Dan Toyama

Background

About Dan Toyama

I’ve spent much of my career in early-stage startups where I was the only product person—understanding the vision, setting strategy, laying out clear roadmaps, and rallying teams to build meaningful products from ambiguous beginnings. But what drives me isn’t just about building product—it’s building community. I believe great products grow out of trust and cultivating strong, authentic relationships together with engineers and designers, executives and stakeholders, partners and customers. I practice radical listening—seeking out quiet signals, asking the right questions, and drawing out insights that help us align and move forward deliberately and collaboratively. As a former software engineer and director, I’m well-equipped to create a sense of shared understanding and respect with developers. I’ve seen how good communication—not just clarity, but care—can reduce friction and increase momentum. I prioritize morale and team well-being because I’ve learned it’s not only the right thing to do—it’s what leads to better decisions and outcomes. For me and my teams, this approach has led to increased engagement, higher velocity, and measurable improvements to the customer experience.