The foundation
David earned his undergraduate degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. His coursework included advanced mathematics, statistics, C++, SQL, financial engineering and enterprise accounting.
Apple Retail
David spent 10 years at Apple, progressing from retail analytics into merchandising across APAC. His work connected sales and inventory analysis with assortment, vendor relationships and the experience customers had in stores.
China & brand building
David is fluent in Mandarin. In China, he advised and partnered with brands including Victoria’s Secret, Tiffany & Co., Chick-fil-A, Pret A Manger, Starbucks and Godiva, drawing on his understanding of the local retail market and customer experience.
He also founded Sumerian Coffee, Boom Boom Bagels and Dogtown, working across retail, B2B and e-commerce. Building those businesses meant making the daily decisions behind a brand: sourcing, product development, pricing, staffing, distribution and keeping customers coming back.
AI in practice
In his own business operations, David integrated ChatGPT and Gemini into supply chain, forecasting, market research and recipe development. He used Runway and Kling AI for marketing content—bringing AI into everyday work across the business.
The Retail Lab brings that experience to retail, CPG and e-commerce businesses. The focus is practical: understand the business, improve the customer journey and identify where AI can support better decisions, stronger retention and more efficient operations.
