Coaching · By Andrew Bowell
Coaching for product & platform leaders.
For the moments when you're navigating something you haven't navigated before. Building the product function from scratch, scaling through hyper-growth, defining a multi-year AI roadmap, or standing up strategy ahead of a fundraise or IPO — this is what the last twenty-five years have prepared me to help with.
Is this you
The situations I'm most useful in.
Building the product function from scratch
You're the first product manager, or the VP tasked with building one. There's no playbook — only urgency, expectation, and a founder team that's used to shipping without you.
Scaling through hyper-growth
The company has doubled, or is about to. What worked at 300 people won't work at 800, and won't come close to working at 3,000. You need a plan that survives the next org design.
Defining a multi-year AI or platform strategy
You've been asked to write the story of where the platform is going. It has to hold up to the executive team, the board, and your best engineers.
Standing up product strategy for a fundraise or IPO
The narrative needs to withstand due diligence. The roadmap has to align with the financial story. The team has to stay motivated through the noise.
Navigating an acquisition — either side
Two cultures, two roadmaps, two definitions of "done". The board wants integration momentum next quarter. Your teams want to know what happens to them.
Moving from engineering leader to product leader
The mental model shifts. Success stops being "ship it" and starts being "ship the right thing". The tools you built your reputation with aren't the tools you need next.
What I bring
Twenty-five years of the same problems, at every scale.
Every seat in the lifecycle
Founding engineer, first product manager, VP of Product, Head of Technology Strategy, CEO. I've done the job you're trying to figure out, and reported to the executive you're trying to convince.
Every company size
Havok at 30. Unity at 500, then 4,000, then 8,000. Iconic on day one. The playbooks are genuinely different at each stage, and I've written most of them.
Lived through the milestones
A $13.7B IPO. Acquisitions by Intel and by Microsoft. Post-IPO hyper-growth doubling the company. Multi-year AI roadmap under a CTO.
Platform-scale expertise
Grew Unity's product organisation from 1 person to 50+, supporting an engineering org that scaled from 300 to over 1,000, powering more than half of the world's games.
How we work together
Three ways to engage, all built to end cleanly.
Catalyst
A single 90-minute working session on a specific decision or challenge.
- ·A live decision needs a second brain
- ·You want to pressure-test a plan before a board meeting
- ·You need an honest read on an org design or hiring bar
Ongoing
Typically two working sessions a month, plus async access between. Reviewed quarterly.
- ·Navigating a multi-quarter transition
- ·Scaling into a new leadership role
- ·Building a product function through hyper-growth
Fractional
A defined number of days per month, for a defined engagement window.
- ·Filling a gap while you recruit
- ·Leading a strategic project alongside your day job
- ·Interim product leadership during a transition
What to expect
A clean, plain-English process.
Discovery call
Thirty minutes, no cost. We work out whether the fit is right — honestly, on both sides.
Scope & agreement
A written, plain-English scope. What we'll do, how often, what it costs, and how it ends.
Working sessions
Structured but not rigid. Every session has an outcome. Every outcome has a next step.
Review & renew
A quarterly step-back to check we're still solving the right problem. Renew, adjust scope, or wind down. No auto-renewal, no lock-in.
Frequently asked
Questions people ask before the discovery call.
What's the difference between coaching and consulting?
Coaching helps you think more clearly, faster, about the decisions in front of you — you leave every session sharper. Consulting delivers a specific outcome that I produce. Some engagements blend both. Whichever mode we're in, we'll be explicit about it.
I'm not sure I'm senior enough for this.
What matters is the scope of what you're responsible for, not the title. If you're leading a product function, defining a platform strategy, or accountable for the direction of the roadmap, the work is applicable.
Do you only work with games or AI companies?
No. My background is in real-time 3D and games middleware, but the underlying challenges — scaling a platform, building a product function, surviving hyper-growth, navigating acquisitions — are universal. My clients span games, AI, developer tools, and B2B SaaS.
How do we know if we're a fit?
The discovery call is honest on both sides. If I don't think I'm the right person to help, I'll say so — and where I can, I'll point you towards someone who is.
How do engagements end?
Cleanly, and by design. Every partnership has a defined review point where we renew, adjust scope, or wind down. No auto-renewal. No lock-in. The best signal I've done my job is you needing me less over time.