Sid Shankar Email & Phone Number

California, United States

Mountain View, Wy, Us

Working on some Generative AI enabled businesses

At DVx Ventures, Sid served as Founding PM & Co-founder of Zumi, a FinTech product designed to boost loyalty for coffee shops. Sid successfully conceptualized, developed, and launched the app, enabling customers to create virtual debit cards in Apple Wallet and enjoy better rewards at local businesses. In his role as PM, he oversaw the product and engineering for the app, launching in a record 2 months. As a founder, he also managed customer support, QA, and Sales. Sid drove efforts that led to partnerships with 7 coffee shops, where he oversaw sales events for 5 days, pitching to over 500 pedestrians, getting 87 to download the app and 37 paying consumers in San Francisco. The entire Zumi team was laid off in December 2022 due to an economic slowdown and company restructuring, but not before giving Sid a taste of entrepreneurship and getting him hooked.

Las Vegas, Nv, Us

At Skillz (NYSE: SKLZ), a leading mobile esports platform, Sid employed data-driven strategies to enhance various aspects of the user experience. His key accomplishments included:🎮 Personalization: Utilized data insights to deliver tailored experiences, ensuring players were engaged with relevant content and challenges.🏆 Matchmaking: Optimized the matchmaking algorithm to provide balanced and competitive matches, enhancing player satisfaction and retention.🛡️ Anti-Cheating: Implemented data-driven mechanisms to identify and combat cheating, fostering a fair and enjoyable environment for all players.💰 Monetization: Improved platform monetization by analyzing user behavior and preferences, enabling the development of targeted offers and promotions.

Redwood City, Ca, Us

At Electronic Arts, Sid made significant contributions to enhancing the in-game player experience by focusing on two key areas:AI-driven Customization: Sid spearheaded the integration of advanced AI technologies to create personalized and immersive experiences for players. This allowed for greater in-game customization, leading to increased player satisfaction and engagement.Cloud Infrastructure Optimization: Sid played a vital role in optimizing cloud computing infrastructure for EA's gaming platform. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, he ensured that game performance was scalable and efficient, resulting in seamless gameplay experiences for millions of users worldwide.

Us

At McKinsey & Company, Sid led and contributed to various high-impact projects, showcasing his strategic acumen and ability to drive value for clients:Innovation Bootcamps & Corporate Venturing:Sid spearheaded interactive innovation bootcamps for CEOs and top management teams of global corporations, connecting them with Silicon Valley VCs and tech companies for potential partnerships. He crafted strategies for clients' corporate venturing arms to invest in thriving startup ecosystems like Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, and Gurgaon.Restructuring & Operational Efficiency:Sid played a key role in the CFO war room for a US$20B company approaching restructuring. He identified and drove $100M in savings opportunities and supervised the execution of moves to reduce operational expenses.Big Data & Decision Making:Sid worked with a $20B subsidiary of a $60B technology firm to integrate Big Data into their managerial decision-making process. He led the development of a comprehensive dashboard that incorporated feature adoption, usage, and financial metrics across products. This tool helped the client identify opportunities for $30-50M in revenue increase and $5-10M in cost reduction. Sid also designed pilots and metrics to test innovative schemes to boost feature adoption and usage, ultimately validating $100M in impact from optimizing promotions across distribution channels.

San Bruno, Ca, Us

At YouTube, Sid helped shape product vision and drove cross-functional implementation for various initiatives:Video Discoverability Enhancement:Sid led the development and phased roll-out of a new feature aimed at improving video discoverability for YouTube's extensive user base, impacting 20 million channels and over one billion users globally. He effectively collaborated with engineering, user interface, marketing, research, and user support teams to ensure a seamless and successful launch.Streamlined Product Launch Process:Sid standardized the team-wide product launch process by creating an integrated Launch Checklist, consolidating multiple documents into a single, comprehensive resource. This innovation effectively prevented delays resulting from the accidental omission of critical pre-launch tasks with high lead times.Internship Program Engagement:Sid actively facilitated interactive sessions between interns and top management at YouTube, providing valuable insights and networking opportunities. Additionally, he mentored undergraduate interns on career planning, helping them navigate their professional journeys.

Us

At McKinsey & Company, Sid was involved in various high-impact projects, demonstrating his ability to drive value for clients across diverse industries:Royal Government of Bhutan - Strategy & Implementation:Sid collaborated with Bhutan's newly elected government to drive job creation, GDP growth, and improved government services. His contributions led to the creation of 2,500 IT jobs, a Performance Management System that reduced hospital wait times by 50%, and a teacher requirement forecasting tool for better resource allocation in education.India Post Mail Network Optimization:Sid worked on network optimization for India Post, the world's largest postal operator. He conceptualized and designed enhancements for SpeedPost's network scheduling, which improved door-to-door mail performance by 60% and reduced average delivery time from 4 to 1.6 days. Sid also implemented process and quality improvements in two metro cities, streamlined international mail delivery within India, and reduced revenue leakage by 99%, resulting in annual savings of US$ 0.7-1 million.Telecom Infrastructure Company Sales Capability Building:Sid led sales capability building for a US$ 150 million telecom infrastructure company, identifying strategic opportunities and crafting organization design and sizing to achieve targets. He developed and trained sales staff on a proprietary nationwide pro-active sales tool, ultimately identifying a US$ 50-100 million growth opportunity from core businesses.Chemical Sourcing Strategy for a Global Conglomerate:Sid worked on chemical sourcing strategy for a US$ 800 million global conglomerate, analyzing price correlations to develop a risk-mitigating pricing mechanism. By pegging prices of source chemicals to internationally traded commodities, he ensured more stable and predictable costs. Sid also led the client CEO's office in designing an investor presentation to attract equity for a new manufacturing facility in Egypt.

While on secondment from McKinsey, Sid joined a specialized department within the Ministry of Home Affairs, established after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to enhance India's intelligence sharing mechanisms. Key activities included:Organization Visioning & Manpower Planning: Sid contributed to defining the department's vision and strategized effective manpower planning, liaising with both government departments and private sector technology partners.Emerging Technologies Incubation Division: Sid led 3-5 member teams in designing an incubation division focused on emerging technologies with potential applications in national security. He was also responsible for recruiting new resources and organizing out-of-office events.HR Consultant Recruitment Process: Sid managed the recruitment process for an HR consultant, designing the Request For Proposal, evaluating bids, and finalizing terms of reference.Introduction to Business Strategy Case Study: Sid individually developed and delivered an engaging case study on business strategy based on a medieval battle, showcasing his creativity and expertise in strategic thinking.

Master Of Business Administration (Mba), Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies

B.Tech, Computer Science, Financial Management

Business Bridge Programme, Business Administration And Management, General

Summer Research Project, Computer Science

Certificate In Intermediate Education, Science

Indian Certificate In Secondary Education, Science