Branden Espinoza

Curriculum Vitae

Professional Statement

I’m a product wizard whose one true love is Bitcoin.

I’ve supported global foreign exchange product launches; produced regulatory compliance training; spearheaded blockchain protocol governance projects; coordinated FOSS product research; built a first-of-its-kind, enterprise-grade blockchain SaaS platform; and I am currently building the Digital Asset Listing team of a brand-new regulated cryptocurrency exchange. I’ve led dozens of engineers and product pros scattered around the globe, built world-class digital products, know the crypto space inside and out, and have a thing for nurturing relationships with stakeholders from the mailroom to the c-suite.

Training & Certifications

• SAFe Agile Product Owner Product Manager (POPM) - Scaled Agile, Inc - December 2022
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) - Scrum Alliance - November 2020
• Project Management Professional (PMP Qualification Training) - Project Management Institute - March 2013

Experience

Senior Product Manager, Digital Assets
Bullish.com (a block.one company)
Jan 2021 – Present; >300 employees; Digital Asset/Cryptocurrency Industry; Grand Cayman & Remote

• Architected end-to-end listing process for vetting digital assets to be integrated on the exchange.
• Co-authored formal governance policies relating to the listing and maintenance of exchange supported digital assets.
• Developed end-to-end process to capture and manage external threats and vulnerabilites of exchange supported digital assts.
• Managed design and development of admin module enabling high-velocity, dynamic listing of new digital assets to the exchange.
• Managed design and development of digital asset pricing oracle (i.e. Digital Asset Indices product).
• Maintained expert level domain knowledge while tracking ongoing advancements to industry and supported assets.

Senior Technical Project Manager
OMNI Omnichannel Commerce Inc
Oct 2019 – Oct 2020; 25-30 employees; Ecommerce Global System Integrator Industry; Remote

• Managed portfolio of omnichannel ecommerce replatforming integration projects.
• Founded the agency’s Project Management Office.
• Formalized the agency’s best practices for planning, managing, and reporting projects.
• Led global teams of 30+, including Developers, Architects, and Project Managers.
• Replatformed of clients’ omnichannel ecommerce solutions and integrations including Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Dell Boomi enterprise middleware, and Envista order management.
• Improved project velocity by over 200%.

Director of Product
StrongBlock
Jan 2019 – Sept 2019; 10-25 employees; Blockchain/DLT Networks Industry; Remote

• Brought the StrongBlock (Enterprise-grade Blockchain-as-a-Service) product suite to life.
• Directed product lifecycle (product specifications, global development team, QA, unit testing, regression tests.)
• Transitioned team from waterfall-based engineering process to fully integrated agile process and SCRUM framework.
• Developed a comprehensive product strategy derived from user interviews, competitive landscape, and c-suite vision.
• Initiated key product pivots resulting in a better, more user-focused product.
• Participated in the execution of go-to-market and launch activities.

Manager of Process and Product - Network Governance
StrongBlock
July 2018 – Jan 2019; 10-25 employees; Blockchain/DLT Networks Industry; Remote

• Designed Blockchain/DLT network models leveraging EOSIO as the core blockchain technology.
• Expanded company’s domain knowledge of enterprise consortia.
• Integrated best-practices of enterprise consortium governance into product feature roadmap.
• Researched and authored Blockchain/DLT network governance studies.
• Authored investor-facing materials for $4MM seed round, including whitepapers, technical yellow papers, business model summary sheets (one-pagers), pitch decks, etc.

Governance, Risk, and Regulatory Compliance Training Consultant (AML, BSA, CTF)
BB&T (now Truist Bank)
Jan 2017 – Sept 2018; 10,000+ employees; Financial Services Industry; Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina Area/Remote

• Rapidly designed, prototyped, and implemented a new enterprise-wide AML training product.
• Satisfied the training-related requirements of the regulator issue consent orders.
• Enhanced BB&T’s compliance program to support regulatory compliance needs for client-side products.
• Designed various change management solutions to ensure long-term viability of training assets.

Learning & Development Project Manager, Fintech & Regulatory Compliance
American Express Foreign Exchange Services
June 2011 – March 2017; 10,000+ employees; Financial Services Industry; Greater Salt Lake City Area

• Coordinated a global regulatory compliance training rebuild across business lines in response to Dodd-Frank.
• Designed and developed training products supporting global launch of a digital FOREX platform.
• Instituted rapid prototyping methods, reducing training designer/developer man hours by 25% per project.
• Leveraged micro-learning approach to prepare global staff for deployment of a point-of-sale retail platform.
• Deployed and supported a global knowledgebase with 3000+ topics to support customer facing relationship managers.

Education

Brigham Young University
September 2003 – April 2007
Bachelors of Science in Business Entrepreneurship

• Lean Startup Methodology
• Product Development
• Entrepreneurial Finance

Cornell University
September 1997 – January 1999
Natural Resource Management

• Agribusiness Management
• Behavioral Economics
• Resource Management
• Change Management