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I'm an entrepreneur turned product and GTM leader who builds relationship infrastructure…
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Scott Pollack reposted thisScott Pollack reposted thisWe are #hiring interns for the summer! Please share this with any undergraduate students who might be interested in joining our private equity investment team.
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Scott Pollack shared thisI'm looking forward to chatting about everything I've learned about partnerships and community building with my friend Franz-Josef Schrepf to kick off season 2 of The Partner Ship. Join us live next week!Scott Pollack shared thisScott Pollack spent 20 years building partnerships at giants like American Express and WeWork. Then he noticed something: the partnerships professionals he worked with had no profession, no training, no certifications, no community. So he built one. Scott is the CEO and co-founder of Firneo, the leading learning community for partnerships professionals, and heads member programs at Pavilion. In this episode, we dig into: - How 20 years in partnerships led him to build the community infrastructure the profession was missing - Why the average partner manager has 30 portals, 30 Slack groups, and 30 newsletters, and nobody looks at any of them - What separates a community people actually show up to from one that gets ignored - What changes when you stop managing a partner program and start managing a community - Why community might be the only distribution strategy that cuts through the noise Whether you're an ecosystem leader sitting on 500 active partners or a partnerships professional wondering what comes next, this conversation will change how you think about your partner program.
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Scott Pollack posted this"Keep your knees bent" He didn't know he was giving advice. But Jeremy Schwartz dropped this nugget of career wisdom that I think ambitious person should heed. Jeremy and I were introduced in 2012, when he was a friend-of-a-friend (thanks Graham Siener!), former-lawyer-turned-startup-founder thinking about his next gig. A bit later, a chance introduction I made led to a 13-year (and going!) stint at Squarespace where he went on to conceive, build, and scale their $100M+ channel program from scratch. Over breakfast last week, we were dissecting what led to his success in building a business unit that drives a double-digit % of revenue for a multi-billion dollar company. It's not easy to survive (let alone thrive) at a company for more than a decade -- it requires intestinal fortitude to manage the rollercoaster of org changes, strategy shifts, market cycles, and more. But he off-handedly told me that a mantra that he embodies, and encourages his teams to remember: "Keep your knees bent." It's familiar advice for any athlete - stay in a ready stance, so you can strike, pivot, or react, no matter which way the ball goes. Having worked at some of the largest enterprises and fastest-growing startups, let me tell you: that's gold advice at any stage. Stay light on your feet and be ready to move is good advice at every stage. It's easy to get nauseous from change. To reject pivots out of fear or get tired of change. But you can't birth a unicorn without being adaptable. I love having these catchup chats and seeing my friends thrive. But selfishly, I also love being able to take away those poignant reminders (and unexpected advice) that remind us all of why they succeeded in the first place.
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Scott Pollack shared thisEvery morning, his desk would crackle with the sound of freshly brewing coffee from the Mr. Coffee he kept in his cubicle. It's been almost 20 years since I met Alan Stein as cubicle-neighbors in the American Express tower. I've been fortunate to remain friends long after we parted as colleagues, and as he soared to new heights at Google, Facebook, Meta, and as startup founder at Kadima Careers. I'd admired how he built his business. "You're killing it," I'd say. What I (and probably most people) didn't realize was how much the stress and challenges of the entrepreneurial journey were killing *him.* We had a hearty chat over a meaty lunch yesterday at Hamburger America (as evidenced by my post about another Amex reunion a couple weeks at a grungy noodle joint, I clearly identify more as "chowhound" than "foodie" with a taste for decidedly un-fancy meals). He shared the story of his last 67 days in recovery -- an intentional detox from the stress and stressors that brought him and his family to the brink. He looked and sounded happier and healthier than I'd seen him in years. But here's what struck me: despite knowing someone for most of my adult life, you never know how much you don't know. We keep so much of our stress and struggle locked inside that most people never see it. It's cliche to say "you never know what someone's going through." But relationships are what afford us the opportunity to be there for someone. To have the kind of trust where they can share what's really happening. Another chat with a colleague-turned-friend, and another reminder of what I really treasure most about keeping up a strong "network": building and maintaining relationships, not as a means to an end, but as the end itself. In business, in careers, in life, and sometimes at the intersection of all three.
