Karen Schoellkopf

I build new capabilities for organizations tackling challenging problems, from startups navigating regulation to established institutions driving innovation.

I'm a product and strategy leader with nearly 20 years of experience thriving in ambiguous, complex environments. I spent the last 7 years founding and scaling Leap Fund, one of the nation's first platforms addressing benefits cliffs, from concept to national reach, raising $2M+ in competitive nonprofit funding and testifying before Congress on policy implications. Before Leap Fund, I spent 10+ years leading product at early-stage startups and driving digital transformation for Fortune 500 companies, building on a decade of managing complex creative production for world-renowned artists. I specialize in building solutions where there's no playbook: from regulated industries to emerging technology sectors, managing multi-stakeholder dynamics and turning vision into execution in resource-constrained environments.

I build 0-1 products, programs, and strategies in complex environments. This includes:

Product strategy & development: Designing and launching platforms, tools, and services from concept through scale
Strategic initiatives: Identifying new business opportunities, running experiments, and building business cases for new ventures
Systems & community design: Creating solutions that work across tech, policy, operations, and human behavior
Leadership & execution: Translating vision into executable programs while building teams and navigating stakeholder complexity

Leap Fund

Founder & CEO (2018-2024), Strategic Advisor (2024-Present)

Founded and scaled one of the nation's first platforms addressing benefits cliffs, creating a fintech product, educational programs, and employer partnerships from scratch. Testified before U.S. House Rules Committee, presented at Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and collaborated with federal and state agencies on policy solutions. Secured $2M+ in competitive grant funding.

Prior roles

Chief Product Officer at VoteRunLead
Head of Community at Justworks
Product/Strategy Lead at Harvest & WalkaboutNYC
Digital transformation consultant for Samsung, Verizon, Target, Meetup, Spotify, American Medical Association, and others

See Projects page for selected case studies.

Thought Leadership

Speaking Engagements

Selected speaking engagements on benefits cliffs, fintech, and policy innovation

House Committee on Rules (2021), Ending Hunger in America: A Conversation about Benefit Cliffs
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (2019), Summit on the Economics and Policies of Cliffs in the Social Safety Net and Economic Mobility
The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (2022), Benefits21 Leadership Forum
CirclesUSA National Conference (2021, 2023)
ECS Forum on Justice and Opportunity (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Compass Working Capital National FSS Conference (2022)
NYS CDFI Conference (2019)
Ideas42 Behavioral Summit (2018)

Selected Publications & Media

2025 Report: Employers & Benefits Cliffs: Five Years of Field Learnings: Comprehensive Leap Fund report on employer-based benefits cliff interventions
Congressional testimony: Written testimony for U.S. House Committee on Rules (2021)
Op ed: Why N.Y. needs a universal childcare plan, Daily News (2022)
Research contributor: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation (2022), The Financial Health Network (2023)
Podcast interviews: More Than Profit (2024), Narativ StoryTalks (2022)
Featured in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Tribune, The Counter, and others

Complete publication list on LinkedIn

Other Projects

I've also led initiatives addressing equity and safety in tech, including Hire More Women In Tech (a campaign which has since expanded to reflect wider diversity in hiring across the sector) and realnames.online (no longer active, challenging unsafe identity defaults).