Jonathan is available for hire
Hire JonathanJonathan Schaffer
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
Location
Burlingame, CA, United States
Toptal Member Since
September 4, 2019
Jonathan is an unabashed customer-centric product innovator and entrepreneurial leader, operating at the cross-section of business strategy, technology, and design. Jonathan offers over a decade of experience in innovation strategy, product development, and business operations, working with some of the most well-known brands in the world. He is a team player recognized for his ability to motivate through inspiration and lead by example.
Project Highlights
The Path Toward Connected Living
Led the product design and development of over 70 connected concepts across four brands leading to nine CES Innovation Awards.
The Changing Heroes of Grocery
Led a critical aspect of the portfolio diversification that resulted in a $9 billion private equity buyout.
America's Greatest Makers
Won $100,000 and secured the distinction of an undefeated fan favorite in audience voting on a show with over 1 million viewers.
Expertise
Work Experience
Head of Product
2019 - 2022
Riven
- Led a product at Riven, an innovator in 3D data capture, computing, and communication for advanced manufacturing. We accelerate new product introduction and reduce waste by helping engineers solve development problems and collaborate across teams.
- Launched Riven's first and second hardware and software products. Demand and revenue doubled quarterly since launch.
- Defined the detailed operational strategy and projected financials, instrumental in successful $1.5M pandemic raise.
- Facilitated the product vision and roadmap definition for the Riven platform through a deep and empathetic understanding of customer feedback, market dynamics, and relevant team expertise.
- Brought an additional scanning service business from concept to market in less than a month to increase near-term revenue during the COVID-19 crisis.
- Successfully led the rebranding and renaming effort to support our more platform-centric business model.
- Collaborated with notable investors and accelerators, including BMW iVentures, Ulu Ventures, Wireframe Ventures, Creative Ventures, and StartX.
Chief Operating Officer
2018 - 2019
Ondaka, Inc.
- Co-founded a company that makes industrial sites easier to understand using computer vision and machine learning to deliver digital twins of sites built.
- Obtained full P&L responsibility, successfully maintaining the projected burn rate.
- Led the product strategy and defined the product roadmap–100% of product milestones were achieved as projected.
- Led the team of engineers, developers, and designers–launching two core products using a combination of augmented reality and virtual reality to enable intuitive interactions with 3D models of equipment alongside mission-critical data (iOS and web).
- Ran all recruiting, hiring, and staffing plan efforts – resulting in 0% turnover.
- Managed market analysis and pricing strategy activities, resulting in $250,000 in annual recurring revenue within ten months.
- Defined the detailed operational strategy and projected financials–instrumental in a successful $1.6 million raise.
- Researched and defined the tech stack and led all developer operations, resulting in 99.999% uptime.
- Collaborated with notable investors and accelerators, including Plug and Play, NoName Ventures, Sterling Road, David Helgason, Alchemist Accelerator, and StartX.
- Helped customers like Schlumberger, Chevron, and Caterpillar improve their time to revenue, decrease their health and safety risk, and reduce downtime costs.
Chief Executive Officer
2016 - 2017
PureCarbon
- Co-founded a wearable fitness company that used technology to provide insights to fitness enthusiasts and professionals, helping them track their progress and reach their goals.
- Invented and patented the Delta Gloves' technology (hardware, firmware, software, algorithm), resulting in two patent grants.
- Managed a distributed team of industrial, apparel, graphic, UI/UX designers, electrical and mechanical engineers, back-end and app developers, and data scientists through the successful development of the beta version of the Delta Glove system.
- Conducted ethnographic style research consisting of over 150 customer interviews, lift-alongs, gym sessions, and alpha hardware tests.
- Co-produced the launch video, which successfully led to over 60,000 views and over 2,000 interactions in the first few days after launch.
- Launched a performance marketing campaign to refine variables such as price, copy, and creativity, ultimately lowering CPA by 76%.
