Hello! I’m Alex Blunk, a California-based (but globally minded) operator, designer, and strategic thinker who loves to use technology to empower fluid growth & grounded scaling.
I enjoy finding the symbiosis between technological infrastructure & human insights. Well implemented systems can provide the knowledge and tools needed to make better decisions and thrive through adaptation.
My specialties:
- Integrating & optimizing digital systems for efficient and holistically beneficial output (manufacturing or agriculture)
- Crafting & enhancing user experiences (internal tools or physical consumer products)
- Custom digital product development to reduce friction & add transparency
Personally, I admire the brands & people who are serious about the benefits of technology, give a damn about the world, are conscious of their impact in the communities they serve, and love what they’ve built.
2006
2006
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business
Business Economics, Public Policy, Entrepreneurship,
Spanish
Spanish
2010
Became first hire at a bootstrapped, e-commerce startup.
Sourced, managed, pitched, and on-boarded a pipeline of 300+ brands.
I’m proud to say that Huckberry is thriving and operates its business out of 3 states and has a globally recognized, loyal audience of over 1MM.
︎︎︎
2012
Wantful
Vendor Operations Manager
Solely managed and monitored the success of a drop-ship vendor network (500+).
Developed & designed inventory optimization processes and front-end vendor UX.
Shutdown in 2013.
︎︎︎
2013
Farallon Co.
Founder
Built with a mission to redefine crowdfunding for established lifestyle brands.
Designed & created an MVP without prior coding abilities, incorporated, assembled advisors, & launched in November 2013.
︎︎︎
2014
Began as the first field sales representative at a small 6-person production brewery nestled within ear-shot of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Then helped build their early sales & marketing vision and ultimately ended my tenure being part of the lean, innovative engine behind our brand—which grew to over 200 employees.
Built & led our in-house logistics department, developed our supply chain, scoped real estate & fleet vehicles, and was a constant force behind technological improvement.
Projects: Camber DRIVE
︎︎︎
2019
Snack Drawer
Founder
With a partner, started an untraditional agency focused on assisting the operations of CPG/lifestyle brands with growth, web design/UX, and strategy.
Was focused on clients with over $1MM of annual revenue.
Projects: hugh
︎︎︎
2020
2020
Banza
Technical Product Manager
I joined the Insights & Analytics team in July 2020. I'll be helping bring on a new wave of technological sophistication (Netsuite & Salesforce), dynamic accounting dashboards, & process innovation.
Banza makes food out of chickpeas. One of the most efficient forms of plant-protein you can eat. 🔥
︎︎︎
2022
My work focused on enhancing the technology stack of their ERP system, including accounting, finance, sales reporting, and various compliance processes.
This involved collaborating across all three farms, as well as with the finance & accounting teams, the national sales team, and the engineering team.
My time there culminated in managing our largest farm in Vernon, California (40+ staff) on an interim basis before ultimately assisting in winding down national farming operations after the owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The desire to bring more cohesion to the myceliated industry inspired me to create this application: Myceliated Net
Back to Consulting Page
BACK TO CONSULTING PAGE
Levels of Engagement
CANOPY
Level 1
The canopy is the frontline of energy transformation for a tree, influencing all downstream activity. It also signals early warning signs of inefficiency or misalignment in a business.
Role Equivalent: Strategic Operations Advisor
Role Equivalent: Strategic Operations Advisor
︎ 3-6 mo.
︎ Surface Complexity—Assessment & Direction
TRUNK
Level 2
+ Level 1
The trunk gives structure, strength, and alignment—this phase focuses on supporting standardization, deeper process refinements, and KPI tracking.
It connects the roots (foundation) to the canopy (execution), ensuring long-term sustainability.
Role Equivalent: Strategic Operations Director
︎ 6-12 mo.
︎Medium Complexity—Structured Planning & Scalability
ROOTS
Level 3
+ Level 2
+ Level 1
The roots anchor and sustain the entire tree — they also form lasting relationships with the microbes and fungi within the soil they’re planted into.
They absorb resources (data, financial insights, process optimizations) and prevent instability, ensuring a strong, resilient company structure.
Role Equivalent: VP Operations, Fractional COO
︎ 12+ months
︎Advanced Complexity—Execution & Integrated Restructuring
HOW CAN I SUPPORT?
A non-exhaustive list of ways I can facilitate your organization’s ecosystem.
Human Experience
’Humans’, over simply ‘Users’ — Developing technology, products, or processes side-by-side with the brains that make your operation function.
Scaling Strategy Augment & test your strategic thinking, team structure, and find break points as you grow.
Consumer Packaging
Provide informed guidance on packaging design & material lifecycle
Systems & Data Optimization
Design or enhance digital (and analog) systems that serve as the core of your operation — touching sales, operations, finance & accounting. Allowing balanced & useful information to flow smoothly between teams and systems.
Operations & Financial Modeling Building (or testing) a financial or operational model that can be used to compare high-level and integral decisions for your business
Sounding Board Tap me as an external partner to help test assumptions and mitigate bias. Gain an objective & balanced perspective for big decisions.
I’ve worked with core founding teams, ran departments of 40+ FTE, and built systems for companies that are achieving $5M up to $100M+ Annual revenue today.
PREVIOUS COMPANIES
CPG & Food
Fort Point Beer Co. (5 years) Banza (2 years) Smallhold (2 years)
eCommerce
Huckberry (2 years) Flow (3 years) Union Garage (1 year)
SOME WORDS ON MY APPROACH
I won’t assume I have all the answers. Yet, I have the tools & network to find them (or those that do).
I bring a diverse industry perspective, scrappy optimism, and pragmatic execution to help teams build structures that work alongside their technological ecosystem—not against it.
To achieve that, I work to actively solicit varied feedback from people at all levels—especially field, floor, soil level— while also having a read on useful emerging technologies. I feel that this flywheel of communication is key to building resilient, holistically beneficial tools and teams.
EXAMPLE LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT
(Click image for details)
Hello! Nice to meet you. I’m Alex Blunk, a California-based (but globally minded) operator, designer, and strategic thinker who loves to use technology to empower fluid growth & grounded scaling.
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I enjoy finding the symbiosis between technological infrastructure & human insights. Well implemented systems can provide the knowledge and tools needed to make better decisions and thrive through adaptation.
Personally, I admire the brands & people who are serious about the benefits of technology, give a damn about the world, are conscious of their impact in the communities they serve, and love what they’ve built.
I enjoy finding the symbiosis between technological infrastructure & human insights. Well implemented systems can provide the knowledge and tools needed to make better decisions and thrive through adaptation.
Personally, I admire the brands & people who are serious about the benefits of technology, give a damn about the world, are conscious of their impact in the communities they serve, and love what they’ve built.
