About
Founder & Principal
Erick Watson is the founder and principal of SproutVest, a consultancy that helps founders, funds, and family offices commercialize emerging technologies in AI, blockchain, and enterprise SaaS. Across 15+ years at Google, Microsoft, Protocol Labs, and high-growth startups, he has contributed to $1.33B+ in documented revenue impact and participated in 4 startup exits, raising $54.3M across ventures. He is a member of the Toptal network (top 3% of freelance product managers). Alongside client engagements, Erick coaches founder-CEOs and first-time product executives through SproutVest's Operator Coaching practice.
Full career history, speaking record, and press at erickwatson.com/Bio.
Philosophy
"Equitable Corporate Development means building companies where technical excellence, commercial sustainability, and ethical stewardship reinforce one another."
SproutVest operates on the belief that the best products emerge when deep technical insight meets disciplined go-to-market execution. We don't just optimize for growth. We help teams build infrastructure that earns trust and compounds value over time.
This philosophy extends to how we engage with clients: transparent communication, outcome-driven partnerships, and a commitment to transferring knowledge so your team can operate independently.
Mentorship & Teaching
Coaching at SproutVest is new as an offer and old as a practice. Erick has mentored continuously for over a decade, across programs that span first-generation college students, graduate engineers, and angel-backed founders. This record is where the Trellis Method was built.
Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) · Student Mentor · 2018–2025
Seven years mentoring graduate students in the Master of Science in Technology Innovation program, a collaboration between the University of Washington, Tsinghua University, and Microsoft.
Seattle Angel Conference · Startup Mentor, Fund Manager & Investor · 2019–2023
Four years inside a semiannual investor-driven conference that runs thorough due diligence on 50+ startups per cycle. Angel investor in SAC XVI (awarded to Xemelgo), pro bono due diligence lead for SAC XVII (awarded to Tribute and PDM Automotive), and pro bono fund manager and managing partner for SAC XVIII and three sidecar funds (awarded to Advice Analytics, AgTools, Advocat, and Kachinga).
Plato · Business Mentor · 2023
Mentored engineers making the jump to engineering leadership through Plato's structured mentorship platform.
Global Mentorship Initiative · Mentor · 2020
Coached underserved college students worldwide on career planning, professional communication, and landing their first career job.
Erick has also served as a member and volunteer of the Washington Technology Industry Association since 2011.
What Sets Us Apart
Operator Depth
4 startup exits and $1.22B in incremental ARR at Google Search Ads. Every recommendation traces back to work Erick has done himself as a founder, executive, or board advisor.
Full-Stack Range
Equally at home discussing cryptographic primitives with your engineering team and unit economics with your board. One person carries the full context, from architecture reviews to pricing decisions.
Engagement Structure
SproutVest takes on 2 to 3 parallel clients at most. Engagements are milestone-based and outcome-aligned, so you pay for results rather than billable hours.
Ready to Work Together?
Whether you're evaluating a deep tech investment or building AI/blockchain infrastructure, let's explore how SproutVest can help you move faster and smarter.
30-min call · No commitment · Or send a brief →