Bearhug Recruiting | CPO Search Fulfillment | ServiceUp

CPO Search

ServiceUp (PeakSpan Portfolio)

Brett Carlson
CEO, ServiceUp
Hiring Authority
Brett Carlson
Jack Freeman
Partner, PeakSpan
Investor
Jack Freeman
PLACEMENT MADE

Amit Shrivastava

Chief Product Officer at ServiceUp

"We landed the perfect person for the moment. 10/10."

Brett Carlson, CEO

53 DAYS TO PLACEMENT
PRESS RELEASE →
780 companies mapped
10,357 profiles reviewed
7 presented
7 interviewed
2 finalists
1 placed

The Mandate

ServiceUp is building the operating system for auto repair — a two-sided marketplace connecting large fleets and insurance companies with a network of 1,000+ service shops. The platform automates service management, parts procurement, and payment processing across a half-trillion-dollar US TAM that has never been properly addressed. The CPO will own the full product function, building the product organization from scratch, taking the platform from 5/10 to 10/10, and driving the AI and automation roadmap that turns ServiceUp into a billion-dollar platform.

Competencies That Matter

Product vision and roadmap execution in fast-growing B2B marketplaces or vertical SaaS. Deep expertise in AI, automation, and workflow optimization for physical-world operations. Ability to build and coach a driven but junior product team into a world-class organization. Cross-functional leadership across engineering, operations, sales, and executive stakeholders. Customer expansion strategy, diversifying revenue concentration from 2 anchor enterprise clients to 5+ across fleet, insurance, and shop segments.

Experience Profile

10+ years of product leadership. Scaled B2B marketplace or vertical SaaS from $10M to $100M+. Built and led product teams of 15+. Startup-to-scaleup trajectory required. Ideal backgrounds include Toast, Uber, Airbnb, DoorDash, Samsara, Thumbtack, or adjacent marketplace and logistics platforms. CS or product design degree preferred. Must understand both the development and data sides of the product.

Cultural Indicators

ServiceUp runs on a 3-of-5 consensus model among the leadership team. The CEO hires people smarter than himself and gives them freedom to execute. The company is highly competitive and ruthlessly efficient with a team-first mentality. The right person thrives on ambiguity and has the grit to build in a broken, fragmented ecosystem that is ripe for disruption.

Target Geography

Bay Area, hybrid 3+ days per week in-office. South Bay ideal. Quarterly leadership retreats with the full team.

Target Compensation

$250K-$350K base salary. $400K-$500K total on-target earnings. 2%-4% equity with 5% for an exceptional candidate. Series A valuation $46M, Series B targeting $70M-$200M+ valuation. Sign-on bonus negotiable. Unlimited PTO, full Aetna health and dental for family, $350/month gym stipend.

Target Start Date

Search launched Q1 2025 with a Q2/Q3 target. Search completed. Role filled.

Cumulative · updated every Friday
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Day 53
Days Since Launch 4 11 17 25 32 39 46 53
Target Companies Mapped 779 780 780 780 780 780 780 780
Companies Fully Mined 355 467 618 701 780 780 780 780
Profiles Reviewed 7,104 8,368 9,457 9,883 10,357 10,357 10,357 10,357
Candidate Pipeline 78 90 99 106 109 109 109 109
BEARHUG INTERVIEW PROCESS
Screened Out 24 16 23 48 53 55 57
Candidate Slate 3 4 7 7 7 7
CLIENT INTERVIEW PROCESS
1st-Interview 3 4 7 7 7 7
2nd-Interview 2 4 4 4 4
Finalists 2 2
Amit Shrivastava

Amit

Placed

Why this profile

The complete package for this stage. Built and scaled a product org from zero in a two-sided B2B marketplace with the exact AI/automation depth ServiceUp needs.

Green Flags

  • Built Twin’s product org from 0 to 30+
  • Scaled B2B marketplace from $5M to $40M+ ARR
  • Deep AI/ML product strategy experience

Yellow Flags

  • First outside CPO hire (no predecessor to learn from)
  • Transitioning from a smaller marketplace to ServiceUp's enterprise scale
Write-Up References
Anand Tharanathan

Anand

Out

Why this profile

Enterprise SaaS pedigree at massive scale. The question was whether he could downshift to a Series B builder role and accept the comp reset.

Green Flags

  • $12B enterprise SaaS leadership at ServiceNow
  • Scaled teams from 70 to 170+ US plus 300 India
  • Launched Facebook Dating to 100M+ MAUs

Yellow Flags

  • ~$2M total comp creates major gap risk
  • 6-week India trip compressed timeline
Write-Up References
Joerg Habermeier

Joerg

Out

Why this profile

Proven B2B SaaS scaler with a personal passion for the automotive space. Strong AI credentials through a deep Google partnership at UJet.

Green Flags

  • Scaled UJet from ~$2M to $50-75M+ ARR over 7 years
  • Drove AI strategy via Google partnership landing Bell Canada
  • Led platform stabilization during COVID (Instacart 2,500 to 25,000 agents)

Yellow Flags

  • 7+ years at a single company (risk aversion signal)
  • No direct marketplace experience
Write-Up
Pratap Shergill

Pratap

Out

Why this profile

Deep automotive marketplace DNA from AutoFi. Built the product org from scratch in a domain-adjacent vertical with real enterprise API complexity.

Green Flags

  • Built AutoFi product org from $0 to $50M+
  • Scaled fully remote product team of 12
  • Led COVID pivot to enterprise API model powering 1M+ transactions/month

Yellow Flags

  • No experience scaling beyond $50M to $100M+
  • Interest level at 65% (lower than peers)
Write-Up
Srinivasa Rao Gurubelli

Srinivasa

Out

Why this profile

Founding engineer who rode a single company from inception to unicorn status. Rare combination of deep technical chops and product/business ownership.

Green Flags

  • Founding engineer, built Harness from inception to $200M+ valuation
  • Scaled CD product from $0 to $90M+ ARR
  • Led global teams across product, engineering, and customer success

Yellow Flags

  • ~$7.5M in unvested equity (major walk-away cost)
  • Competing offer from former CTO/mentor (timing risk)
Write-Up
Hossam Bahlool

Hossam

Out

Why this profile

Senior CPO with enterprise platform depth across BlackBerry, Mapbox, and Data Axle. Entrepreneurial DNA from a bootstrapped startup exit.

Green Flags

  • 20+ years product leadership across BlackBerry, Mapbox, Data Axle
  • 106% ARR growth, 45% YoY user growth track record
  • Bootstrapped and sold own startup

Yellow Flags

  • Declined full-time role (career stage mismatch)
  • Only available for consulting at 5-10 hours per week
Write-Up
Julian Whitaker

Julian

Out

Why this profile

Prolific product operator with 100+ products shipped. Two exits contributing to 9-figure acquisitions. Strongest at zero-to-one builds where he serves as right-hand to the CEO.

Green Flags

  • 100+ products shipped across 60 domains
  • Two 9-figure exits (Location Labs, Capsilon)
  • Reduced enterprise onboarding from 2 months to 90 seconds at HotSchedules

Yellow Flags

  • Pattern of short tenures and consulting-heavy portfolio
  • Communication style flagged during screening
Write-Up
Human Performance Brands

Product, commercial, and operational executive search. Performance apparel, footwear, fitness, action sports, outdoor gear, nutrition, wellness. Brands doing $50M to $500M+.

Practice overview →
Environmental & DeepTech

GTM, product, and finance executive search. Early- and growth-stage environmental technology and deep-tech startups. Scale-ups doing $3M to $50M+.

Practice overview →

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