Brian Kneafsey
About Brian Kneafsey
Brian Kneafsey is Head of Revenue at Blend Labs (BLND), age 54 as of March 31, 2025, with prior leadership stints at Blend and roles at Plaid and Doxel.ai; he holds a B.A. from Santa Clara University . He rejoined Blend as Head of Revenue in December 2023 and previously led revenue and sales at the company between 2016–2020 . Company performance context during his recent tenure includes five consecutive quarters of non-GAAP operating profitability through Q3 2025, total Q3 2025 revenue of $32.9 million, non-GAAP operating income of $4.6 million, and non-GAAP gross margin of 78%; Consumer Banking represented 39% of total revenue, reflecting the platform “land-and-expand” motion across products .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blend Labs, Inc. | Head of Revenue | Dec 2023–present | Supports multi-product platform growth; Q3 2025 saw 14 new deals/expansions and strong pipeline momentum . |
| Plaid Inc. | Revenue Lead, Financial Services | Dec 2022–Jul 2023 | Led revenue efforts in financial services (fintech infrastructure) . |
| Doxel.ai | Head of Sales | May–Jun 2021 | Sales leadership in construction software . |
| Blend Labs, Inc. | Head of Revenue & Customer Success | Jul 2017–Jan 2020 | Drove customer success and revenue functions in early scaling phase . |
| Blend Labs, Inc. | Head of Sales | Feb 2016–Jul 2017 | Built early sales organization . |
External Roles
No public company directorships or external board roles disclosed in company filings for Kneafsey .
Performance Compensation
| Incentive Type | Grant disclosure source | Grant date | Number of shares | Vesting schedule | Performance metric / hurdle | Payout mechanics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | SEC Form 3 (initial statement of ownership) | 04/29/2024 | 600,000 | Vests in equal quarterly increments over 2 years, continuous service required | Time-based | 1 share of Class A common stock per vested RSU |
| Performance-based RSUs (PSUs) | SEC Form 3 | 04/29/2024 | 400,000 (four equal tranches) | Up to 5-year performance period, continuous service required | Company stock price hurdles across four tranches (specific levels not disclosed in Form 3) | 1 share per PSU upon hurdle achievement; tranches vest upon meeting price hurdles |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Direct Class A shares owned | 833,971 shares of Class A common stock (beneficially owned) |
| Unvested RSUs | 600,000 RSUs outstanding (quarterly vest over 2 years) |
| Unvested PSUs | 400,000 PSUs outstanding (four tranches tied to stock price over 5 years) |
| 10b5-1 trading plan (first) | Adopted 09/12/2024 for potential sale of up to 360,000 shares; duration until 06/01/2025 |
| 10b5-1 trading plan (second) | Adopted 03/14/2025 for potential sale of up to 500,000 shares; duration until 06/16/2026 |
| Hedging & pledging policy | Company prohibits short sales and derivative hedging absent Audit Committee pre-approval; holding stock in margin accounts is prohibited; pledging requires Audit Committee pre-approval |
| Pledging by Kneafsey | No pledging disclosed for Kneafsey in filings reviewed |
Employment Terms
- No individual employment agreement, severance arrangement, or change-in-control agreement for Kneafsey is disclosed in the 2024–2025 proxy statements; change-in-control severance and severance benefits were disclosed for the CEO and two other executives only (not including Kneafsey) .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and upside: The large PSU grant (400,000 shares) tied to company stock price hurdles over five years aligns incentives with long-term TSR; successful execution across mortgage and consumer banking could unlock PSU value .
- Selling pressure and liquidity planning: Two 10b5-1 trading plans (up to 360,000 and 500,000 shares) signal structured, pre-arranged sales that may add episodic supply, particularly around RSU vesting schedules; these plans reduce discretionary timing risk but indicate ongoing liquidity needs .
- Governance comfort: Company hedging and pledging restrictions mitigate misalignment risks; no pledging by Kneafsey is disclosed, and the company’s Audit Committee pre-approves any pledging requests .
- Execution risk: Kneafsey’s remit spans revenue growth and platform expansion; company-level results show profitability momentum and consumer banking mix shift (39% of revenue), but mortgage suite headwinds and market share transitions (e.g., Mr. Cooper dynamics) require commercial discipline to maintain growth while preserving EVPFL economics .
Note: Non-NEO cash compensation details (base salary, bonus targets) for Kneafsey are not disclosed in recent proxy statements; equity grants and insider trading arrangements provide the primary lens for incentive assessment .