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    Patrick O'Brien

    Patrick O'Brien

    Founder & General Partner @midwest.VC

    Former:
    | Head of Product @Colossal
    | Head of Product (Mobile Apps) @cars
    | Founder & CEO of @Lakeviewlabs
    | Founder & CEO of @TicketScalpr
    | Early & .1% in Sales @groupon

    Entrepreneur Chicago University of Wiscons...
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    Experience
    Cars.com
    Cars.com
    Product - Head of Apps 2017 - 2021 (over 3 years)
    At Cars.com, the leading automotive digital marketplace in the US, I contributed to transforming the car buying journey through an innovative & award winning app experience.

    •... more Led the Cars.com Mobile App department’s product strategy, growth & execution, growing revenues from $50M (at hiring) to $125M+.
    • Took the iOS & Android Apps from #4 in Car Shopping, to the #1 Car Shopping Apps in the world in 18 months.
    • Founded & led the lifecycle marketing team, revolutionizing our email & push marketing programs, increasing revenue $25M, while saving $1.5M.
    • Launched Cars’ first “Personalization” product, utilizing AI / ML to create a proprietary ‘recommendation’ algorithm.
    • Created the most profitable national ad product, resulting in $2M+ Annual Net Revenue,
    • Increased overall leads by 125%, vehicle views by 70%, & lead conversion by 65% (as web decreased 25%) through product & marketing initiatives.
    Lakeview Labs
    Lakeview Labs
    Founder & CEO 2014 - Present (almost 12 years)
    Led Chicago's premier Mobile App Development & Design agency, Lakeview Labs, transforming concepts into award-winning mobile applications, recognized for innovation and... more user engagement.

    • Founded Chicago’s award-winning mobile app development & design agency, winning ‘Best App Developers in Chicago’ (Clutch/ BuiltinChicago)
    • Launched over 25 apps, with a concentration in marketplaces, SaaS, real estate,
    photography, social & geolocation.
    • Developed multiple top-ranked apps, achieving 'featured' status on major app stores and dominating respective categories in user engagement and downloads:
    o LittleNugget: "Instagram for Baby Pictures" #6 app for photos and video.
    o Nourish.ai :App for a breakfast sandwich-making robot. PATENT HOLDER.
    o Nande: iOS & Android App for “‘explore your own city’ travel startup.
    o CURE: US’s largest Epilepsy non-profit, Wordpress & App Development.
    Ticket Scalpr - *Acquired*
    Exit
    Ticket Scalpr - *Acquired*
    Founder & CEO 2012 - 2016 (almost 4 years)
    Founded Ticket Scalpr, an “Uber for Ticket Scalping”, offering a secure and efficient Fan2Fan ticket marketplace at stadiums & venues.

    • Acquired in summer of 2016... more by the largest B2B ticket company in the US - TicketNetwork.
    • Became the #2 in app store for “Tickets” through product excellence & unique go-to-market.
    Groupon
    Exit
    Groupon
    Early Employee | .1% in Sales 2010 - 2012 (over 1 year)
    •Launched first ‘expansion’ city of Saskatoon, SK, and transformed it into the most profitable and best-producing market.
    •#1 in Groupon NOW! Sales and Revenue (out of... more over 350 reps).
    •Founded Groupon’s mobile app, GrouponNow! with a team of product, sales, marketing, designers, and developers.
    •Exceeded increasing sales quota by an average of 250% month over month.
    •Grossed 7x more net revenue than department average.
    •Sold fastest-selling Groupon deal & highest profit per deal ever.
    Founder
     
    Employee
    Groupon, Ticket Scalpr - *Acquired*, Lakeview Labs, Ticket Network, Colossal, Midwest.VC, Cars.com
    Investor
     
    Incubator
     
    Advisor
     
    Attorney
     
    Board Member
     
    Mentor
     
    Member
     
    Acquired
     
     
    Education
     
    About
    Achievements

    Hey there!

    I'm Patrick, a dynamic digital product architect, entrepreneur, and startup investor based in Chicago. My career is a broad canvas of scaling ambitious projects, driving startup innovation, and strategically managing product development — a journey marked by the creation of some of the world's top mobile apps

    Milestones:
    * Led critical growth phases & achieved sales excellence at Groupon, contributing to its massive success.
    * Navigated TicketScalpr from its inception through periods of rapid growth to a successful exit, experiencing the entire entrepreneurial journey.
    * Through LakeviewLabs, I led the development of over 30 mobile apps and web projects, gaining invaluable insights from both triumphs and challenges.
    * Drove significant & transformative strategies at Cars.com, blending UX & data-driven innovation, allowing us to ‘win’ the app market.
    * Recently at Colossal, I played a crucial role in blending software development with groundbreaking synthetic biology

    Describe the most impressive thing you've done.
    Skills
    Sales and Marketing Business Strategy User Experience Design Sales Strategy and Management Strategic Partnerships Product Management Product Development E-Commerce Management Team Lead Product Product Design Project Management Chief Executive Officer B2C B2B Mobile Development Application Development
    Locations
    Chicago
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