Startup & GTM Strategy
Market mapping, opportunity sizing, positioning, and narrative—grounded in data and customer discovery.
We help founders and teams see products, customers, and risks from multiple angles. That shift—in perspective and evidence—creates singular insight.
ParallaX Thinking
ParallaX Views, LLC is led by David S. Sherman, Ph.D.—entrepreneur, business strategist, educator, and licensed psychotherapist. With a career spanning technology, media, psychology, and product design, David brings a unique perspective to strategy and leadership.
At the heart of ParallaX Views is ParallaX Thinking—the practice of examining challenges from multiple, often contrasting vantage points to uncover blind spots, challenge assumptions, and surface deeper insights. This perspective-shifting approach is paired with Divergent Thinking, the process of generating a wide field of possibilities before converging on evidence-based solutions. Together, they create a dynamic balance: seeing differently and imagining broadly in order to help founders and organizations make smarter, faster, and more resilient decisions.
In the early 1980s, David was Principal and Co-President of AIMS Media with his brothers, where he modernized its 16mm film and filmstrip library into AIMS Multimedia, a pioneer in educational technology. Drawing on Pinchot’s principles of intrapreneuring, he spearheaded the development of DigitalCurriculum, the first streaming video-on-demand service for education, which served more than 20 million students when it was acquired by Discovery Communications, Inc. in 2004.
After a brief retirement, David co-founded Criteria Corp, the first SaaS pre-employment assessment platform, where he served as COO until his second retirement in 2024. Under his leadership, Criteria expanded into a global talent assessment and development platform—delivering validated pre- and post-hire assessments, structured interviewing solutions, and collaboration tools. Today, Criteria supports more than 4,000 organizations worldwide, with over 60 million assessments administered in 30 languages across 60+ countries. David continues to serve on its Board of Directors.
Alongside his entrepreneurial work, David remains deeply engaged in psychology and the arts. He is a licensed psychotherapist and continues to advise startups and young entrepreneurs. In addition, he has dedicated himself to his literary work, most notably his debut novel, A Question of Balance —a psychological-philosophical murder mystery.
Engagements are bespoke and outcome-oriented. Typical tracks include:
Market mapping, opportunity sizing, positioning, and narrative—grounded in data and customer discovery.
From MVP scoping to experience reviews and qualitative research to uncover friction and lift adoption.
Short-form and long-form concepts, scripts, and production guidance aligned to brand strategy.
Scaled a web-based pre-employment testing platform; advised on product, ops, and growth levers.
Built one of the earliest interactive paid streaming VOD services used by millions of students and teachers.
Concepted and developed scripted/unscripted formats and short-form campaigns for targeted audiences.
Interested in working together? Let’s talk.
ParallaX Views, LLC — Los Angeles, CA