Erick Watson speaking at Consensus 2025

Erick K. Watson

Fractional CPO & Venture Partner for AI Labs, Studios & Protocols

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What I Do

I help venture studios, AI labs, and protocols turn research into products people pay for. That work means making the problem legible to non-technical stakeholders, defining product lines around the core primitives, and shipping against a roadmap with dates on it. Commercialization and ecosystem strategy included: pricing and token models, partner plays, dev tooling, and grants.

Engagements run 6–12 months at 1–3 days per week, limited to 2–3 parallel clients to preserve depth. Optionally paired with a SproutVest squad (design, PMM, GTM ops) when you need a small team, not just an individual.


Track Record

$1.33B+ Documented Revenue Impact
34M+ Users Served
4 Startup Exits
15+ Years at Google, Microsoft & Protocol Labs

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"instrumental in launching and maintaining a platform for AI and machine learning researchers"

Lori Kilty · Senior Manager, Microsoft Research

"thoughtful, knowledgeable, and genuine; rare in the industry"

Joshua Sanchez · Product Manager, Randamu & Microsoft

"I don't just recommend Erick; I actively pursue opportunities to work together"

Ivan Judson · Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research

Operator Coaching

1:1 coaching for founder-CEOs and product executives, built on the Trellis Method. Start with the free Trellis Pulse Check — six statements, two minutes, no email. The full Trellis Leadership Diagnostic is $2,500 and includes a written report plus a 90-minute debrief, credited toward your first month. Ongoing engagements from $4,000/mo.

I also teach this material formally: I’m a Preceptor at the Watson Institute, running the Product-Market Fit module for Enlight Foundation fellows this fall.

Explore Operator Coaching →


Speaking

Available for keynotes, panels, fireside chats, podcasts, and workshops worldwide.

Recent stages: Consensus 2025 (Toronto) · Permissionless IV (Brooklyn) · Token2049 (Dubai) · Devcon (Bangkok)

Erick Watson at Permissionless IV conference

Blockchain & Cryptography

Threshold cryptography, bridgeless interoperability, decentralized randomness, MEV resistance.

AI & Product Strategy

Commercializing frontier tech, AI product leadership, data-driven decision making.

Venture & Entrepreneurship

Big tech to blockchain, fundraising, distributed teams, exit strategies.

See the full Appearances archive for interviews, podcasts, and conference coverage.


Get in Touch

Whether you’re exploring fractional CPO work, advisory, coaching, speaking, or investment, the best next step is a conversation.

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