Don Cansino
Board Advisor
at FPT
Don is a seasoned executive who has decades worth of experience building award-winning products in mobile entertainment, SaaS, fintech, retail, and automotive industries. Don is passionate about guiding talented teams with his technical expertise in building innovative products that consumers love.
He has held executive positions at startups and at some of the most transformative large companies that have pioneered technology and product innovation.
Don was previously the CTO at CurbWaste, where he helped scale their SaaS/fintech software as revenue increased 8x through multiple funding rounds.
Prior to the startup world, Don headed up product for Walmart, where he oversaw the OmniChannel strategy for all 10 service counters — including wireless, automotive, and health/wellness — each generating over $1B in revenue. He introduced new offerings in wireless and health, tripled online adoption in automotive, and built a universal tech stack to power all service areas.
Don also served as Vice President at AT&T, bringing to market products such as Data Free TV, Mobile DVR, and streaming applications for Rogers in Canada. Earlier, at DIRECTV, he launched the Emmy Award-winning NFL Sunday Ticket experience across streaming platforms and interactive television.
At DIRECTV, Don pioneered the media industry with innovations like TV Everywhere, Kid’s App, Commercial Application, What’s Hot, and Bar Finder. He also expanded digital offerings for DIRECTV Latin America and helped resolve piracy issues, contributing to the company’s rise as a leader in television.
Don earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Purdue University, holds numerous U.S. patents, and speaks three languages.
Content & Articles by Don Cansino
Closing Enterprise Deals in Founder-Led Sales as a Startup
In our recent Mucker Growth Series session, I invited David Mackay, Managing Director at D9Y and one of our operating experts at Mucker, to talk about closing enterprise deals in...
The 10 Security Gaps That Plague Startups Before Their A Round
A NOTE ON SEVERITY Not every item on this list carries the same level of risk. Some are the kind of finding that stops a deal. Others are serious but...
Community-Led Growth for Startups: Why Most Communities Fail and How to Build One That Actually Works
In our recent Mucker Growth Series session, I invited Sam Jacobs — founder and CEO of Pavilion — to talk about community-led growth: what it actually means, why most communities...
Pricing Models & Monetization Systems for Startup Success
In our recent Mucker Growth Series webinar session, we invited Jeffrey Tjiok and Jack Benson from Simon-Kucher to break down how startups can build pricing into their DNA from day...
Pitch Decks That Actually Raise Money: An Extreme Makeover Guide
Welcome to another recap from our Growth Series webinars, a series of sessions where we go deep into topics that help drive startup growth. In this session, we invited back...
Stop Hiding Behind Your Screen: In-Person Events Are How You Win in 2026
2026 is shaping up to be the year businesses rediscover the power of shaking hands, clinking glasses, and actually meeting their prospects in person. Don’t take my word for it...