Technical Product Management, App Design, REST APIs, Data-driven Marketing, Grants, Valuation, Pricing Strategy, Markets, Data Science, Gambling, iOS, Android, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Data Management Platforms, Computer Vision, Vibe Coding, Agentic AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), AI Product Strategy, AI Adoption, AI Agents, Data-driven Intelligence (DI), Cybersecurity, Consumer Services, Fintech Consultant, Non-fungible Tokens (NFT), Blockchain as a Service, Web Design, Google Advertising, Microsoft Teams, Retail & Wholesale, Mortgages, Data Governance, Design, Marketing Technology (MarTech), Redshift, Insurance Broking, Insurance Product Manager, Digital Transformation, Venture Funding
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