Brian Watson
Head of Product at FUTURE PRIMITIVE
San Francisco Bay Area
Overview
Work Experience
Head of Product
2024 - 2025
• Led the product vision and strategy for Future Primitive, a Web3 startup backed by industry leaders including a16z Crypto and Kindred Ventures. • Launched PERMA—a social photo app that uses blockchain attestation to verify authentic human moments. • Managed the product and design team.
Advisor & Angel Investor
2022 - 2024
• Provide strategic product and marketing guidance to early-stage startups, helping them refine product vision, storytelling, and fundraising strategies that resulted in over $15.5M raised in VC funding. • Advise on zero-to-one product development by optimizing roadmaps, designing effective viral loops, and architecting go-to-market strategies that harness cultural trends and drive user engagement. • Leverage diverse industry expertise to craft tailored product marketing strategies that accelerate growth and unlock capital.
Investor
2021 - 2022
• Led early-stage investments in consumer startups, co-investing with top-tier firms such as Kindred Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and 776 Ventures.
Spark Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in the consumer, commerce, FinTech, software, frontier, and media sectors.
Co-Founder
2020 - 2022
• Founded a collective of Bay Area Black artists and creative professionals, spearheading a nationwide campaign instrumental in establishing Juneteenth as a recognized Federal holiday. • Partnered with cultural institutions like the Oakland Museum of California to organize landmark events, driving community impact and supporting Black-owned businesses.
Product Manager, iMessage & Memoji
2019 - 2020
• Led the release of major product features for iMessage and Memoji in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur
Product Manager, Camera & Photos
2017 - 2019
• Led the release of major product features for the Camera and Photos apps in iOS 12 and iOS 13
Apple is a corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets consumer electronics, personal computers, and software.
Raised $1,170,230,000.00 from KB Securities, Berkshire Hathaway and Microsoft.
Senior Product Manager
2014 - 2017
• Owned the Community product roadmap and led multiple product groups at VSCO—a disruptive digital photography startup known for sparking the "VSCO Girl" trend. • Managed the end-to-end development of key features such as Favorites, Related Images, Messages, and numerous photo editing presets that significantly boosted weekly engagement, enhanced content discovery, and fueled community growth. • Leveraged quantitative and qualitative research insights to drive cross-functional innovation—including overseeing the company’s rebrand and launching the VSCO Originals content initiative.
VSCO is a creative channel that builds creative tools, spaces, and connections driven by self-expression.
Raised $90,000,000.00 from Obvious Ventures, Glynn Capital Management, Betaworks Ventures, Accel and Goldcrest Investments.
Analyst
2012 - 2014
• Sourced early-stage companies and provided critical market insights that contributed to 20+ new investments. • Participated in board meetings and supported portfolio companies, advising on product innovation and emerging tech trends.
Union Square Ventures is a venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage, growth-capital, late-stage, and startup financing.
Education
BS
2008 - 2012
High School
2006 - 2008