Brennan Orear

About Brennan Orear

As someone deeply passionate about exploring and addressing the complexities of systemic challenges, my career journey is anchored in three fundamental strengths: strategic problem-solving, relationship building, and creative ideation.Strategic Problem Solving: My time at the University of Chicago, where I honed my skills in social sciences, laid a strong foundation for unraveling intricate problems, particularly in interdisciplinary environments. This expertise has been pivotal in my consulting roles, tackling diverse projects from solar manufacturing in India to innovative game design in Singapore.Relationship Building: I find immense joy in connecting with people, understanding their unique strengths, and integrating these into cohesive, productive team dynamics. My success in human-centered design, stakeholder management, and business model development stems from this ability to engage and activate the best in others.Creative Ideation: Challenged by design tasks that require balancing user needs with technical and contextual realities, I thrive on reimagining the familiar and uncovering connections between seemingly disparate elements. This approach has led to significant contributions in areas like sustainable urban planning and financial innovation.My commitment to inclusivity and diversity is a core part of who I am, influenced by my experiences as a queer, non-binary individual. This personal aspect not only strengthens my professional endeavors but also fosters a culture of empathy and resilience in the face of dynamic challenges.As the Founder of Polynavigate, I apply a multidisciplinary approach to global risk analysis, blending academic insight, professional experience, and personal resilience. This role embodies my dedication to developing comprehensive strategies for managing systemic crises.In each professional capacity, I leverage my analytical acumen, interpersonal skills, and creative mindset to generate impactful outcomes. I am continuously driven to apply these attributes to new, challenging environments, contributing to meaningful discussions and solutions in the global arena.

Experience

1. Senior Project Consultant

   Community Builders

   Feb 2016 — Present

   Worked with social enterprise startup teams to translate relevant social scientific insights (e.g. from cultural anthropology, platform economics, cognitive psychology) into testable technical and business model features. Authored investor-facing collateral (e.g. decks, white papers) articulating technical and financial offerings. Among my past clients were: CRI, Deconet, Democracy.Earth, DeVida Research, Frontier Group, Genesis Block, Hilo, Homeprise, Maiden Labs, MyCashback, Starship Ventures, and S3LA.Interim leadership: As part of my consulting, I was sometimes brought on as an interim product, operations, or research lead during periods of growth or transition. Past intensives include:Maiden Labs (user research lab), Senior Researcher (Remote); June 2021-October 2021*Coauthored grant application for international study; achieved $500k of Gates Foundation funding.*Led qualitative analysis of national study, identied use case impediments & recommended actions.*Built & validated digital currency user proles in collaboration with MIT Digital Currency Initiative.CRI (think tank), Coordinator (Remote); March 2020-October 2020*Projected COVID-19 shortages as part of an interdisciplinary group of scientists & statisticians.*Articulated actionable and timely data for state and national ocials; led collateral development.*Authored strategy and funder-facing materials for launch of follow-on “Consilience Project” initiative.Genesis Block (stock brokerage), Chief Product Ocer (Remote); July 2019-January 2020*Coordinated deal strategy and stakeholder management.*Led product strategy and development.*Authored public and investor-facing communications collateral.S3LA (payments platform), Chief Operating Ocer (New York, NY); August 2017-December 2017*Led human-centered product development through two international design-build-test-learn cycles.*Systematized internal processes (e.g. hiring, product development, & stakeholder management).

Education

• University of Chicago

  Master of Arts in Social Sciences, Social Sciences

  2014 — 2016

• George School

  High School Diploma

  1998 — 2001

• American University

  BA, International Relations

  2002 — 2006

Skills

• Business Development
• Negotiation
• French
• Venture Capital
• Public Speaking
• Start-Ups
• Analysis
• Research
• International Relations
• Finance
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Management Consulting
• User Experience
• Change Management
• Strategic Partnerships
• Data Analysis
• Leadership
• Financial Analysis
• Emerging Markets
• Training
• Marketing
• Analytics
• Sustainability
• Statistics
• Economics
• Team Building
• Strategy
• Entrepreneurship
• French-Speaking
• Market Research
• Business Planning
• Financial Structuring
• Spanish-Speaking