Product leader. Generalist by practice.

Some problems need
more than one hat.

I lead products for high-consideration decisions. Then I step into growth, data, operations, marketing, and AI to make the whole experience work.

Available for hire and select fractional work

Good work rarely stays in one lane. I connect the people, decisions, and details that keep important projects moving.

Daniel BrackenThe Startup Generalist

Selected companies & ventures

CountertopSmartToyota ConnectedUberLimeAlliance Residential
Annual revenue at CountertopSmart
+462%Quote starts after AI-led improvements
1M+Users across products I helped build
01

The case for range

AI makes it easier to make things.
It does not tell us what is worth making.

As the tools get faster, teams need people who can step back, see the whole problem, and bring the right parts of the business together.

That is the kind of generalist I aim to be: grounded in product, comfortable across functions, quick to learn, and willing to do the work, not just point at it.

Precision
generalism

Strategy · Choose what mattersI connect customer need, business economics, and a credible path to win. Then I make the tradeoffs explicit.

02

Work at CountertopSmart

CountertopSmart

One marketplace. Three projects that crossed a lot of lines.

As Head of Product, I owned strategy, discovery, analytics, and execution for a two-sided marketplace. The work connected homeowners, suppliers, installers, engineers, and commercial goals, and helped double annual revenue.

Project 01
ProductAIUXEngineering

Helping homeowners see it before they buy it

I conceived and launched an AI-powered visualization and dimension-extraction experience for a purchase that is expensive, visual, and hard to imagine online.

What changedAI-led improvements across shopping, estimating, and quote submission increased quote starts by 462% and received quotes by 412%.
A walkthrough of the countertop visualization flow.
Project 02
ProductGrowthMarketingData

Making paid growth pay for itself

The AI quote experience needed the right customers, the right message, and a smooth path from ad click to completed quote, not just a strong product release.

What changedCost per quote fell from more than $250 to roughly $70–$80. With a 25% quote-to-purchase rate and about $1,000 in average net revenue per purchase, the new funnel made paid acquisition economically attractive.
Paid campaign creative 01.Created and performed by Daniel Bracken for CountertopSmart.
Project 03
ProductDataEngineeringSupplier operations

Helping shoppers find the right countertop locally

Countertop choice is highly personal, and every local market has thousands of possible colors and styles. We found that showing more relevant options led to more quotes and more purchases.

What changedCustomers could browse a broader, more current selection and find products that matched what they actually wanted, supporting more quote activity and purchases while reducing manual inventory upkeep.
A walkthrough of the local inventory browsing experience.
03

Experience and projects

Here’s what I’ve done.
And how I think.

A focused look at the roles, projects, and volunteer work that shaped how I solve problems.

01
work · 2021–2026

Head of Product

Led product for a two-sided home-improvement marketplace connecting homeowners with countertop suppliers and installers.

CountertopSmart
ProductAIGrowthMarketplaces
02
work · 2020–2021

Program Management Consultant

Worked with Toyota's Head of Mobility on autonomous-vehicle initiatives and next-generation mobility programs.

Toyota Connected via Concannon Business Consulting
MobilityProgramsGTMPartnerships
03
work · 2018–2020

Operations Manager

Helped launch and operate Uber's micromobility business across multiple markets.

Uber
OperationsDataLaunchesProduct feedback
04
work · 2017–2018

Operations Lead

Managed the operational backbone for a fast-growing fleet of bikes, e-bikes, and electric scooters.

Lime
OperationsDataMicromobility
05
work · Earlier experience

Leasing and Customer Acquisition

Built an early foundation in customer acquisition, conversion, and value-based selling.

Alliance Residential Company
SalesConversionCustomer insight
06
work · Earlier experience

Ads Quality Evaluator

Evaluated Hungarian-language advertising experiences across two markets and languages.

Google
QualityAdvertisingHungarian
07
work · Earlier experience

Founder and Operator

Founded and ran a retail and wholesale candy business from sourcing through fulfillment.

Candy Port
EntrepreneurshipMarketingE-commerceOperations
08
project · Filed 2021

Passenger safety system

A system designed to detect and verify passenger protective equipment and support real-time safety-compliance feedback.

U.S. Patent Application 17/459,990
InventionMobilitySafetyProduct
09
project · 2022–2025

Go Do Good

A motivational content platform where people could search, create, and share customizable quotes.

Independent project
No-codeAPIsContent product
10
project · 2021–2022

Pitch It / Startups Around the World

Podcast and live advisory formats created for founders working through product ideas, market fit, and investor feedback.

Independent media project
StartupsAdvisoryMedia
11
project · 2020

Simply Heard

A podcast about professional experiences and workplace lessons across industries.

Independent podcast
PodcastingInterviewingStorytelling
12
volunteer · 2025–Present

Fitness Instructor and Event Coordinator

Peer-led outdoor fitness focused on leadership, accountability, and community.

F3 Nation
LeadershipCommunityEvents
13
volunteer · 2011–2013

Volunteer Missionary

Two years of outreach, teaching, and community service in Budapest, Hungary.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
ServiceHungarianCommunication
04

Ways to work together

Bring me the important work
nobody quite owns.

Three ways I can help a growing company make better products and move faster.

01

Fractional product leadership

For founders who need experienced product leadership without hiring a full-time Head of Product yet.

The roadmap is crowded, customer needs are unclear, or the team needs stronger priorities and follow-through.

Ongoing, part-time leadership
  • Product strategy and roadmap
  • Discovery and prioritization
  • Team and partner leadership
Discuss this work
02

AI products people will actually use

For teams with a valuable customer problem and a real reason to use AI.

The technology is promising, but the customer experience and business case are still fuzzy.

Focused product build
  • Problem and opportunity framing
  • Customer journey and product requirements
  • Launch, measurement, and iteration
Discuss this work
03

Marketplace growth and operations

For marketplaces where customer experience, supply, operations, and conversion have to improve together.

Fixing one part of the funnel will not work unless the rest of the system moves with it.

Growth and operations sprint
  • Funnel and workflow review
  • Data-backed priorities
  • Cross-team implementation plan
Discuss this work
05

Operating principles

01

Learn fast. Make it useful.

I enjoy the learning curve, but the point is always to turn what I learn into better work.

02

Zoom out. Then get my hands dirty.

I like setting direction, and I am just as comfortable doing the work needed to move it forward.

03

Leave the team better than I found it.

The best project does more than ship. It makes the next project easier for everyone.

Let’s solve something useful

Have a hard problem
that crosses a few lines?

Tell me what is stuck, what is at stake, and where the team could use another set of capable hands.