Startup Careers

I’ve spent much of my career working inside high-growth startups and technology companies, from early-stage teams through hypergrowth, acquisitions, and global expansion. I’ve been the first or senior People leader at multiple startups, partnered directly with founders and executive teams, and experienced firsthand the ambiguity, rapid change, and career opportunities that come with startup environments. I can help clients navigate the realities of startup careers—from deciding whether a startup is the right fit, evaluating offers and equity, positioning themselves for their next role, building relationships with founders and executives, and figuring out how to stand out and grow when there isn’t a traditional career ladder. My coaching comes from having been both the person making hiring and promotion decisions and the person helping employees navigate them.

I have operated across all stages of tech from Series A through Series H through IPO and at mature companies. I have managed across all these stages and also have direct GM experience owning an 8-figure P&L before I was promoted to lead the entire company P&L. I am excited to support you in your journey irrespective of company stage or industry vertical!

I have lived the startup journey from the inside. I joined Vercel at the Series D stage with 400 employees, and over the past two years I have watched it raise another round and double in headcount. More importantly, I have grown with it. I came in as an entry-level SDR, earned a promotion to Senior SDR within my first year, and within the following year moved into managing the Startups SDR team. I have not just observed what it takes to grow fast inside a scaling startup, I have done it myself, navigating the pressure, the pace, and the pivots that come with that environment. That experience is exactly what I draw on when coaching others in this space.

I've worked in the start-up space for almost six years now, and it hasn't been a straight line. I've changed roles, switched teams, and taken on work that didn't have a job description yet when I started it. That kind of shifting around is just normal at a startup, and I've had to learn how to do it well instead of just white-knuckling through it. That's mostly what I help people with. If you're trying to get into the startup world for the first time, or you're already in one and need to move into a new role or team, it's the same problem underneath: nobody hands you a map, so you have to be able to explain clearly, to yourself and to whoever's hiring you, where you're headed and why you're the right person for it. I've helped people land their first job in tech, get promoted a few years in, move from SDR roles into AE, AM, and Success roles, and land offers at places like OpenAI, Customer.io, and Culture Amp. What I bring is knowing what it actually feels like to be in the middle of that kind of change, what's important to the leaders you want to win over, and how to use storytelling to seal the deal.

Hello! I work with candidates targeting product and product-adjacent roles: founding PM, forward-deployed engineer, deployment strategist, chief of staff, and strategic projects. Clients and friends have landed at companies like Coinbase, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Google. I was founding product lead on the global enterprise platform team at Quantinuum, a $17B advanced computing scale-up (NASDAQ: QNT). I shipped 0→1 API and on-prem security products, signed a $150B conglomerate as anchor customer, protected 3M users across NAMER/EMEA/APJ, and built the pricing, packaging, ABM, and partner motions that scaled into F500 accounts (HSBC, Roche, Aramco, Honeywell, Fujitsu). Earlier I ran strategic projects from the COO office on a $300M M&A deal covered in the FT and Bloomberg, and led self-serve product plus early commercial at LeaseMagnets (YC S21). Today I build and deploy AI agents into PE-backed services businesses and have taken LLM pilots through discovery with MOD UK, Microsoft, and Amazon. I take a full-stack approach from first shortlist to signed offer: company targeting and narrative positioning, resume and LinkedIn work for non-template backgrounds, company-specific interview dossiers, story banks on a real behavioral framework (not STAR), live product-sense and case reps, and offer negotiation. Best fit for candidates without a clean FAANG-shaped resume who need their actual path made legible to a hiring manager in ninety seconds. Ideal for: AI-native startups and frontier tech; career switchers from finance, consulting, or ops into product; founders and operators moving into PM, chief of staff, or strategic projects; international and non-US applicants; deep-tech and enterprise-platform PMs; anyone with a non-linear resume that needs a clear story. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Wishing you the very best.

Hello and welcome to my profile! If you come from a non-traditional background and want to break into the startup world, I can help :)

🟢 From early 2020 to late 2025, I was fortunate to be the Chief Operating Officer at Airspace, a tech-enabled logistics company 🟢 During that period, we experienced ~10x organic growth, went from one US office to a dozen globally, and hired 100s of people 🟢 Where I'm able to offer the most guidance on the startup front is the following: 1️⃣ What to look for when targeting a startup (industries, roles, revenue models) 2️⃣ What to think about when preparing for or negotiating an offer 3️⃣ The most important aspects beyond compensation when deciding 4️⃣ What your role at a startup means for your opportunity set after the startup exits or you leave 🙋🏻‍♂️ Here to help!

Welcome to my profile! With a rich background in strategic leadership and operations across top-tier companies like Boston Consulting Group, Kraken, Conde Nast (owns Wired, Reddit, etc.), and BlackRock, I bring a wealth of experience to help you navigate your startup career journey. As a founding partner of Kraken Ventures and a leader in various high-growth environments, I've honed my skills in scaling businesses, optimizing operations, and driving strategic growth. I was a Founder myself of an ed-Tech business that scaled and was profitable and have scaled operations for PE/VC/YC backed startups with 2 exits. My coaching is tailored to empower aspiring entrepreneurs and startup professionals to excel in competitive landscapes. Whether you're looking to refine your business strategy, enhance operational efficiency, or prepare for investment opportunities, I'm here to guide you every step of the way. Let's connect and chart a path to your startup success!

Welcome to my profile! With over 23 years of experience as an entrepreneur, business owner, and college professor, I specialize in guiding aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals through the intricacies of startup careers. As the Co-Founder of Buy-Scale-Sell and Founder of Crown Consulting, I've successfully led clients in buying, scaling, and preparing for business exits, helping them create legacies they can be proud of. My hands-on experience includes leading the successful exits of Griffco Graphic Solutions and Queen of Wraps, where I implemented innovative marketing strategies and strategic partnerships to drive growth. Whether you're looking to unlock off-market opportunities, accelerate growth, or optimize exit strategies, I'm here to empower you to think boldly and achieve your dreams. Let's connect and take your startup career to the next level!

I built @instagrambrasil from zero to 16.3M followers by understanding that communities don't grow through mechanics — they grow through belonging. At Instagram, my role was discovering and elevating creators; the platform became the connective tissue. The work wasn't algorithm-first, it was community-first. I've replicated this at scale with the Speak Dreams Mentorship Program: 84 women matched across cultures and countries, 9.9/10 rating for life impact. The methodology was narrative — each mentee and mentor shared their story, and through storytelling, a global community emerged. Those stories became our acclaimed podcast, Chloé & Valentina. The lesson: communities that convert are built on authenticity and shared narrative. Today, whether you're building a founder community, a creator network, or a customer base, the principle is the same. I coach you on designing for community and belonging first. When people feel genuinely seen and connected, conversion follows.