Dave Sonders Email & Phone Number

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

Matter Compiler is a collective of makers, strategists and creatives. We build products and experiences that people love. We help great teams — from startups to Fortune 100 — realize their vision through brilliant design, insightful product strategy, and a deep understanding of human needs and psychology.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

I coach 4-5 student teams each semester in the famed “Intro to Entrepreneurship” course. We track the major elements of the entrepreneur's journey — problem identification, ideation and prototyping, customer discovery, pitching to investors.

Detroit

Beginning as a strategic partnership between Ford and Salesforce, VIIZR spun out in the middle of a global pandemic. Our mission: make the world's greatest productivity software for the construction trades. I drove the entire product journey, from idea to prototype to production, while also building a stellar team and defining the principles and cultural values that fueled our growth.// Led teams including design, research, product management, brand, field marketing, and customer… Show more Beginning as a strategic partnership between Ford and Salesforce, VIIZR spun out in the middle of a global pandemic. Our mission: make the world's greatest productivity software for the construction trades. I drove the entire product journey, from idea to prototype to production, while also building a stellar team and defining the principles and cultural values that fueled our growth.// Led teams including design, research, product management, brand, field marketing, and customer success// Fostered collaboration and clarity across every facet of the business// Drove product vision, product strategy, and long-range product planning// Led some of our most strategic customer development initiatives, including dealer partnerships, local market launches, and community impact promotions. Show less

San Francisco

Salesforce acquired gravitytank in 2016. I led the integration of GT’s San Francisco studio with the existing "Ignite" team at Salesforce. The culture clash was real and learning curve steep, but we ultimately succeeded in blending the two organizations into a cohesive, high-performance team.I wore many hats on the Ignite team. I led exceptional teams and collaborated with some of the world's most iconic companies. Our work encompassed:// Digital transformation — helped… Show more Salesforce acquired gravitytank in 2016. I led the integration of GT’s San Francisco studio with the existing "Ignite" team at Salesforce. The culture clash was real and learning curve steep, but we ultimately succeeded in blending the two organizations into a cohesive, high-performance team.I wore many hats on the Ignite team. I led exceptional teams and collaborated with some of the world's most iconic companies. Our work encompassed:// Digital transformation — helped customers integrate digital technology to fundamentally change how they operate and deliver value to customers// Strategic partnerships — stakeholder alignment, soft influence, trust building// Venture design — value prop, user research, positioning, opportunity sizing// Product development — prototyping, roadmapping, agile development. Show less

San Francisco Bay Area

Served as lead instructor for a 7-week "Innovation Lab" at the Haas School of business. The course gave students hands-on experience with core design methods like problem framing, user research, analysis & synthesis, ideation, prototyping, storytelling, pitching and constructive critique.

San Francisco

Gravitytank was a boutique innovation and design consultancy that was acquired by Salesforce in 2016. I helped scale the business from 30 people to over 100. I led the San Francisco studio, supporting a world-class team of designers, researchers, and strategists. We built a practice that contributed many of gravitytank's most enduring contributions to the design and innovation community: micro-pilots, startup sprints, Minimum Believable Products, and special effects prototyping.I played… Show more Gravitytank was a boutique innovation and design consultancy that was acquired by Salesforce in 2016. I helped scale the business from 30 people to over 100. I led the San Francisco studio, supporting a world-class team of designers, researchers, and strategists. We built a practice that contributed many of gravitytank's most enduring contributions to the design and innovation community: micro-pilots, startup sprints, Minimum Believable Products, and special effects prototyping.I played a variety of roles across two different gravitytank studios (Chicago and San Francisco), absorbing everything I could from the many disciplines involved in crafting products that are viable, desirable, and feasible.// Served as senior leader for a portfolio of strategic innovation engagements// Built relationships with clients as a trusted advisor and strategic partner// Guided teams to balance creative exploration with reliability and pragmatism// Drove business development with new and existing clients// Launched and led gravitytank ventures, a practice area focused on bringing together startup innovation with corporate innovation// Mentored dozens of early and mid-career designers, researchers, and strategists// Developed new methods and practices around user research, business model design and experimentation, and corporate startup creation. Show less

Chicago

The Institute of Design is a renowned graduate school and pioneer of human centered design methods. I designed and led a capstone graduate course called "New Product Definition," teaming up with colleagues, clients, and local startups to bring design and product development principles to life for my students.

// Defined the value proposition and business model for strategic partnerships with large public transit agencies// Drove the development of a next-generation ATM experience// Worked with Citibank execs to hone messaging and storytelling around the full portfolio of Citi Ventures initiatives

// Drove research and analysis for innovation consulting engagements// Reframed mature product categories to expose new growth opportunity // Executed quant and qual analysis to support new product investments// Drove workshop planning and execution

// Performed quantitative analysis to help clients understand consumer behavior, trends, and growth opportunities// Designed custom research projects and drove analysis, reporting, and delivery// Built trusted relationships with decision makers at key accounts

Master Of Design Methods, Design Strategy And Planning

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Political Science, Economics