Fractional CPO for Marketplace Founders
The Marketplace Product Leader Your Platform Has Been Missing
30+ marketplaces built. $15M+ invested across client platforms. I bring 10 years of marketplace-only product leadership to founders who need senior strategy without the full-time hire.
About Darren
9 Years in the Marketplace Trenches
I have spent nearly a decade working exclusively on marketplace platforms spanning B2B, B2C, P2P, and service categories. I have made the mistakes so my clients do not have to.
From cold-start strategy to Series A readiness, I help founders make better product decisions faster. My work spans Sharetribe builds, product roadmaps, GTM execution, and ongoing advisory.
See All ServicesWhat I Do
End-to-End Marketplace Expertise
Fractional CPO
Senior product leadership without the full-time cost. I embed with your team, set strategy, and drive execution.
Product Strategy
Define where your marketplace is going and how it will get there. Roadmaps, prioritization, and stakeholder alignment.
Go-to-Market
Solve the cold-start problem and build sustainable liquidity across buyers and sellers.
Marketplace Optimization
Improve conversion, retention, and trust signals at every stage of the marketplace funnel.
Advisory & Coaching
Structured guidance for founders who want a thinking partner, not a consultant.
Sharetribe Development
End-to-end Sharetribe builds for founders who want to launch fast without technical debt.
Recent Work
Marketplaces I Have Built
Marketplace Studio
Built the flagship consulting and education platform for marketplace founders.
B2B Services Marketplace
Led product for a Sharetribe-based B2B services marketplace from zero to launch.
Peer-to-Peer Rental Platform
Full product strategy and GTM for a consumer rental marketplace.
Talent Marketplace
Designed supply-demand matching and trust architecture for a specialist talent platform.
Writing
Marketplace Strategy Articles
Practical thinking on the problems marketplace founders actually hit — cold start, liquidity, take rate, trust, and going to market on two sides at once.
Vertical Marketplace Strategy: Why Niche Beats Broad Every Time
The most common mistake early marketplace founders make is launching too broadly. Here is why vertical focus wins, how to pick the right niche, and when to expand.
Read →How to Build a Two-Sided Marketplace Go-To-Market Strategy
A marketplace GTM is not a SaaS GTM with two audiences. It requires sequencing, constraint, and a clear theory of which side to acquire first. Here is the framework.
Read →How to Raise Funding for a Marketplace Startup: What Investors Actually Want
Marketplace fundraising is different from SaaS fundraising. Investors have specific questions most founders are not prepared for. Here is how to get ready.
Read →Ready to accelerate your marketplace?
Book a free 30-minute discovery call and find out if working together makes sense.
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