Grow as a leader. Drive bigger impact.

Executive coaching for go-to-market leaders and CEOs navigating the challenges of building, scaling, and leading high-performing teams.

I work one-on-one with founders and executives who want to elevate their leadership and expand their impact. Drawing on 25+ years as a GTM operator, leader, and advisor, I combine deep business experience with a coaching approach grounded in self-awareness, reflection, and action. Together, we go beyond the immediate challenges to develop the leader—and person—you want to become, unlocking greater impact for you, your team, and your business.

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Executives coached from

My perspective comes from having sat on multiple sides of the table.

I began my career in early-stage technology startups, where I learned firsthand what it takes to build a business with limited resources, ambitious goals, and constant uncertainty. Along the way, I co-founded a company, earned an MBA from Stanford, and spent more than eight years at Google, where I built and led sales teams across multiple businesses.

At Google, I became increasingly fascinated by leadership development. I invested heavily in learning how to become a better manager and coach, and discovered that what I enjoyed most wasn't simply achieving business results—it was helping people grow into leaders capable of achieving things they hadn't thought possible.

For the next eight years, I was a Partner on the Executive Talent team at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where I advised startup founders on building their go-to-market leadership teams. I worked with hundreds of CEOs, developed relationships with more than 1,500 GTM leaders, and partnered with executive search firms to help companies find the leaders they needed to scale.

That experience gave me a distinctive vantage point. I saw what founders look for in exceptional executives, what distinguishes leaders who thrive from those who struggle, and how the demands of leadership evolve as companies grow. I also saw how often the biggest challenges weren't purely strategic or operational—they were human.

That insight ultimately brought me to coaching.

I've always been a connector by nature. Throughout my career, I've loved meeting extraordinary people, understanding what drives them, and helping them succeed. Over time, I realized I wanted to go beyond making introductions, offering advice, or helping someone land their next role. I wanted to partner with leaders more deeply as they navigated the challenges that mattered most to them.

That led me to the Hudson Institute of Coaching and to becoming an ICF-credentialed executive coach.

Today, I combine my experience as an operator and advisor with a coaching approach grounded in curiosity, candor, reflection, and action. I understand the business context my clients operate in, but I also know that lasting leadership growth rarely comes from simply telling someone what to do.

It comes from helping leaders see themselves and their situations differently, challenge assumptions, experiment with new approaches, and build the awareness and capabilities to lead more effectively.

My goal is to help accomplished leaders become even better at what they do—and more intentional about who they want to become.

A little more about me

I hold an BA in Philosophy from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. I'm a graduate of the Hudson Institute's coaching program and an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC).

Outside of coaching, you'll often find me mountain biking, cross-country skiing, or cheering on my two sons from the sidelines of their soccer games.

ABOUT DAVID

I've spent my career helping go-to-market leaders succeed. Now I get to go deeper.

For more than 25 years, I've worked alongside technology leaders building businesses, scaling teams, and navigating the challenges of growth. I've been a salesperson, a founder, a sales leader, and an advisor to hundreds of startup CEOs. Today, I bring those experiences to my work as an executive coach.

I work primarily with go-to-market leaders and founders/CEOs—from Directors and newly promoted VPs to seasoned SVPs and C-suite executives—who want to become more effective leaders, navigate complex challenges, and unlock their own potential and that of their teams.

Testimonials

  • "David has been my mentor and coach for over 10 years. When I first moved to the Bay Area, I had no background in technology sales. David has helped me build the skills and navigate the difficult decisions that have shaped my career, supporting me every step of the way—from an individual contributor to my role today as an executive at OpenAI. I’d wholeheartedly recommend working with David to anyone looking to grow in their career and as a leader."

    Sales Leader at OpenAI

  • "Working with David has been one of the most positive decisions I’ve made as a founder. He’s methodical in his approach, yet, like a seasoned jazz musician, improvisational as the moment demands. Above all, he’s present, fiercely intelligent, kind, and cares personally about the people he works with. It’s this rare combination of qualities that makes him such an extraordinary coach and why he continues to help me grow into the leader I need to be."

    Startup Founder & CEO

  • "Working with David, is not just a pleasure but you can always get to the bottom of whatever you need to solve to power up as a founder and Sales Leader. David also knows how to balance asking the right questions with pushing you hard when you're fooling yourself. All with extreme empathy."

    Series A Co-Founder & COO

WHO I WORK WITH

For leaders navigating what’s next.

I coach founders, CEOs, and go-to-market executives who are ambitious about their impact and intentional about their growth. My clients range from Directors stepping into broader leadership roles to experienced VPs, SVPs, and CEOs navigating the challenges of scaling organizations, developing teams, and leading through change.

