Pouya Nafisi

Two decades of building, and growing.

I've spent my career building products, teams, and companies. I start by understanding the problem deeply, then do whatever it takes to solve it. Design the experience. Write the code. Build the go-to-market. I've been deep enough in each discipline to lead them honestly. I've done this for Puma, Nike, Universal, MGM, Live Nation, Tillys, and a dozen others. In 2018 I founded a consultancy to scale this kind of work, grew it to 60+ people, and led it through two acquisitions.

I'm a systems thinker.

I see everything as a system. Not just the code or the architecture, but the team, the incentives, how decisions get made, how value actually moves from idea to customer. Most of the problems that persist in organizations aren't failures of people. They're failures of structure. I've spent my career understanding, designing, and building these structures. Simple, repeatable, measurable, and built to work in the real world.

AI changed everything. Except how we work.

Most organizations are stuck in the same place. They know AI matters. They've bought the tools, got the licenses. But adoption is uneven, policies are unclear, and the security questions remain unanswered.

The delivery methodologies we've relied on for decades no longer work. Story points, sprints, velocity. All of it was built for a world where people did all the work. What do you measure when agents share the workload? How do you track cost when it spans people and compute? How do you tie any of it to value?

And underneath it all is the hard part. How do you get your teams to embrace this new shape of work when there's a real fear of being replaced by the very thing you're asking them to embrace?

I co-authored 7 Wave to give shape to all of this. Mostly to structure my own thinking, but also for the teams I work with and the companies I advise. It's an operating model for product and engineering teams in this new era.

I build and grow things.

I've spent two decades on the digital side, from product brands to big-box retailers to SaaS companies to media and entertainment. Most of it in commerce. I've done most of the jobs along the way, from individual contributor to executive at a hypergrowth company backed by L Catterton, one of the largest consumer private equity firms in the world. I led the omnichannel work that gave a public retailer a 26.7% rise in comparable sales, its highest since 2012. Out of that work came my own consultancy, Omnichannel Commerce. I grew it to 60+ people and stayed on to run it through two acquisitions.

“Working for Pouya was one of the most formative experiences of my career. He's a rare mix of visionary technologist, hands-on operator, and calm, strategic leader, the kind of person who can see around corners while still staying grounded in execution. His technical knowledge runs deep, but he never loses sight of the human side of leadership. He leads with clarity, empathy, and a drive to bring out the best in everyone around him. Pouya doesn't just build systems; he builds teams, cultures, and momentum.”

Andrew McNeill, Salesforce Practice Director, Huge

“Pouya is one of the finest CTOs I've had the pleasure to work with. A unique balance of an ability to create an inspiring strategic consumer focused vision, while also driving foundational excellence across security and infrastructure needs. His communication style sets him apart from others in his peer group.”

Gavin Lindberg, CFO/COO, Metagenics (ex-CFO, Nike)

“Pouya is one of those leaders who just get it. He created a space where people felt trusted, heard, and genuinely supported. That kind of leadership makes a big difference, not just in how teams work, but in how they feel showing up every day. I really appreciated his calm approach, his ability to zoom out when needed, and the way he brought people along with him.”

Rafael Nascimento, Senior Software Engineer, Crocs

“His leadership goes far beyond just managing a team, he leads by example, with deep technical knowledge and a hands-on approach that inspires everyone around him. Pouya wasn't just overseeing the work, he actively contributed to software architecture discussions, supported developers when needed, and even played a key role in sales. It's rare to find someone who excels across such a broad spectrum of skills, and even rarer to find someone who does it all so effectively.”

Max Russo, Technical Lead, Huge

“The first time we had a systems problem, he was there — not to get a status report but to help find a solution. Calm and positive. Enough for me to see that this was not a one off; this is the kind of leader he is — one that is able to wear different hats and is willing to do so to help the team.”

Brenno Maeji, Solutions Architect, Salesforce

“Pouya is a motivated, forward-thinking team lead who has lots of knowledge in and around e-commerce and omni-channel. He is very sharp technically and has always been a great advocate of good design and architecture. He keeps his team motivated, backs them up in difficult situations and always finds ways to move forward along with the team.”

Ashay Chourey, Senior Consultant, Deloitte

“Pouya is one of the best, most efficient and all-around awesome developers I've had the pleasure of working with. He was an asset on each project — working all hours to do the technical heavy lifting, advising our team on best practices and seeing us through various launches. Pressure was high, deadlines were endless, and he always delivered.”

Janine Kahn, Head of Content, WhatsApp

“Pouya and I have worked together for the better part of 5 years and have collaborated on 50+ projects and counting. If you want to work with the best of the best, he is your guy. He gets it done right the first time and consistently exceeds all expectations.”

Marc Takemiya, Vice President & General Manager

“Pouya's work as CTO was and still is unparalleled when it comes to understanding a CEO's direction and taking charge of implementation of design, form and function. Highly recommend for any type of web work that needs to implement B2B or B2C revenue streams.”

Bill Brown, CEO, ToyEnvy

“When Pouya was brought to PacSun he was described to me as 'the fixer', he was this and more. Pouya recommended high-value fixes, committed to a strict timeline, and delivered. Very professional, very easy to work with. I would recommend Pouya again for any job, any time.”

Peter Corsello, VP of E-Commerce, PacSun