The skills you need to 
build the future you want.

Productization of software and hardware. Operationalizing teams to sell B2B and Enterprise.

‍

Sometimes, customers tell you something that sounds like a must-have, when it’s more of nice-to-have. Or the other way around. Many startups, being “customer-friendly”, just say yes and build them all so they have the “best” product out there (and yes, that includes hardware accessories too).

‍

Improperly translating of “Customer-Speak” to “Startup-Action” causes too many business-to-tech miscommunications and wastes valuable time (a.k.a. “But that’s what the customer SAID”).

‍

Anthony has spent 20+ years growing software and hardware companies to global recognition by speaking “Customer”. He started techie – developing hardware, software and enterprise-grade architectures. Then he moved to the business side and now does both when he can. All throughout, he spoke with customers, learning to translate the customer spoken-word and RFPs into meaningful dev team sprints, hardware revs and customer pricing lists.

‍

He has driven accelerated growth from new B2B and Enterprise market launches and new product innovations, and through mergers/acquisitions. He has worked with high-potential companies during their growth phases as employee, executive and board member, including Motorola, Cypress, Blackberry, Optiva, Telmediq and Medella Health where innovated new product categories and ensured that offerings fulfilled customer/market requirements.

Over the past 25 years Karen has been a Customer Success, Sales and Revenue Operations leader working with start-up, growth-stage and enterprise tech companies building, scaling and transforming high performing customer-facing teams. As an executive she helped lead four successful company acquisitions and an IPO. She founded Strive Engagement consulting in 2019 to help companies create customer-centric programs and processes so their clients will renew, buy more and refer others. Karen holds an Honours B.Sc. from the University of Toronto. She is an avid hiker and cyclist, and loves to cook for her family and friends.

‍

How Karen can support your start-up:

• structuring successful customer pilots and proofs of concept
• customer journey mapping
• improving onboarding and adoption
• preventing churn and increasing retention
• growing and expanding revenue from your customer base

‍

Mansi has over 17 years of sales and marketing experience with international luxury hospitality brands. Most recently she was Global Vice President and Brand Leader for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts with Accor which includes over 85 hotels in 30 countries.
During her long career in the industry, she has been responsible for global brand strategy, guest experience, positioning and programs, worldwide campaigns as well as product and service standards.

She was also responsible for driving brand awareness, understanding, and momentum through strategic communication and partnerships. Mansi has held leadership positions in e-commerce, digital marketing, and sales where she was responsible for driving top-line revenue for brands such as Fairmont, Raffles, and other Accor hotel brands.
‍
She is a passionate advocate and mentor for women in the workplace. She previously sat on the board of Lean In Canada and is currently a professional speaker with The A Effect. Mansi’s diverse background living in multiple countries has built her appreciation and passion for the luxury, travel, and hospitality industries as well as the global marketing community.

‍