VP Strategy & Operations @ Prescient AI | Helping omnichannel brands to optimize spend | Co-founder Don't VLOOKUP

I didn’t come up through marketing.

I came up through finance.

Investing, M&A, diligence across hundreds of omnichannel brands.

I then became an operator, managing and deploying budgets directly and making the pitch to finance for more. 

The same questions came up every time:

Where should the next dollar actually go? How can we scale profitably? 

Marketing was always the largest variable line-item that went chronically underutilized. 

ROAS looked great in decks.

Cash flow and lifetime value told a different story.

The real issue wasn’t growth.

It was efficiency of working dollars - marketing, inventory, and capital tied up in the wrong bets.

So teams default to decisions without a more forward-thinking lens: 

• Optimize to what could be tracked with clicks

• Undervalue upper-funnel channels

• Cut spend that *looked* inefficient

• Then wonder why demand fell apart weeks later

That gap is why I joined Prescient.

Most tools explain yesterday yet ignore the reality that conditions on the field are constantly changing.

We focus on how dollars actually move the business - across channels, over time, and beyond last-click.

Not perfect attribution.

Better decisions that break down the barriers between marketing and finance to invest with confidence.

Will Holtz

Excited to be rekindling Don't VLOOKUP along with co-hosts Bar Bruhis / Teddy Kolva with guests that include: 

☄️ Morry Mitrani - VP Growth @ belliwelli 

☄️ Megan Porteous - CRO @ Carve Designs

☄️ Connor Dault (plus his🪴) - CMO @ Grüns 

We're also looking to bring on more CFO's of hypergrowth omnichannel brands this year as the intersection of marketing, finance, and data has never been stronger. 

Please shout out any DVLU nominees in the comments!

VP Strategy & Operations @ Prescient AI | Break down marketing and finance budget siloes | Co-founder Don’t VLOOKUP | Vibe coder

Alterity Design

I started Alterity.Design with a friend to explore procedural modeling for consumer products, algorithmically generating one-of-a-kind wedding rings, lighting, and home decor. During the pandemic I learned procedural modeling CAD workflows and created a range of algorithmic "product generators" to make unique things at scale. We use prototyping fabrication processes such as 3D Printing and laser cutting to create a pipeline between the digital and the physical.

CEO and Founder

Source Medium

Sr. Solutions Analyst at Source Medium, a full-service data & analytics company which built integrated analytics systems for ecommerce brands and agencies. We built and maintained data pipelines from dozens of sources like Shopify, Stripe, and Amazon, marketing platforms like Facebook and Google Ads, and analytics systems like GA4 and Elevar, then presented these unified analytics through BI interfaces. In a company of around ten employees we built and managed the analytics systems for over 100 companies with over 1bn in ARR. 

While working here I developed analytics systems and coordinated/scoped internal engineering teams with external stakeholders. I developed the GA4 consumption layer used in the core product. I also worked closely with the CEO and COO to develop interfaces for Elevar and Amazon data, and helped lead the development of the analytics system for an Amazon agency.

Sr. Analyst

Flatiron School

Flatiron was a rapid entry into software and data work, and in a few months I learned to build systems with python/pandas and SQL to analyze data and work with machine-learning, computer-vision, NLP, and document embeddings. I learned a ton here about working with data.

Student Data Scientist

Kimbo Campers

I worked concurrently at Trayvax and Kimbo during this period managing much of the new product development, rapidly iterating many projects in parallel and quickly solving problems for the CEO, COO, and production team. To do this I used CAD, 3D printing, and a host of rapid prototyping techniques to deliver iterations on physical parts, sometimes within the hour. I oversaw the CAD design and business communications for injection-molded parts as they scaled up production. 

I studied systems architecture on the side and applied what I was studying in this role to modularize developments & speed up R&D. To steer product development I set up a database and collected ideas from everyone in the organization, acting as a single point of contact for product and manufacturing improvements. Many of these changes are now implemented in the production model of Kimbo Campers.

Design Engineer

Trayvax

At Trayvax I set up a 3D printing lab and managed the CO2 and pulsed laser systems. I worked one-on-one with the CEO to develop improvements and work on projects, including designing modular build-kits for home-assembly during the pandemic, mass-metal finishing machine prototypes, and the next generation of pneumatic machines used internally. I maintained the CAD archive of production products, feathered in design and process changes, and integrated feedback from customers to make products higher quality and easier to manufacture.

Visionsmith

Visionsmith was a flexible and informative startup environment where I worked my way up from zero experience to running the bulk of the prototyping and manufacturing operations within about two years. They were an optics and electronics startup just outside of the Bay Area specializing in high output, high efficiency LED lighting, designing custom power electronics and cooling systems. I worked alongside senior engineers from places like HP, Agilent, and Owens Corning and developed a love for systems theory and systems architecture.

Iterative design and rapid prototyping production processes were central to our design process, including 3D printing, CNC Machining, and quick-turn PCB manufacturing. The assemblies here had as many as 50 iterations in a month as we got used to 3D printing multiple tests/day.

Later on my responsibilities shifted to contracting parts to injection molding companies and contract manufacturers, as well as quality control, product design analysis, reliability engineering, and manufacturing scaling strategy.

Prototyping Lab Manager

Hello! My name is Blake. I started my career managing prototyping labs in small businesses, developing products using 3D printers, lasers, and CNC machines. Later I started a company that uses simulations of nature to generate unique things (like lighting and jewelry) at scale. I've also helped develop analytics software, building systems used by companies like Dr. Bronners, Olipop, Clif Bar, True Classic Tees, etc.

I am a deeply curious person at heart. I love to learn about things, how everything fits together, and to share that curiosity with others. I love to read about how organizations work and relate to dynamics in nature, most of my favorite writing on this comes from researchers at SFI, Barabasi Lab, and NECSI. I tend to work best in curious, highly-motivated environments with teams who believe in what they do and take pride in their work. I particularly love the intersection of Data and R&D.

I love meeting new people, so feel free to reach out to tell me what you’re working on, ask questions, or to make a friend!

BIO: alterity.design/bio
GITHUB: github.com/thegrandblooms

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