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Scott Pollack posted thisWhen I was younger, I'd look at people who were content to stay in the same job, at the same level, for years or decades with mild contempt. What's *wrong* with them? Why aren't they striving for more? But I get it now. I had a conversation a while back with my friend James Queen who told me about the "Post-Achievement" stage of life & career: that point when people who've achieved great heights suddenly turn it in for a "simpler" life. The high-powered executive becomes an executive coach. Corporate leader to cafe owner. Ladder-climbing VP to fractional consultant. I caught up today with my old American Express colleague Laura Nelsen. We remarked on how NYC amplifies ambition - almost like the geography itself adds to the burnout. It takes highly ambitious people and makes you strive even harder. It's exhilarating, but exhausting. Being a striving, overachiever seems great when you're in your 20s. But in your 40s and 50s, you realize it's not all it's cracked up to be. There's always a higher rung on the ladder. And success begets stress. Burnout lurks. That's what I was missing all of those years ago, when judgement clouded my vision. I was blinded to what those non-striving colleagues who were living simple lives of contentment had all along: Enough. I wish I had it then. But I'm happy to be finding it now.
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Scott Pollack posted thisSome of the most important work I've done never showed up in a metric. The conversation before a meeting that prevented an escalation. The context shared privately that changed a decision. The alignment created before anything broke. None of that looks impressive on paper. But when it's missing, everything gets harder. Relationship-driven work often goes unnoticed - until it's no longer there.
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Scott Pollack shared thisFifteen years ago, a few colleagues and I at American Express used to occasionally go on "Adventure Lunches". We'd grab a cab across town from the Amex Tower into Chinatown, hunting for the best hole-in-the-wall spots that make New York feel like New York. My personal favorite was a dingy noodle shop on Eldridge Street called Sheng Wang. (RIP to the best hand-pulled and knife-cut noodles in NYC). Fast-forward to last week. I'd posted something on LinkedIn. Nothing big - a few likes. But instead of scrolling past them, I reached out to a few people whose names I hadn't seen in years. One was an old colleague and friend, David Mazer. I sent a simple note: thanks for the like, good to see you, how's everything? Yesterday, David, myself, and another Amex buddy Tim Buckley met up for an Adventure Dinner at a similarly gritty noodle spot in NJ to catchup like old times. Different place. Same spirit. Slightly grayer. Slightly more weathered. Still up for an adventure. What struck me wasn't the nostalgia. It was the reminder that relationships don't disappear - they just go dormant. Most people want to reconnect. They're just waiting for permission. Sometimes that permission is nothing more than noticing a quiet signal - a like, a comment, a familiar name - and responding like a human. A relationship that had dwindled is now active again. Support is flowing both ways. And it took almost no effort at all. The strongest relationships don't need constant maintenance. They just need someone willing to say hello.
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Scott Pollack shared thisIn 1996, Samuel L. Jackson taught me something critical about building strong professional relationships. You see, I've spent a lot of time in roles where ownership is shared. Ownership over a product, a partner, a customer outcome, a KPI. And in those roles, when things work, it feels seamless. Everyone's happy. But when they don't -- fingers get pointed. Post-mortems get scheduled. Because it's always someone else who dropped the ball. In my experience, the failure rarely comes from lack of effort or one person's actual incompetence. More often, it comes from unclear incentives -- and unspoken assumptions. Assuming that you're aligned on goals with partners; or assuming that you're clear on what good looks like with your internal stakeholders; or assuming you truly understand how important it is to a customer to solve a particular problem BEFORE you invest in building a fix. And as Mitch Hennessey (aka Samuel L. Jackson) reminded us in the absolute classic "The Long Kiss Goodnight": "When you make an assumption, you make an Ass out of U and Umption" The most effective people in relationship-centric roles don't assume they're aligned. They actively seek, clarify, and confirm it in every conversation.
