Rob Scharf
Technical Startup COO
Technical start and scale up COO with experience in b2b, tech, saas and media advertising, specializing in building process and business infrastructure around product teams. Last responsible for customer and revenue operations at BWZ. Now responsible for operations and product development at Disporty.
About Me
As COO & Co-Founder at Disporty, I currently focus on DevOps with a large hands-on element due to the small size of our team. With my background and experience from working at small startups and scaling tech companies, I'm well position for roles in fast growing start/scale ups that still require generalist but need someone that can build teams while still being hands-on to ensure the right job gets done.
In my past I've led revenue operations at Black & White Zebra (BWZ, 2022 - 2024) and served as Director & COO at Crozdesk (2018 - 2022, acquired by BWZ), where I focused on product development, partnerships, and operational excellence.
My development experience is focused primarely on JS frameworks, predominantely Typescripted React and React Native. I work with AWS and Firebase for backends. I run a number of personal servers and projects including Bitcoin nodes, personal websites (such as the one you're reading right now), webstores and other open source projects such as Coolify, Mattermost and Mailcow.
Frontend
React, Next.js, TypeScript, React Native
Backend
Node.js, Express, Python
Database
PostgreSQL, Firestore, Mailcow
Infrastructure
AWS, Firebase, Posthog, GTM, Coolify
My Services
Technical COO Roles
Strategic leadership for tech startups, focusing on product development, team management, and operational excellence.
Product Team Leadership
Building and leading high-performing product teams, establishing agile processes, and driving successful product delivery.
MVP Development
Rapid development of minimum viable products, from concept validation to market-ready solutions with scalable architecture.
Market Exploration
Product-market fit analysis, competitive research, and strategic planning for market entry and growth.
Automation Services
Implementation of automation solutions to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and reduce manual workload.
Angel Investment
Strategic investment in promising tech startups, providing both capital and hands-on technical and operational expertise.
Professional Experience
Disporty
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2025 - Present
COO & Co-Founder
- •Leading DevOps and infrastructure development
- •Building and managing product development teams
- •Implementing operational processes and systems
- •Overseeing technical architecture and scalability
Achievements
- ★TBD
Black & White Zebra
Vancouver, Canada
2022 - 2024
Director of Revenue Operations
- •Post-acquisition platform integration between media properties and Crozdesk's backend
- •Leading special projects and system improvements
- •Product owner for revenue tech stack and billing
- •Established revenue operations and CRM (migrated from Salesforce)
- •Established customer support system
Achievements
- ★Integrated Crozdesk backend into 10+ media property platforms within 1 year
- ★2x lead program revenue within 1 year
- ★Achieved 3x revenue growth in the double digit millions within 2 years post-acquisition
Crozdesk
London, UK
2018 - 2022
Chief Operating Officer
- •Director of Board, overseeing company operations
- •Responsible for deliveries and product development
- •Managing partnerships and strategic relationships
- •Leading team growth and operational excellence
Achievements
- ★Established EU's biggest B2B SaaS comparison platform
- ★Exited company to BWZ in 2022
Education
Master of Science (Hons), Information System Management and Innovation
University of Warwick - Warwick Business School2015 - 2016
Grade: 2:1 / 1.7 / 69.30 GPA
Dissertation:
Digital Strategy for a Non-Profit Healthcare Service(Distinction (1st))
Activities:
- Member of the official Warwick Volleyball team, 2nd division
Key Courses:
- Digital Business and Workplace Technologies
- Technological Innovation and Change
- Data & Business Intelligence
- Enterprise Information Systems
- Digital Business Strategy and Strategy Design
- Information Systems Consultancy
- Global Sourcing & Innovation
- Knowledge Work & Innovation
Bachelor of Science (BSc), Business and Management Studies
University of Europe for Applied Sciences2012 - 2013
Grade: 2:1 / 2.5 / 74.02 GPA
Dissertation:
Customer-Satisfaction of Student Apartments(Honors (1st))
Activities:
- Member of Student Council
- Member of Funding Committee
- Member of Sanction Committee
- Member of Volleyball club