David Bendes
About David Bendes
David Bendes is the Director of Product, Platform Services - Next Gen at the NBA and serves as a Tech Advisor/Interim CTO at Tough Leaf.
Title
David Bendes currently serves as the Director of Product, Platform Services - Next Gen at the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also holds the position of Tech Advisor / Interim CTO at Tough Leaf.
Current and Past Roles
David Bendes has an extensive career spanning various roles. He is currently the Director of Product, Platform Services - Next Gen at the NBA. In parallel, he works as a Tech Advisor / Interim CTO at Tough Leaf. Previously, he held numerous positions at Birchbox, including VP, Global Business Technology & Data, and multiple director-level roles in operations and personalization technology. He also worked at Digital Daruma as an Angel Investment Analyst and at Section 101 in strategic project management and business operations roles.
Education and Academic Achievements
David Bendes achieved a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School, where he was awarded the Nahum Melumad Memorial Prize, the highest honor given to a graduate. He also completed a Kauffman Entrepreneurial Year Fellowship and earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Rochester. His secondary education was at The Browning School.
Background in Music Technology and Entrepreneurship
David Bendes began his career focusing on strategy and business operations in early-stage music technology ventures. He has served as a Marketing/Project Management Intern at Atlantic Records, and an intern at Blackdog Recording Studio. His involvement in music technology carries over to his current role on the New York Area Advisory Board of the music education charity Music Will.
Technical Expertise
David Bendes is recognized for his expertise in Mixed Integer Optimization, a specialized area within business analytics. Throughout his career, he has provided technical advisory services to early-stage startups, leveraging his deep understanding of technical product management and optimization strategies.