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Scott Pollack posted thisEarly in my career, I thought strong relationships were about being responsive and likable. Passing the "get a beer with him" test. Don't get me wrong - all of that helps. But it's far from enough. And it can cause anxiety when personalities clash with business priorities. Over time, I learned that strong relationships are really about consistency. Saying the same thing in different rooms. Making tradeoffs visible. Not ghosting when something gets uncomfortable. Doing what you say you're going to do. The partnerships that lasted weren't built on charm. They were built on trust that held up when priorities changed. That kind of relationship work is quiet. But it compounds.
Scott Pollack commented on a post
1d
My condolences Justin
Scott Pollack replied to a comment
1mo
but minus the drug part. Just the awesomeness part that I learned from you Nelson Wang 🤣
Scott Pollack replied to a comment
1mo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXb7do9C-w
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Scott Pollack liked thisScott Pollack liked this🎉 Today we're announcing the release of a brand new service: AIR 🎉 How will AI impact Nurses? Electricians? Plumbers? Accountants? Any of the 1000+ other occupations? AIR pulls together the latest data for every single occupation in the US, based on the latest data from Anthropic, Microsoft, and many others. It's a one-stop shop for the latest data at the occupation level, actionable next steps, and free resources to upskill -- and the feedback so far has been extremely encouraging. And there's more: We're also launching with MCP and API integration options, and including our own experimental AI resilience model that expands coverage to often-overlooked occupations not included in some of the other models. It's all available at www.airesilience.org, in beta starting today. This project came together extremely quickly, and I'm super thankful for the brilliant CareerVillage.org swat team that put it together and all of the dozens of leading economists who weighed in on the early alpha versions to help us get to this beta release. We welcome your feedback during this beta test phase!! #AIResilience #FutureofWork #WorkforceDevelopment #NavTech
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Scott Pollack liked thisScott Pollack liked thisI spy with my little eye… Modernist Pantry on America's Culinary Cup with Padma Lakshmi! Fifteen years ago, Modernist Pantry was a scrappy side project I was helping with while waiting for my daughter to be born. I wasn’t a lifelong entrepreneur or a natural-born leader. I was just figuring it out as I went. Building that business stretched me in ways I couldn’t have predicted. It demanded more creativity, resilience and grit than I knew I had. Seeing Modernist Pantry featured on national TV is surreal, and I feel like a proud parent whose kid went to the Olympics. It’s a nice reminder of how far steady, imperfect progress can take you.
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Scott Pollack liked thisScott Pollack liked thisWe are #hiring interns for the summer! Please share this with any undergraduate students who might be interested in joining our private equity investment team.
