Erik Knuppel
Marketplace operator. Legal mind. Teacher and coach. I've spent 15 years at the intersection of operations, analytics, and advocacy — building teams that perform under pressure, whether that's scaling a global marketplace or preparing for trial.
Marketplace & Operations
My operating career spans B2C, B2B, and SaaS marketplaces — supply-side acquisition, product management, and revenue operations at global scale. I've led teams of up to 90, managed P&L up to $50M, and scaled platforms from $20M to $310M ARR. The throughline is strong marketplace instincts, data-driven decision making, and a bias toward building systems that compound.
Director, Revenue Ops & Marketplace Ops
2021–2026Karat · Seattle, WA
Two tours across Karat's enterprise interviewing platform. First as Director of Marketplace Operations — leading supply-side scale-up, global compensation redesign, and algorithmic matching ($1.5M annual savings). Then as Director of Revenue Operations — building and leading a cross-functional analytics team (2 to 5), owning the GTM data model and operating rhythm, and driving bookings growth from $30M to $45M plan. Led department-wide AI enablement initiative using Claude and Cursor.
Senior Director, Revenue Operations
2020–2021Edmodo · San Rafael, CA
Led 9-person global RevOps team through COVID-era business model transformation, reporting to CFO and CRO. Orchestrated enterprise digital transformation across $40M+ in global revenue, including a strategic $25M nationwide platform implementation.
Director, Marketplace Operations
2017–2019One Legal · Petaluma, CA (acquired 2020 by InfoTrack)
Led 90-person operations organization for California's premier legaltech litigation services platform. Transformed site-specific field operations into a digital-first marketplace. Business and product lead for the Court Filing API — an exclusive RESTful integration with San Diego County that became central to InfoTrack's 2020 acquisition.
Head of Expert Operations & Product Owner
2011–2016JustAnswer · San Francisco, CA
Employee #67. Built the foundational operations systems that supported growth of a global D2C Q&A marketplace to $310M ARR across 18 countries. Started as Senior Counsel (employment law and SaaS contracts), then moved into operations full-time — leading a global team of 15 across supplier acquisition, trust & safety, quality, and a dedicated product/engineering pod. Product owner of core platform properties including the dynamic question list, decoupled pricing engine, and quality scoring algorithm.
Law & Advocacy
I trained as a trial lawyer — litigation track at Golden Gate University School of Law, where I was named the International Trial Lawyers Association's Student of the Year upon graduation (2010). I won the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association mock trial competition twice as a student and once more as a coach. My professional legal practice was in employment law and commercial SaaS contracts, but the courtroom is where I found my calling — not as a practicing litigator, but as a teacher and coach.
J.D., Golden Gate University School of Law. ITLA Student of the Year. 2x SFTLA Mock Trial Champion (student).
Judicial Intern, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California. Chambers of the Hon. Saundra Brown Armstrong.
Extern, San Francisco City Attorney's Office. Under City Attorney Dennis Herrera. Worked on matters for Supervisor Scott Wiener (now CA State Senator) and Assemblymember Rob Bonta (now CA Attorney General).
Admitted to the California State Bar. SBN 271754.
Teaching & Coaching
I've coached 20+ mock trial and appellate advocacy teams at the national level — ABA Nationals, TYLA National Trial Competition, Bernie Segal Criminal Mock Trial, and more — competing in cities from Texas to Chicago to Washington DC to Atlanta to Seattle to Buffalo. I teach the way I lead: preparation over talent, active listening, and rigorous self-assessment. The courtroom and the boardroom reward the same things.
Mock Trial Program Director
2026–PresentUrban School of San Francisco
Founded the school's first mock trial program. Coaching high school students in trial advocacy fundamentals and preparing them for SF County competition. Learn more →
Guest Lecturer, Trial Advocacy
2024–PresentUC College of the Law, San Francisco
Adjunct Faculty, Trial Advocacy & Evidence
2011–2020Golden Gate University School of Law
Nearly a decade teaching trial advocacy and evidence at the law school level. SFTLA Mock Trial Champion as coach. Recruited, trained, and led teams to national competition year after year.
GavelStats
2017–2019Founded a SaaS analytics and event management platform for mock trial competitions. Clients included the ABA, State Bar of Texas, UCLA Law, American University, and others. Built data architecture, owned product strategy and client relationships.
Education
J.D.
Golden Gate University School of Law, 2010
ITLA Student of the Year · Litigation concentration
B.S. Business Administration
University of Southern California, 2005
Credentials
- Attorney — California State Bar, SBN 271754 (2010)
- Certified Scrum Product Owner — Scrum Alliance (2019)