Hi, I'm Roland Blanton - Engineering Leader | Advisor | Artist & Maker
I thrive on building high-performing engineering teams and shipping impactful products, from early innovation at IMVU to scaling at Looker and Google. My passion lies in fostering engineering excellence, especially in AI, ensuring teams retain their craft and curiosity.
At a glance
Curated signals on strengths, focus areas, and how they can help.
Interned at IMVU, Inc. and worked as a Technical Yahoo at Yahoo!, building foundational software engineering expertise.
Drives hypergrowth and leads product strategy and operations, shipping products used by millions.
Can offer strategic guidance on scaling engineering teams and integrating technology with business goals.
🚀 Career trajectory
Foundation Builder
Began career as a Software Engineer at IMVU, laying the groundwork for technical expertise.
✦ Software Engineering
✦ Early Innovation
Managerial Ascent
Transitioned to Engineering Manager and Technical Yahoo at Yahoo!, gaining leadership experience.
✦ Engineering Management
✦ Technical Leadership
Growth & Scale Leader
Drove hypergrowth at Looker and contributed to enterprise solutions at Google.
✦ Hypergrowth
✦ Data Analytics
✦ Enterprise Software
Strategic Advisor
Currently advising lean and stealthy ventures, applying broad expertise to new challenges.
✦ Advisory
✦ Startup Strategy
✦ Innovation
💪🏻 Superpowers
Growth Engine Architect
Scaling tech companies through strategic team building and product execution.
✦ Led product strategy and operations through hypergrowth phases.
✦ Shipped products impacting millions of users and thousands of developers.
✦ Developed frameworks for hiring and team performance.
Cross-Functional Integrator
Unifying technology and business objectives for seamless product delivery.
✦ Orchestrated integration efforts between business and technology.
✦ Managed complex projects from concept to enterprise-level deployment.
✦ Bridged gaps between engineering, product, and user needs.
AI-Era Engineering Visionary
Championing craft and curiosity in modern software development.
✦ Focuses on building adaptable, high-performing teams.
✦ Guides teams to succeed in AI while maintaining core engineering values.
✦ Promotes a culture of continuous learning and character development.
I'm excited about
✦ Seeking advisors for emerging AI technologies.
✦ Exploring collaborations with innovative startup founders.
✦ Looking to mentor early-career engineering leaders.
I can help with
✦ Offer strategic guidance on scaling engineering teams.
✦ Provide insights into product development for complex systems.
✦ Share best practices for integrating technology and business goals.
I would love your help on
✦ Connections to deep tech research communities.
✦ Introductions to venture capital firms focused on AI.
✦ Feedback on early-stage product concepts in stealth mode.
