VP of Product
About the job
- 10+ years of product, product-adjacent, or general management experience with significant senior product leadership responsibility.
- Experience operating in a startup or high-growth technology company.
- Strong consumer product instincts, ideally developed within a two-sided marketplace.
- Track record of personally building and launching products, not simply managing product organizations.
- Experience evaluating zero-to-one opportunities and determining which products or markets deserve significant investment.
- Strong analytical ability and comfort using data to make product and business decisions.
- Technical fluency and ability to work deeply with Engineering on complex infrastructure and platform problems.
- Strong understanding of growth, acquisition, retention, monetization, and marketplace dynamics.
- Ability to operate effectively with a small team and limited resources.
- Executive-level communication skills, high ownership, low ego, and strong product judgment.
- Own product strategy, roadmap, and execution across Seated’s consumer and restaurant products.
- Partner with the CEO and executive team to identify, evaluate, and validate Seated’s next major product bets.
- Lead product discovery, customer research, experimentation, business-case development, and validation.
- Evaluate opportunities across consumer marketplace expansion, restaurant software, AI, and adjacent products.
- Strengthen critical product infrastructure, including merchant identification and transaction recognition.
- Partner closely with Engineering on technical tradeoffs, prioritization, and execution.
- Identify opportunities for product-led growth across acquisition, engagement, retention, and monetization.
- Build and lead a small, high-performing Product and Design team.
- Translate company strategy into a focused product roadmap with clear priorities and measurable outcomes.
- Develop a deep understanding of consumer behavior, restaurant operator needs, unit economics, and marketplace dynamics.
- Experience at a consumer marketplace such as food delivery, mobility, travel, local commerce, or another two-sided marketplace.
- Experience managing a product-led growth business.
- Experience spanning both consumer and B2B / merchant products.
- Experience in restaurant technology, hospitality, local commerce, or SMB software.
- Experience with fintech, payments, card-linked offers, transaction data, merchant identification, or related infrastructure.
- Experience building AI-enabled products.
- Experience owning broader GM or business responsibilities in addition to Product.
About the company
Seated helps urban diners earn rewards by dining at local restaurants. It is a restaurant reservation platform that partners with over 2,000 handpicked eateries in major U.S. cities such as New York, Boston, Dallas, and Atlanta. Users can make reservations or walk in, upload their receipts, and receive up to 30% back in rewards within 24 hours. These rewards can be redeemed for instant credit at brands like Amazon, Uber, and Starbucks. The platform generates revenue by earning commissions from restaurants for reservations made through the app and by using transaction data to verify eligible purchases and ensure reward accuracy. This data is also shared with participating merchants to validate transactions. Seated aims to combine a seamless dining experience with financial incentives while supporting local businesses.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Late Stage VC
Total Funding
$61.1M
Headquarters
Town of Deerfield, New York
Founded
2017
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- The 2026 card-linked workflow removes receipt friction and increases repeat usage.
- Seated's expanded city list signals active operator support and broader merchant inventory.
- Rewards at local restaurants fit inflation-conscious urban diners seeking immediate value in 2026.
What critics are saying
- Restaurant rewards are easy to copy; OpenTable, Resy, and card-linked offers can compress margins.
- Seated depends on restaurant commissions; weaker dining volumes immediately reduce take-rate economics.
- If major card networks or banks replicate its card-linking flow, Seated loses distribution leverage.
What makes Seated unique
- Seated verifies visits by linked card, not receipt uploads, simplifying rewards tracking.
- The app now spans Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DC, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York City, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Seattle.
- Seated still offers up to 30% back and instant brand redemptions at Amazon, Uber, and Starbucks.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
- 401(k) Company Match
- Stock Options
- Unlimited Paid Time Off
- Commuter Benefits
- Parental Leave
- Meal Benefits
- Wellness Program
- Gym Membership