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Scott Pollack liked thisScott Pollack liked thisToday is #RareDiseaseDay. In October 2022, I walked into the ER at Brooklyn Methodist with jaundice — as yellow as a banana. At midnight, in a shared ER room, I was told I had pancreatic cancer, to get my affairs in order and that the doctor would “pray for me.” Then she left. I had to call my wife and tell her over the phone that I had 7 days left. We spent the night planning for a future (on the phone) we thought might be very short. Three days later, after scopes, MRIs, CT scans, biopsies, and more than 50 vials of blood, that diagnosis proved wrong. What I actually have is Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) — an orphan disease with fewer than 50,000 cases in the U.S. My immune system attacks my liver as if it’s a foreign object. It nearly caused liver failure. It also triggered inflammation in my pancreas that required a stent. AIH is chronic. It’s incurable. It’s manageable. I lost 30 pounds. I’ve been hospitalized multiple times. I live with lifelong monitoring, medication, and a new normal — no alcohol, strict nutrition, ongoing labs, constant vigilance. But I’m here. My liver recovered. I’m working. I’m with my family. Rare diseases don’t show up easily on standard lists. They are often diagnosed by elimination. And when they’re missed — or confused with something else — the emotional cost can be enormous. If there’s one reason I’m sharing this, it’s awareness. If you’re told something devastating, ask questions. Get a second opinion. Rare does not mean impossible — and it also does not mean hopeless. Grateful for the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine who took over my case and got it right. And grateful, every day, to still be here. Please share/repost so EVERYONE can benefite by awareness. #AutoimmuneHepatitis #AIH #RareDisease
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Scott Pollack liked thisScott Pollack liked this🚨 TODAY IN THE CONTENT CREATION ARENA: The Royalllll... (Image...) Rummmmble 🚨 In the blue corner, wearing a hoodie, sipping an oat milk latte, your old flame until you met Opus: G... P... T... 5.3 - “Here’s 12 variations, plus a brand system.” In the red corner, emerging from a subscription portal guarded by two-factor authentication and ancient licensing scrolls: Adobbbbeee Fiiiire Fly!!! - :: refuses to speak :: 🎺 THE MATCHUP: “Improve the resolution of this document.” A simple request. A humble piece of paper. A blurry unsteady photo. FIGHT! GPT 5.3 charges and straightens things up. Adobe swings and finds pure white, man does it know the color of paper. But wait.. Adobe is trying to type a message.. it reads... I can't read that Jim can you read that? No that is total absolute gibberish. It is like you are sending a fax in a washing machine. And why the grid of squares? wtf? The format isn't even close to the original. GPT can really take advantage here. And that's it. A knockout blow. Look at that document! It's perfect. And if you need it, they reference a nice "Gride for Your Business" that your future "organizann" can use. Stunning. Jim, wait... who is that entering the ring?? I can't believe it. It's Scanner! From 2016! OMG! ------ Adobe is just hopelessly behind the curve. You can say "not the right tool" or "you didn't use this the right way", but the point is users are unfair. My interface and preferred UI is to speak to you and ask you for what I want.
Experience & Education
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Something New - Preparing the Workforce for the Age of AI (Stealth)
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Volunteer Experience
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Chair, Recent Undergraduate Committee
NYU Stern School of Business - Alumni Council
- 1 year 1 month
Education
Publications
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What, Exactly, Is Business Development: A Primer on Getting Deals Done
See publicationBusiness Development is not just a sexy job title - it's a growth tool for companies. The only problem is, everyone expects you to learn "how to do BD" on the job.
You can spend years figuring out what makes for successful partnerships, or you can learn a proven framework for thinking about and pursuing business development opportunities from a renowned expert. "What, Exactly, Is Business Development" provides exactly that.
Over a 15+ year career, spanning companies ranging from…Business Development is not just a sexy job title - it's a growth tool for companies. The only problem is, everyone expects you to learn "how to do BD" on the job.
You can spend years figuring out what makes for successful partnerships, or you can learn a proven framework for thinking about and pursuing business development opportunities from a renowned expert. "What, Exactly, Is Business Development" provides exactly that.
Over a 15+ year career, spanning companies ranging from American Express to WeWork, Scott Pollack has made all the mistakes, learned all the lessons, and has figured out the right way to do Business Development. He's taught hundreds of students in live workshops across the world, and now he's bringing those lessons to you in this book.
TESTIMONIALS:
"Whether you've been working in business development for years or are just starting out, this book is a blueprint that will ensure you maximize growth"
FRANCIS LOBO, Chief Revenue Officer, WeWork
"Scott's work is an essential read for those in, looking to break into, or have a better understanding of Business Development."
KENNY HERMAN, Vice President, Business Development, Shutterstock
"It's great to see Scott sharing what he's learned in this excellent primer on modern Business Development"
CHRIS FRALIC, Partner, First Round Capital
Honors & Awards
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Fellow of the Year
Startup Leadership Program
Organizations
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Startup Leadership Program
Fellow
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