improve in spots

Product Guidance Counselor, Startup Whisperer, and EIR-for-Hire

Having built products and led teams at established enterprises and dynamic startups, my diverse experiences have shaped my unique approach to crafting products that resonate with users and drive success.

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I help startups and growing companies navigate pivotal product moments, whether as a fractional product lead, interim CEO, or retained EIR. I step in quickly to set product direction, build foundational systems, and drive momentum. From prototyping and go to market planning to hiring and training full-time teams, I focus on embedding institutional knowledge so the product thrives long after I step away. My engagements are flexible, trust based, and designed to make me obsolete over time. Let’s build something meaningful and get it right from the start. Curious? Let’s talk.

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A One-Man Band

Max is a product executive, founder, advisor, and angel investor with nearly two decades of experience launching and scaling platforms across mobile apps, marketplaces, media, and semantic tools. He started Awecelot to help startups build institutional knowledge and long-term value from the start—solving the same product challenges he once faced as a founder.Max has served as a Fellow at Columbia Business School’s Entrepreneurship Center and Tribeca’s Disruptive Innovation Awards, and mentors with the Robin Hood Foundation, Founded Outdoors, and the Center on Rural Innovation. He advises startups including Clark (featured on Apple’s Planet of the Apps), Prevoty (acquired for $140M), and ShopDot.He’s contributed to open standards like OAuth and OpenID, holds two patents, and has sparked conversation around “Happiness Debt” in the workplace. A Yale alum, Max now lives in Vermont, where he sits on the board for Vermont State Parks and spends his free time exploring in his camper.

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