- Cultivated and maintained strategic partnerships with Intel, Flex, Olympia Sports Co., Nanopaint, and Interwoven Designs.
- Built a world-class advisory board with former executives from Best Buy and Under Armour, and domain experts from Seahawks, IBM, and Bain.
- Raised $300,000 in venture funding. Notable investors and accelerators included Tandem, Intel, and OneTeam Collective.
Head of Office
2012 - 2016
Idea Couture (acquired by Cognizant)
- Led office business development efforts, increasing office revenues by an average of 60% year-over-year for each year of my tenure.
- Managed an award-winning project (nine CES innovation awards) to define the product strategy for the future of the connected home and retained to build functional prototypes as a part of a larger home kitchen experience prototyping project.
- Led two projects defining the future of premium and value grocery, a key component of the client's portfolio diversification strategy resulting in a $9.4 billion private equity buyout (national food retailer).
- Managed all aspects of the office's operations, including business development, financial planning, and the hiring and development of new employees.
- Led teams of designers, developers, strategists, anthropologists, and engineers on multi-million dollar projects for Fortune 500 clients in the technology, business service, retail, and consumer goods verticals.
- Worked with notable clients, including AT&T, Avaya, Citibank, FedEx, HTC, Linde, Mozilla, Pepsi, Reckitt Benckiser, Safeway, Samsung, United Technologies, and Whirlpool.
Senior Strategy Analyst
2011 - 2012
American Airlines
- Worked with sales, operations, and finance teams within the cargo division of American Airlines to manage cargo revenue growth.
- Managed Western US and Asia cargo products worth over $320 million in annual revenues.
- Managed the domestic mail cargo product with the US Postal Service worth over $43 million annually.
- Headed the effort to create and promote the first internal competitive cargo unit revenue metric, which led to the identification of revenue opportunities worth over $100 million.
- Optimized the traffic mix, resulting in a seven-month, year-over-year revenue increase of $11 million or 14% on the optimized lanes.
Patent Examiner
2005 - 2008
US Patent and Trademark Office
- Examined patent applications from a technical standpoint, to arrive at a final determination of patentability.
- Developed an expert level of knowledge in both patent law and the technical art of image processing, which included but was not limited to biometrics, machine learning, and Computer Vision.
- Spearheaded the development and implementation of the first intranet patent examiner collaboration tool, resulting in an estimated 10% average reduction in examination time. Recognized and awarded by the Director.
Telecom Engineer
2004 - 2005
US Army
- Provided engineering solutions for relocation, upgrades, modifications, and new acquisitions of telecom infrastructure.
- Performed site surveys to gather user requirements, develop cost estimates, and prepare system design plans and drawings for upgrades to existing telecom systems.
- Led the telecom design and implementation effort for the Command Operations Center, completing it early and over $100,000 under budget.
Electrical Engineering Intern
2001 - 2002
NASA Ames
- Engineered the mechanical and electrical components for scientific instruments used in the processing of data obtained from astronomical infrared detector arrays and developed the firmware to run these systems.
- Successfully completed three major projects in the time allotted for one including designing and implementing technical solutions for the AIRES and KEPLER projects.
Project History
The Path Toward Connected Living
Led the product design and development of over 70 connected concepts across four brands leading to nine CES Innovation Awards.
CHALLENGE:
With the expectation that the future of the home is increasingly connected, the client recognized that as an appliance manufacturer and not a consumer technology company, it was at a disadvantage relative to its more connected competitors.
OBJECTIVE:
• Connect the brand of today to the brand of tomorrow.
• Identify the value drivers, impacts, and desired consumer and enterprise experiences for connected products and solutions across a three to five-year time horizon.
• Define and prioritize the aspirational value of the brand for the target consumer in the context of the client's existing brand architecture.
• Understand the customer intersection of the connected segments with the client's existing segments.
• Explore and recommend preferred ecosystem partnerships to deliver consumer and enterprise benefits that can leverage a deeper and more integrated end-to-end experience.
