Athan Slotkin

I help founders, startups, and growth-stage teams turn complex opportunities into clear strategy, sharper positioning, stronger brands, and executable plans. I’m a global startup advisor, serial entrepreneur, and Yale MBA with 20+ years of experience advising entrepreneurs and building businesses across AI, consumer, marketplaces, membership, loyalty, Web3, travel, financial services, real estate, retail, and emerging markets. I’ve advised 1,000+ founders and operators, traveled to 100+ countries, and worked across industries where the right strategy depends on understanding markets, customers, competition, incentives, timing, taste, and how people actually behave. Clients usually come to me when they need clarity on one or more of these: • Startup strategy, positioning, and business model design • Brand strategy, messaging, narrative, and market feel • AI-era opportunities, workflows, and market strategy • Go-to-market, growth, loyalty, membership, and rewards models • Pitch decks, investor narratives, financial models, and strategic plans • Competitive strategy, pricing, customer psychology, and execution priorities Earlier in my career, I managed Membership Rewards partnerships and card strategy at American Express, including work across the Black, Platinum, and Gold Card portfolios. I have an MBA from Yale and a BA from Cornell. My strength is taking messy, high-stakes business questions and turning them into structured clarity: what matters, what does not, where the leverage is, and what to do next. A lot of my work sits where strategy, brand, UX, incentives, and execution meet: finding the angle, the story, the feel, and the business logic that make something click. I’m a game theory thinker and former professional poker player, so I pay close attention to incentives, competition, risk, uncertainty, and whether a business is being looked at honestly, not just optimistically. I also genuinely enjoy this work. I like big ideas, weird markets, ambitious founders, sharp strategy, strong brands, good design, and figuring out what is really going on beneath the surface of a business. Personally, I’m a lifelong athlete, avid traveler, and deeply curious about food, language, culture, cities, markets, and how people think in different parts of the world. Hablo español. Je parle français. A few blurbs from my clients: "Athan just gets business. I've worked with him on several different projects and he always has an incredible way of distilling the problem and developing a smart strategy." - Tara, Brand/Business Model Agency Owner "Athan is the consummate New York business person - it's no coincidence he's so good at helping others. He's gritty and reliable. He always delivers" - Kevin, Real Estate Business Owner "Hire him and give him some working space - he will surprise you." - Brian, former boss. "There are not many people who can wear so many hats simultaneously - Athan is a rare person." - Tom, Strategy Consultant