DZ

Dan Zigmond

Technology leader, author, Zen teacher

Palo Alto, California

Invests in

Education

Work Experience

2020

  • Director of Special Projects

    2020

    Broad mandate to develop innovative products, features, and services relating to human wellbeing across Apple. Formed and led the team that launched Apple Journal, the new ML-powered journaling app in iOS17, and contributed to iOS Focus Modes, Fitness+, Vision Pro, and many other initiatives. Also serve on the Apple News Advisory Board and support Apple University.

  • Board Partner

    2016

    Compound is a NYC based VC firm that invests in early stage technology companies disrupting or enabling traditional industries. (Formerly known as Metamorphic Ventures.)

2014

  • Advisor / Investor

    2014

    Over a decade helping founders an an investor and advisor across a wide range of tech startups, including: - Zindi (data science in Africa) - Anagenex (ML for drug discovery) - Tia (women’s healthcare) - Earnest (fin tech) - Grand Rounds (healthcare) - Kyron (NLP on clinical data) - Nova Labs (ML for sales automation) - AliveCore (health tech) - Stowaway (cosmetics) - Sprig (food delivery) - Medium (online media)

  • Director of Data Science

    2019 - 2020

    CZI is supporting science and technology that will make it possible to cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of this century. I led their data science work toward this goal.

2018 - 2019

  • Senior Director Of Product Analytics

    2018 - 2019

    I led the data science and data engineering teams for Instagram, covering growth, engagement, and revenue across the product. Drove major product changes, including the strategic shift towards user safety online, as part of the executive leadership team.

2016 - 2018

  • Director of Analytics

    2016 - 2018

    Facebook's mission is to make the world more open and connected. I led data and analytics for the News Feed and other core products for two and a half years, and then led product analytics for Instagram. Spearheaded our campaigns against misinformation and hate speech. Also executive sponsor for diversity and inclusion across all of Facebook Analytics, doubling representation of women and other under-represented groups.

2014 - 2017

  • Strategic Advisor

    2015 - 2017

    JUST is a venture-backed food company that uses technology based upon understanding plants from every corner of the planet to enable consumers, food manufacturers and the largest retailers around the world to offer better, healthier products at a more affordable cost. I was their first VP of Data (see below), and then served as an advisor on data, technology, and recruiting. (Formerly known as Hampton Creek.)

  • Vice President of Data

    2014 - 2015

    Built and led the Data Science team, hiring six data scientists and engineers to handle both business and biological data. Built the data infrastructure for collecting and analyzing plant biological data, and creating machine learning models for predicting culinary applications of plants. Developed dashboards and metrics for tracking product sales across over 25,000 diverse retail outlets, and measured the impacts of pricing and marketing. Handled technical due diligence for $95M round of fund raising. Supervised IP portfolio and filed five additional patents. Formalized hiring and compensation practices across the technical organization, and mentored other technical leaders. Led negotiations on a $6M commercial real estate lease. Frequent public speaking and press appearances throughout.

2013 - 2014

  • Lead Data Scientist, Google Maps

    2013 - 2014

    Led analytics and data science across Google Maps. Managed a team of 40 engineers and statisticians split between Mountain View, and Zurich. Responsible for tracking the health of Google Maps through rigorous metrics and monitoring tools, and leading efforts to understand the drivers and impact of our data quality.

2010 - 2013

  • Head of Data

    2010 - 2013

    Grew cross-functional data-focused team from 3 to 53 and led all data-related activities at YouTube. Provided in-depth quantitative analysis on ad revenue and user behavior for executives and product teams. Launched internal and external reporting tools, helping content partners understand how users engage with their videos. Published definitive study on skippable ad effectiveness and helped grow the ad business at YouTube by orders of magnitude. Launched one of the world's largest data warehouses housing all YouTube usage data.

2005 - 2010

  • Founder and Engineering Lead, Google TV Ads

    2005 - 2010

    Founded the Google TV Ads engineering team, hiring talented engineers in Mountain View, Seattle, and London. Took team from 0 to 25 engineers in 18 months. Managed development of Google TV Ads through our launch with DISH Network in 2008. Grew business to over $100M in revenue, serving ads nationally on CNBC, Bloomberg, Oxygen, Hallmark, SciFi, and other networks. Led all analytical and quantitative work across TV Ads, including industry-leading research on TV viewing and ad effectiveness.