I love to play co-captain to people who don’t settle for status quo.

I work with founders, investors, creatives, and ecosystem leaders in seasons that call for big ambition with support that’s high-context, versatile, and fun.

Depending on the need, I might be more hands-on, facilitating sprints, prototyping a new function, launching a first-of-its-kind project, or simply doing whatever’s needed to build what’s next.

Other times, I’m more of a thought partner for complex decisions, generating possibilities, or rerouting direction when focus gets foggy.

Ways to work together

 

“Kristen is often working on wild and meaningful projects.

As a partner at Google Ventures, she scaled Design Sprints across a portfolio of 300+ startups. She operationalized Resolve to Save Lives’ US Covid Response. Built first-of-their-kind teams and initiatives like Google’s Brand Studio, and cultural district + economic recovery programs for the City of San Francisco. She’s served as Head of Design Operations at Stripe, and co-founded the award-winning food brand The Sarap Shop. She now runs operations at Character Capital, and moonlights on special projects across venture, tech, culture, and civic innovation.

Kristen’s always my first call when I’m at a turning point and need to figure out how to actually move forward—personally or professionally.

She has this incredible range. She can drop into any (often messy!) situation, and suddenly everyone’s clear on what to do AND having fun. She makes the work feel doable without flattening what makes it interesting. Structured, but never rigid. Strategic, but always human.

The kind of person who can help you ship a thing, restructure a team, or figure out what you're actually trying to build—often in the same conversation.”

— summarized by Claude

(after reviewing 18(ish) years of client feedback, perf reviews, and “omg it worked” texts lol)

Currently find me at

  • The Sarap Shop

    leading a Filipino food brand with a history-making stand inside the Chase Center Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors and Golden State Valkyries

  • Character Capital

    building programs and community for a boutique venture fund supporting founders with capital and sprints

  • Good Move

    leading a design studio X guidance counseling dept, where we experiment with projects that generate more creative and economic mobility

  • New Dimes

    building a network for progressive breadwinners growing and activating their first generation of wealth

  • Kultivate Labs

    advising on cultural district development and entrepreneurship enablement programs for the City of San Francisco, New York, and Manila

Looking to collab?

I’m drawn to people with a curious spirit. Those who can’t help but wonder, “there must be another way.” The ones who want to do ambitious things at a pace they can savor, and with company that brings good flavor.