01TL;DR

I build ventures — and the products inside them

  • Help teams validate fast, de-risk early, and ship what matters.
  • Sketching, coding, asking hard questions. Whatever gets the idea moving.
  • I work through venture studios, consulting, and advising. Whatever fits.
  • I follow Liverpool & Celtic, love an 80s movie, the Suscipe, and a good museum.
  • Let’s talk: Book a meeting
02In life

Hi, I’m Dan. I’m interested in a lot of different things and lived in a few places

Originally from the U.S., now living in Wrocław, Poland. I spent a number of years in London, with a stint in Dubai and lots of time in Paris and Italy along the way.

I love talking sports: Celtic, Liverpool, the Bruins. I’ve coached rugby, played football, ice hockey, and Gaelic, and believe the best thing you can watch in sports is Tipperary hurling at an All Ireland.

I get deep into strategy games and old tech. Hell Let Loose. Gadgets that do one thing well.

I care about prayer. St. Francis Xavier’s letters. The Daily Examen. Art like Sargent’s Gassed and Tanner’s Annunciation. Irish history. Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau. And movies from the 1980s, especially if John Hughes or Tom Cruise are involved.

Portrait of Dan Leitão
Dan Leitão
03In work

I like figuring things out with good people. I like momentum

I like getting into the guts of a problem, pulling it apart, and making something that actually works. Most of my work is with early-stage teams:

Helping them decide what to build, how to build it, and how to stay focused while everything around them is changing.

Sometimes that means acting like a product lead. Sometimes it means stepping in as a founder would. Sometimes it just means asking the question no one’s asking.

I don’t care much for frameworks or mission statements. I care about clarity. Decisiveness. Building things that hold up under pressure.

The teams I work with move fast. Think for themselves. And don’t need their hands held. They just want someone who sees what’s coming and knows how to help.

What I do

I take ideas and turn them into ventures

That means sketching out a sales strategy and doing the calls. Writing code to test something fast. Most of the time, I’m deep in product:

Figuring out what we’re building, why it matters, and how to get it live without wasting three months.

I build systems, automate processes, and connect the pieces people leave scattered. I also run workshops — internally or externally — where we get the right heads in the room, smash them together, and figure out the path forward.

I like helping people get excited again. I like that moment when a team starts solving something they didn’t think they could.

Whether I’m hands-on or helping steer, I help teams move faster, think sharper, and build things that hold up.

I’m not a “just ship it” guy. I care about validating fast, before anyone writes a line of code. Talk to users. Prototype with AI. Test before you build. You won’t nail it on the first try. But you can avoid building the wrong thing altogether.

04Working together

Depending on what you need and where you’re at, I can help you in a few different ways

Venture Studios

NewStart25

A joint initiative focused on zero-to-one company building. Sometimes we’re on the cap table, sometimes we’re just behind the scenes.

Sticky Ventures

A venture studio born out of an agency that I have long ties with.

Consulting

My consulting model for early stage teams that are in flight, or later-stage teams that need product clarity, process repair, or a strategic hand without hiring full-time.

Advisory & Mentoring

I work with founders, product leads, and operators trying to chart a path from friends & family to Series A. Sometimes it’s a one-off conversation. Sometimes it’s an ongoing relationship. If I can help, I will.

Sessions

If you’re not sure which bucket you fall into, that’s fine. The structure should support the work, not the other way around.

05Selected work

GulpData

Fractional Chief Product Officer

Defining the product and platform strategy for automated data valuations. Building tools to help teams understand, price, and unlock the value of their data without guesswork.

PlayerPulse

Founder & Fractional Chief Product Officer

Leading product direction for a platform that helps coaches and players communicate through wellness and performance reports. Keeping players available and healthy more often.

SKOOTRIDE → SkootEco

Fractional Chief Product Officer

A company with a crazy pivot from ride sharing in Covid to sustainability champions to some new exciting things.

Stealth Mode & Behind the Curtain

A number of other companies I work with through both studios and individually who can’t be listed publicly.

Previously

In-house, before going fractional.

  • PhotoBox
  • Onfido
  • VINAYA
  • Upserve (formerly Swipely)
  • Apple Retail