About Us

Outrigger supports innovative companies to accelerate growth.

Like an outrigger on a boat, we provide stability to help management teams navigate rapid growth, even in turbulent markets. Our experienced team serves as advisors, consultants and fractional executives through the most challenging phases of building a business, from inception through liquidity events.

Outrigger’s unique model ensures clients interact with experienced, industry-leading executives. The Outrigger principals have been operators themselves and know what businesses need to succeed. Accordingly, Outrigger offers clients the ability to elect a cash and equity compensation mix, instead of all cash. This arrangement often better balances short-term needs with long-term growth goals and aligns incentives between Outrigger and our clients.

Meet the Team

  • Brian Peterson

    Co-Founder + CEO

    Brian K. Peterson is a co-founder and the CEO of Outrigger Group, and was previously the COO and/or CFO at numerous companies, including Prattle and Atomic Revenue, as well as the CEO of AuVis.

    Brian’s expertise in finance, accounting and operations has allowed him to support dozens of clients ranging from pre-seed startups to companies with tens of millions in annual revenue. In addition to providing strategic advising and transactional support in collaboration with other Outrigger team members and affiliates, Brian regularly serves as a fractional CFO or COO with duties including strategic planning, management of processes and training/mentoring of key staff and c-suite executives. Brian started his career as a controller and financial analyst for UHY Advisors, before jumping into the startup world and serving as CFO, COO or CEO of several startups. Brian earned his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and his BSBA from Drake University.

  • Evan Schnidman

    Co-Founder + Advisor

    Evan A. Schnidman, Ph.D. is a co-founder of Outrigger Group, and was previously the founder and CEO of Prattle, Head of Data Innovation at Liquidnet and Co-founder of MarketReader.

    Evan’s expertise in innovation has afforded him the opportunity to consult to C-suite executives at numerous large corporations and dozens of startups. Evan also serves as a board or advisory board member to a diverse set of startups across fintech, data science, AI, finance, insurance, law and policy. Evan started his career as an academic game theorist, doing pioneering research on central bank decision dynamics, before delving into natural language processing and developing proprietary NLP models to analyze market-moving language. Evan earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University, his BA & MA from Washington University in St. Louis, and served as faculty at Brown University.

  • Jon Ryan

    Head of Marketing + Communications Advisory

    Jon Ryan brings over a decade of expertise to his role as the Head of Marketing and Communications Advisory. With a dynamic background encompassing agency, in-house, and consulting experience, Jon is a versatile B2B marketing and PR director. His commitment to creating measurable value is evident in his strategic approach, blending creativity with precise execution.

    Jon's core competencies span across various facets of marketing, including digital and content marketing, marketing strategy, lead generation, communications, media relations, CRM, marketing automation, copywriting, and graphic design. Passionate about leveraging strategy and creativity to achieve tangible outcomes, Jon is dedicated to helping innovative businesses tell their story and grow efficiently.

  • Canice Wu

    Canice Wu

    Head of Product and Growth Strategy

    Canice Wu is a fractional executive specializing in Product and Growth Strategy. With deep expertise in AI, digital transformation, strategy & operations, professional services, and venture building, he has led high-impact initiatives across SaaS, enterprise software, incubators, accelerators, and advisory firms. His leadership experience spans early-stage startups to IPO and acquisition, with notable roles at Salesforce, Oracle, Siebel Systems, C3.ai, RocketSpace, and Plug and Play Tech Center. 

    Canice has advised clients across industries including high tech, financial services, insurance, healthcare, and telecommunications. He holds Computer Science degrees from MIT and an MBA from UC Berkeley and has served on nonprofit boards such as the Asia America MultiTechnology Association.

    At Outrigger Group, Canice helps technology companies sharpen product-market fit, design and execute go-to-market strategies, and scale operations for sustained growth. He brings a collaborative, hands-on approach to solving complex growth challenges, drawing on decades of experience to accelerate traction and deliver measurable results.

  • Lexi Rankin

    Operations Manager

    Lexi Rankin is the Operations Manager at Outrigger Group, where she excels in overseeing both internal operational tasks and client projects. With a diverse skill set, she provides various services including bookkeeping, project management, administrative processes and improvement initiatives, and identifying opportunities/strategies for client growth.

    Lexi’s background in the health insurance industry has equipped her with expertise in full-cycle resource management, performance monitoring, reporting, and vendor relations within the IT space. Prior to her work in operations management, Lexi’s foundation in teaching allowed her to hone skills in problem-solving and team leadership.

  • Milo Mendoza

    Senior AI/ML Engineer 

    Milo holds a degree in data analytics from Hult International Business School and brings a strong foundation in applied data science and machine learning across various industries and client types. He has developed and implemented AI-driven solutions including neural network architectures, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) models, internal APIs, and cloud-based applications. 

    At Outrigger Group, Milo works with clients across fintech and other data-intensive sectors to deliver scalable, end-to-end AI/ML solutions. His services span from advanced financial and data research to the full development and deployment of machine learning models, with a strong emphasis on scalability and performance in cloud environments, particularly AWS. He also offers expertise in data engineering, including the architecture and implementation of data pipelines, cloud-native SQL and NoSQL databases, data lakes, and data warehouses. Milo focuses on helping clients turn complex data into actionable insights and competitive advantages.

Affiliates

In addition to our experienced team, Outrigger partners with leading experts in their respective industries to fulfill all of our clients’ needs in fractional executive roles.

Our diverse network of entrepreneurs, consultants and subject matter experts provides all of the resources needed to advise clients on a wide range of topics and initiatives.

Bruce Fador
Executive Coaching

Chris Hammond
Head of Product Design

Jon Neitzell
Investment Research Advisory

Natasha Shamis
Product Advisory

Brian Moulton
Fractional CTO +
Tech Due Diligence

Jonas Laében
Fractional CRO

Why “Outrigger?”

Running a company is like navigating a boat through stormy seas. An outrigger provides stability, allowing the boat to avoid capsizing and reach its destination.

At Outrigger Group, we strive to support businesses the way an outrigger supports a boat, providing much needed stability without slowing the pace of progress.