Andrew Breen

Biography

Andrew Breen is a partner at The Buy Build Fund & Assert Digital Ventures where he acquires & grows small, cash flow positive businesses into midsized cash positive businesses. He uses his years of digital product experience to expand their market and product mix. In addition, Andrew advises leading companies from startups to investors to Fortune 1000 companies on digital products and transformation. Known for his deep knowledge of the Lean framework, Andrew has significantly restructured the digital products, processes and culture of a range of companies.

Previously, Andrew was SVP of Digital for Argo Group (NYSE: ARGO), a multi-billion dollar commercial underwriter to SMBs where he led the company’s transition to a digital business and oversaw Argo Ventures, their early stage investment fund. His teams leveraged machine learning toward the goal of becoming the fastest and smartest risk assessor. During his tenure, premium went from zero to over $500 million through Argo Digital. The venture fund invested in 10 FinTech startups.

As VP of Product in American Express’s Enterprise Digital business unit, he led a cross functional digital team creating and delivering next generation digital products focused on new customer experiences. His teams built natural language (NLU) AI messaging and predictive algorithmic solutions across mobile and web properties driving loyalty and satisfaction as well as a 5% increase in top-line revenue.

In 2014, Andrew was appointed as adjunct professor at NYU's Stern School of Business to develop and teach a graduate level course in technology product management and innovation. Based on his methodology for building digital products and transforming organizations of any size, students learn how to leverage small teams to iteratively build technology products that deliver outcomes for their users. From that single course, TPM has expanded into a multi-course specialization at the school with upwards of 400 students enrolled annually and is also core for Stern’s Tech MBA. In 2019, Andrew was appointed as adjunct professor at NYU’s Courant Institute teaching a graduate computer science course showing technologists how to turn their inventions into businesses. In 2023, Andrew started Stern’s first offering in Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) whereby students learn how to jump start their entrepreneurial journey via acquiring a profitable business to take it to the next level.

Previously, Andrew built and grew several tech startups through successful launch, expansion and exits including ThinAirApps (sold to Palm), Interactive Imaginations (sold to form 24/7 Media), EarthWeb (sold to become Internet.com), and Medialets (sold to WPP). As Director of Palm’s Services Product Group, he led the formation and strategic direction of Palm’s wireless data services business. In 2007, he was the lead industry advisor to Harbinger Capital on their $100m investment in Openwave where he engaged the Board and management to reduce product lines, sell non-core businesses, restructure costs, and return over $200m to shareholders. Over his career, he’s been an advisor to Northwestern Mutual, Skype, Credit Suisse and multiple tech startups and investment funds.

Andrew is a regular speaker at technology industry conferences on product development, innovation and organizational design. He is co-author of the 2017 book, Strategy and Communication for Innovation (Springer) addressing the organizational and cultural issues around realizing innovation at scale. In 2019, the next volume in the Springer Strategy & Communication series includes his chapter on the criticality of vision setting in modern, digital organizations.

Andrew has a dual Information and Decision Systems and Industrial Management (business) degree from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Research Interests

• technology
• product management
• digital growth & distribution

Courses Taught

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) & Search Funds
• Technology Product Management
• Technology Product Management II

Academic Background

BS, Information & Decision Systems and Business
Carnegie-Mellon University