Product engineering and AI strategy advisory
Independent consulting for investors and product teams, from an executive who has led engineering at Reddit, OpenAI, Google, and Netflix.
Schedule a consultationExperience at
- OpenAI
- Netflix
- Goldman Sachs
Services
Three ways to work together, each grounded in operating experience rather than theory.
Consulting
Product engineering and AI strategy guidance for investors, VCs, and product teams.
- Market trend analysis for consumer and enterprise products
- AI technology assessment and implementation strategy
- Product-market fit evaluation and go-to-market planning
- Technical due diligence for investment decisions
Speaking
Keynotes, panels, and workshops on AI adoption and engineering leadership.
- Keynotes on AI adoption and product innovation
- Panels on engineering leadership and technology trends
- Corporate workshops on building AI-powered products
- University lectures on careers in tech
Coaching
One-on-one development for engineering leaders over a three to six month program.
- Weekly one-on-one strategy sessions
- Leadership style assessment
- Guidance from an experienced engineering executive
- Limited on-demand support between sessions
Your advisor
One practitioner, not a bench of associates. Every engagement is led directly by Howard.
Howard Ekundayo
Product Engineering Executive · Board Chair · Advisor
Howard is a Senior Director of Engineering at Reddit, leading the organization behind Reddit's content ecosystem. At OpenAI, he led the engineering team behind the core ChatGPT experiences on web, iOS, and Android.
Before that, he was a Director of Engineering at Google on Search, an Engineering Director at Netflix for Netflix.com, and an engineer and tech lead at Goldman Sachs. He also co-founded Onramp, a workforce-development startup that raised $2M in seed funding.
Operating experience
Advice grounded in roles held, not case studies read.
Reddit — Senior Director of Engineering
Leads the engineering organization behind Reddit's content ecosystem across millions of daily active users.
- Builds the consumer experiences that turn readers into active contributors
- Helps users launch communities and creators grow their audiences
- Previously led Reddit's Growth organization across acquisition, onboarding, conversion, and retention
OpenAI — Engineering Leader
Led core engineering teams for ChatGPT across web, iOS, and Android.
- Delivered features that improved user experience and engagement
- Led architecture improvements that reduced latency by 30%
- Managed cross-functional teams on strategic initiatives
Google — Director of Engineering
Led a 100+ person international organization focused on Search consumer experiences.
- Drove strategic initiatives across multiple markets
- Built diverse, high-performing engineering teams
- Led the transition to AI-first search experiences
Netflix — Engineering Director
Owned Netflix.com consumer product strategy and engineering execution.
- Shipped personalization features that increased member retention
- Managed platform evolution and international scaling
- Led cross-functional teams building the global platform
Onramp — Founder and CTO
Raised $2M in seed funding for a workforce-development startup building a corporate-sponsored recruiting and upskilling platform.
- Built the product roadmap and platform architecture from scratch
- Led fundraising and investor relations
- Managed the engineering team through launch
Goldman Sachs — Engineer and Tech Lead
Built internal systems across Quantitative Investment Strategies and Global Investment Research.
- Designed and launched order management systems
- Built electronic trading services and reconciliation reporting
- Delivered investment research publishing applications
Pricing
Coaching has a flat monthly rate. Consulting and speaking are scoped per engagement.
Consulting
Quoted per engagement
Advisory for investors and product teams, scoped to your questions.
Request a quoteSpeaking
Quoted per event
Keynotes, panels, and workshops for conferences and corporate events.
Make an inquiryCoaching
$1,350/month
Weekly one-on-one sessions over a three to six month program.
See what's includedFrequently asked questions
- What services does Apex Leadership Lab offer?
- Three services: product engineering and AI strategy consulting, speaking engagements, and leadership coaching for engineering leaders.
- Who is behind Apex Leadership Lab?
- Howard Ekundayo, a Senior Director of Engineering at Reddit who previously led engineering teams at OpenAI, Google, and Netflix, and began his career at Goldman Sachs.
- How much does it cost?
- Leadership coaching is $1,350 per month. Consulting and speaking engagements are quoted per engagement.
- What does leadership coaching include?
- Weekly one-on-one strategy sessions over three to six months, a leadership style assessment, and limited on-demand support between sessions.
- How do engagements start?
- Send a note through the contact form. You will get a reply within 24 hours to schedule an introductory call.
- Where is Apex Leadership Lab based?
- San Francisco, California. Engagements are held remotely, with in-person options in the Bay Area.
Get in touch
Describe what you are working on. You will get a reply within 24 hours.