• Define a range of user benefit scenarios for the client to achieve aspirational consumer connectivity benefits.
• Build out an entire connected kitchen experience prototype with four new functioning appliance concepts.
With the expectation that the future of the home is increasingly connected, the client recognized that as an appliance manufacturer and not a consumer technology company, it was at a disadvantage relative to its more connected competitors.
OBJECTIVE:
• Connect the brand of today to the brand of tomorrow.
• Identify the value drivers, impacts, and desired consumer and enterprise experiences for connected products and solutions across a three to five-year time horizon.
• Define and prioritize the aspirational value of the brand for the target consumer in the context of the client's existing brand architecture.
• Understand the customer intersection of the connected segments with the client's existing segments.
• Explore and recommend preferred ecosystem partnerships to deliver consumer and enterprise benefits that can leverage a deeper and more integrated end-to-end experience.
• Define a range of user benefit scenarios for the client to achieve aspirational consumer connectivity benefits.
• Build out an entire connected kitchen experience prototype with four new functioning appliance concepts.
The Changing Heroes of Grocery
Led a critical aspect of the portfolio diversification that resulted in a $9 billion private equity buyout.
CHALLENGE:
Changing consumer expectations require a reimagined portfolio strategy. To reassure potential investors in their bid to return to private ownership, the client's leadership team needed to develop a comprehensive strategic plan designed to stem market losses resulting from the continued bifurcation of the grocery retail market into stronger premium and value offerings.
OBJECTIVE:
• Define a master vision, value proposition, and unique characteristics for two holistic store concepts to include a design theme in each value and premium segment.
• Develop a thorough macro competitive positioning and differentiation strategy for each concept.
• Identify assortment gaps, merchandising principles, and consumer-centric curation for each category.
• Create "hero" concepts and experiences for each premium and value category.
• Determine high-level category space allocations.
• Develop an overview of the shopper journey, which includes a store flow concept.
• Deliver forecasted financials based on key store economic assumptions.
Changing consumer expectations require a reimagined portfolio strategy. To reassure potential investors in their bid to return to private ownership, the client's leadership team needed to develop a comprehensive strategic plan designed to stem market losses resulting from the continued bifurcation of the grocery retail market into stronger premium and value offerings.
OBJECTIVE:
• Define a master vision, value proposition, and unique characteristics for two holistic store concepts to include a design theme in each value and premium segment.
• Develop a thorough macro competitive positioning and differentiation strategy for each concept.
• Identify assortment gaps, merchandising principles, and consumer-centric curation for each category.
• Create "hero" concepts and experiences for each premium and value category.
• Determine high-level category space allocations.
• Develop an overview of the shopper journey, which includes a store flow concept.
• Deliver forecasted financials based on key store economic assumptions.
America's Greatest Makers
Won $100,000 and secured the distinction of an undefeated fan favorite in audience voting on a show with over 1 million viewers.
CHALLENGE:
Compete in a product design reality television competition that aired on TBS and was produced by Emmy-award-winning producer Mark Burnett in collaboration with Intel. Twenty-four4 teams of inventors selected from thousands of applicants contended for the title of America's Greatest Maker.
Compete in a product design reality television competition that aired on TBS and was produced by Emmy-award-winning producer Mark Burnett in collaboration with Intel. Twenty-four4 teams of inventors selected from thousands of applicants contended for the title of America's Greatest Maker.
Education
2015 - 2016
Berkeley | Intel Hardware Accelerator Program in Hardware Product Management
University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business - Berkeley, California, USA
2008 - 2010
Master's Degree in Business Administration
Cornell University, S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management - Ithaca, New York, USA
2002 - 2004
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering
Northeastern University - Boston, USA
Certifications
JUNE 2010 - PRESENT
ASA Certified Skipper (ASA 101, 103 & 104)
Sunsail
NOVEMBER 2006 - PRESENT
Registered Patent Agent
United States Patent and Trademark Office