They are accomplished, driven leaders who recognize that what got them here may not be what takes them to the next level.

I most often partner with:

  • Founders & CEOs — Building and scaling GTM organizations, developing their leadership teams, and evolving from hands-on operators to leaders who empower others.

  • GTM Executives (CROs, SVPs & VPs) — Leading sales, marketing, and customer success organizations through growth, complexity, and change while expanding their strategic influence and executive effectiveness.

  • Emerging Executives (Directors & Newly Promoted VPs) — Navigating bigger roles, building executive presence, shifting from doing to leading, and developing the confidence and capabilities to succeed at the next level.

Common challenges we explore

  • Stepping into bigger leadership roles — Evolving your mindset, presence, and approach as expectations change.

  • Leading through growth and change — Navigating ambiguity, organizational complexity, and increasing demands.

  • Building and empowering teams — Delegating effectively, developing leaders, and moving beyond being the person with all the answers.

  • Expanding influence and executive presence — Finding your voice, navigating difficult conversations, and influencing peers, CEOs, and boards.

  • Moving from tactical to strategic — Creating space to think bigger, prioritize what matters, and lead beyond the day-to-day.

  • Overcoming internal barriers — Recognizing the assumptions, habits, and patterns that may have served you in the past but now limit your effectiveness.

What my clients have in common isn't a title or a particular challenge. It's a willingness to look inward, challenge themselves, and do the work required to become more effective leaders.

WHAT WORKING TOGETHER LOOKS LIKE

A thoughtful process, tailored to you

Every engagement is different, but a consistent process builds understanding, establishes meaningful goals, and supports lasting progress.

  • We begin with a conversation to understand what you’re looking for, what you’re navigating, and whether working together feels like a good fit. Coaching is a partnership. Mutual trust, openness, and a genuine willingness to grow matter.

  • An in-depth conversation exploring where you are today and where you want to go.

    Topics we may explore

    • Your current role, responsibilities, and business context

    • What success looks like over the next 6–12 months

    • Your leadership aspirations and longer-term ambitions

    • Your greatest strengths and development opportunities

    • Recurring challenges, frustrations, and patterns

    • How you believe others experience your leadership

    • Important relationships and organizational dynamics

    • Habits and beliefs that may be helping or limiting you

    • What you want to be different as a result of coaching

  • Leadership doesn’t happen in isolation. Understanding how others experience you can reveal blind spots. Depending on the engagement, we may gather feedback from your manager, peers, direct reports, and other stakeholders.

    The process may include

    • A customized, confidential stakeholder questionnaire

    • Questions about strengths, leadership impact, and opportunities for growth

    • Feedback about communication, influence, strategic thinking, and collaboration

    • Selected one-on-one stakeholder interviews

    • Identification of recurring themes and gaps in perception

    • A synthesis of the findings, discussed together in a coaching session

    The goal isn’t to produce a scorecard. It’s to deepen awareness and identify opportunities for meaningful development.

  • Some engagements benefit from tools that help illuminate motivations, patterns, and leadership tendencies.

    These may include

    • Leadership style or personality assessments

    • Exploration of underlying motivations and habitual responses

    • Values and strengths exercises

    • Reflection on limiting beliefs and competing commitments

    • Other tools selected to address your specific development goals

    Assessments are used selectively, not as labels or prescriptions.

  • We synthesize what we’ve learned into three meaningful priorities for our work together.

    For each priority, we establish

    • What you want to change or develop

    • Why it matters

    • What success would look like

    • Observable behaviors or outcomes

    • Experiments and practices to support progress

    • How we’ll evaluate what’s changing

    These priorities create direction while leaving room for the real-time challenges that inevitably emerge.

  • We typically meet twice a month. You bring the challenges, decisions, relationships, and opportunities you’re navigating, and we use those real situations for both immediate progress and deeper development.

    Sessions may involve

    • Exploring a difficult decision or leadership situation

    • Identifying underlying beliefs or assumptions

    • Examining interpersonal dynamics

    • Rehearsing an important conversation

    • Challenging an established way of thinking

    • Developing practical leadership strategies

    • Reviewing experiments and lessons learned

    • Connecting immediate challenges to your broader goals

    Coaching is not simply a conversation. Each session should create new awareness, new possibilities, or meaningful forward movement.

  • We maintain a shared record of your development priorities, insights, commitments, experiments, and progress. Where appropriate and with your consent, technology may help document and synthesize our conversations so we can spend more time on the work itself. We periodically revisit your goals, and at the conclusion we reflect on progress, consolidate learning, and identify how you can keep developing independently.

Explore partnering with David as your executive coach