Kyle Blanchard: I build AI products that do real work.

Kyle Blanchard builds AI products, connecting business, product, engineering, and operations. Consulting: workflow assessment, implementation, and advisory.

Kyle is VP / Head of Product at The Bright Hotel, where he built BrightOS, an AI hotel operations platform for guest messaging, online check-in, digital keys, direct booking, and housekeeping. Before that he was Director of Product Management at mPulse, a healthcare conversational AI platform reaching 100M+ people. He holds an M.S. in Analytics from Georgia Tech and a B.A. in Physics and Astrophysics from UC Berkeley.

Consulting: work with me

I help directors, VPs, and product teams move from problem to evidence to decision to a working, validated workflow.

Beyond prompt tips and faster documents: evidence linked to sources, decisions owned by people, and results your team can test.

  • Workflow workshop (Assess and prioritize). Map where a real workflow gets stuck. Leave with prioritized opportunities and an actionable roadmap: scope, data needs, owners, and validation criteria. Plan a workshop
  • Workflow implementation (Build and validate). Build one bounded AI-enabled product workflow. Get a working handoff with source-linked evidence, human review, decision ownership, and tests for results and failure cases. Build a workflow
  • Advisory & coaching (Support your team). Work through product decisions as your team builds. Review evidence, prototypes, and validation; leave with decision notes, next actions, and practical coaching. Get product advice

Start with any offering. No workshop prerequisite. Email me the workflow and where it gets stuck; we’ll agree on scope and deliverables.

Common questions

Who is this for?
Directors, VPs, and product teams putting AI into a real workflow. I connect business goals, product decisions, engineering, and operations.
Do we need a workshop first?
No. Start with implementation if the workflow is defined, or advisory if your team is building it. Each offering stands alone.
What does implementation include?
One scoped workflow, a working handoff, source-linked evidence, human review, and a validation test set. We document failure cases and how to run it.
Who owns the decisions?
Your team. We name the decision owner, set human review points, and keep evidence traceable.
How do we agree on scope and cost?
Email me the workflow and the help you need. We’ll agree on scope, deliverables, and terms before starting.
Do you work remotely?
Yes. I’m based in the Los Angeles area and work with teams across the United States.

Email blanchardk@gmail.com or find me on LinkedIn.

Products I've worked on

  • BrightOS (The Bright Hotel, 2025 to now). An AI hotel operating system for guest messages, check-in, keys, bookings, housekeeping, and accounting. 93% of guests checked in online at launch, AI handles 69% of guest conversations at a 26-second median reply, and direct booking hit its full-year target on day 3.
  • mPulse One (mPulse, 2021 to 2025). Conversational AI and self-serve tools for health plans to reach members by text, voice, and email. One platform reaching 100M+ people, saving over $7M a year, with voice that helped land a multimillion-dollar deal with the largest health plan in the country.
  • OneSearch (Experian, 2019 to 2020). Business credit search that finds likely company matches from messy names and addresses, with confidence scores. Experian reports OneSearch runs about 80% faster with up to 20% more exact matches, and the unit’s largest product line held 4% growth through the pandemic.
  • Invoice Fast Track (Crowdz, 2021). Small-business invoice financing, launched with Meta. Put more than $10M of financing into small businesses.
  • Optima Tax Express (Optima Tax, 2017 to 2019). An online tax-services product, sold direct and through a white-label partner. A new product line for Optima, built and run by one person.
  • Tax Shield (Optima Tax, 2017 to 2019). A subscription that monitors IRS accounts and flags trouble. Launched as Protection Plan; now sold as Optima Tax Shield. $1.5M in year one at 2.5% churn, and a 64% enrollment jump after the rebuild.
  • Client Portal (Optima Tax, 2017 to 2021). A tax-relief portal, staff tools, and messages that keep client cases moving. Return visits rose 56%, average case-close time fell from 160 hours to 49, and monthly closed cases rose 140%.
  • The Tax Show (Optima Tax, 2020 to 2021). A YouTube series explaining IRS debt, hosted by Optima’s CEO and Chief Tax Officer. Still running years later as a biweekly show, now Optima’s go-to resource for people facing IRS debt.
  • Member Marketing (LA Fitness, 2014 to 2017). Email, web, and partnerships to attract members, keep them engaged, and win them back. Win-backs rose 20%, and campaign conversions rose 500%.
  • Voice Coach (A fitness AI startup, 2026). 183 spoken coaching cues in a cloned trainer’s voice, plus a conversation prototype. The client rated the voice indistinguishable from the real trainer and accepted the final round with zero changes.
  • AI Product Toolkit (Kyle, 2026). Eight Claude Code skills covering ideas, tickets, plans, pull requests, QA, and release notes. Less busywork, and every step leaves a written trail someone else can follow.
  • Astrophysics Research (UC Berkeley, 2011 to 2014). Supernova research with Alex Filippenko’s group and instrument building in Berkeley’s radio astronomy lab. Published research, a new supernova on the record, and a telescope built by hand.
  • Iron Vigil (Kyle, 2026). A Game Boy Advance survival platformer. Jump, climb, and use movement attacks while weapons fire automatically. A playable beta for GBA and the browser.
  • Shuffleroo (Kyle, 2026). A free gift exchange from one link. Share it in the group chat; everyone draws a name privately. Live at shuffleroo.com. Free, no ads, no apps.
  • The Blanchard Line (Kyle, 2026). An 11-minute documentary tracing thirteen family generations from Hampshire in 1639 to California, in the style of Ken Burns. A finished film, now on YouTube, with every source and license credited.
  • Pip and the Worry Alarm (Kyle, 2026). An interactive picture book for kids to practice breathing, notice body clues, and sort worries. Coping skills a kid can practice, one page at a time.
  • Mini Tracker (Kyle, 2026). Track your backlog, mark games beaten, and rank them S to F on the Miyoo Mini. My backlog finally has a ranking.
  • The Beaten Path (Kyle, 2026). My game library as a 3D video store: beaten games on the shelves, backlog in the bargain bin. It’s where this shelf came from.
  • Miyoo Field Guide (Kyle, 2026). A printable retro handheld guide: device basics, standout games across 10 systems, and fan-made ROM hacks. Hand it to someone with a new handheld and they know where to start.

Talks and interviews

Credits

Starring

  • VP / Head of Product, The Bright Hotel, 2025–now (Promoted from Sr. Director of Product)
  • Principal, AI and Voice, Kyle Blanchard Consulting, 2026–now
  • Director of Product Management, mPulse, 2021–2025 (Started as Lead Product Manager)
  • Product Manager, Crowdz, 2021
  • Director of Strategy and Innovation, Optima Tax Relief, 2020–2021
  • Senior Product Manager, Experian, 2019–2020
  • Director, Product, Optima Tax Relief, 2017–2019 (Started as Email Marketing Manager)
  • Email Campaign Lead, LA Fitness, 2014–2017 (Started as Social Media Designer)

Education

  • M.S., Analytics, Georgia Tech, 2022–2025
  • B.A., Physics and Astrophysics, UC Berkeley, 2014

Research and teaching

  • Physics and Engineering Intern, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 2013
  • Observational Astronomer, Filippenko supernova group, UC Berkeley, 2012–2014
  • Research Apprentice, Space Sciences Lab, UC Berkeley, 2012–2013
  • Student Instructor, Introductory Astronomy, UC Berkeley, 2013–2014
  • Ingenuity Lab Coordinator, Lawrence Hall of Science, 2010–2014

Certifications

  • PMC IV, Pragmatic Marketing
  • Connected Strategy, Wharton Online