Coach, strategist, and friend to social impact startups.

I'm here to help startups have positive impact at scale. I do this in a few ways: I coach founders and emerging leaders; I advise mission-driven startups on transformation and impact; I help foundations incubate ideas and build networks of talent.

My practice is built on 15 years of product leadership within vc and non-profit ecosystems. Prior to going independent I cofounded Hello World, a mobile application that helped unlock $100 million in scholarships for young people doing good around the world. Before that, I was a product leader at Khan Academy, driving our strategic initiatives in classroom adoption as well as exploring new possibilities within our R&D lab. Our work played an important role in helping students achieve higher-than-expected math gains, even in the height of the covid pandemic.

Past work includes DrawQuest, an iPad app that reached #1 in the App Store for Entertainment, and Slash Keyboard, which won Product Hunt's product of the year and sold to Giphy in 2017. For the whole spiel, here's my LinkedIn.

I am a perennial friend to founders, and I've advised and mentored within the Union Square Ventures, Betaworks, and Techstars networks.

Working together

I offer a few different engagement models that vary in depth and duration. All engagements start the same way: with an informal chat where we can get to know each other better and discover if there's a fit.

Product consulting
Leadership coaching

Looking for something else? Grab time with me here, or reach out over email: nsbarr@gmail.com.

Recent work

Building complex reasoning skills online through open-ended activities

At Khan Academy, we worked closely with teachers to prototype a new kind of learning platform that delivered rapid feedback on open-ended learning activities.

Illuminating the Inner Triangle

The Inner Triangle is a method for bringing more clarity and freedom to decision-making by getting to know the three inner stakeholders involved in any situation where you feel torn.

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