Our work and our evolution

About Starling

Starling Product & Sustainability is a consulting collective run by Andrea Steves. From 2020-2023, we operated as a worker-owned coop called Starling Cooperative, founded together with Tanya Koshy in 2020, offering hands-on product and strategic guidance to product teams until 2023. Continuing work under the Starling banner after a period of transition, Starling is refocusing to provide high-level strategic software product consulting with an emphasis on climate tech and sustainability.

  • “

    Working with Starling helped us refine and focus our product strategy, saving immense resources. Andrea and Tanya were diligent about scoping out an action plan for our research needs and provided timely, actionable deliverables. They are team-players who are always available to hop on a call and flexible to adapt to changing business needs, and we look forward to working with them again!

    “

    -OMAR EINAGGAR, WEAVECHAIN

  • “

    I can’t recommend Starling enough! We brought them into help our team when resources were tight, and the were able to jump in, learn about our problem space, and quickly apply their product leadership and expertise to our organization. They set very clear expectations for what would be delivered and in what time frame, provided us with frameworks we can use into the future, and were truly invested in our teams success with frequent check-ins and follow-ups. Plus, they were fun to work with and provided 1:1 coaching and product expertise to help further grow our product team!

    “

    -KELLY, PRODUCT @ CODE FOR AMERICA

  • “

    Andrea is an exceptional project manager. She helped us launch a new energy product from square one. She gathered requirements, developed reporting, built out operational processes and worked with regulatory and marketing. She was relentlessly organized and not afraid to get her hands dirty.

    “

    -ROB MASCOLA, CREDO

We work with you to tailor each project to your unique goals and needs.

Recent Sample Projects

  • Product Strategy Transition Consultant, Tech Startup, 2022-2023: Led user research and product strategy engagement for a sustainable agriculture and food startup, developing a new strategy to transition from a B2C to B2B model.ù

  • Product Strategy Advisor, Civic Tech Nonprofit, 2020: Collaborated with a civic tech nonprofit to strategize optimal build-vs-buy solutions for their tax preparation product, providing ongoing coaching on implementation.

  • Strategic Consultant, Online Marketplace, 2017-2020: Guided product development, budgeting, and community strategy for an online marketplace supporting creative communities.

  • Founding Product Manager, Renewable Energy Company, 2018-2019: 0-1 Product manager leading the strategy, design, and launch of a new renewable energy product for an established mission-driven corporation.

  • Ecology Program Consultant, Tech Giant, 2014-2016: Advised on strategy and expansion for a new Ecology Program, focusing on resilience guidelines, grant-making, and ecological projects management.

  • Product Manager, Ocean-Based Carbon Removal Startup, 2023: First product manager at a startup focused on ocean health and carbon removal, defining and executing end-to-end life cycles for operations, research, and quantification software products.

  • Technology Platform Strategy Consultant, Real Estate Tech Company: Provided strategic guidance for the next generation of a global commercial real estate leasing platform, conducting user research and delivering recommendations to drive rapid innovation and market disruption.

Andrea is an experienced product leader and strategist with over 14 years in the sustainability space, with domain knowledge in renewable energy, sustainable design, circular economy, waste, carbon removal, and ecological research. Andrea's diverse portfolio includes consulting for startups and large corporations, guiding product strategy, and leading sustainability-focused initiatives at organizations like Google and Amazon. She holds an MBA with emphases in Sustainability & Nonprofit Management from the University of Michigan and brings a multidisciplinary background in engineering, operations, and the arts.

Chat with us

We scope projects on a case-by-case basis, bringing in other collaborators from our network to support design, engineering, and product coaching as needed. Set up a call to get started.