Apollo.io’s Post

How mentorship propels us forward: I've always believed in the power of mentorship, and if you haven't yet found a mentor, I urge you to start today. Here's a story that exemplifies why: During a very pivotal time at Apollo.io I realized I needed an extra push to elevate our strategies. That's when I thought of Matt Curl. I had the privilege of working with Curl at Fivestars by SumUp and saw firsthand what his capabilities are. I was certain his expertise could help fill some of the gaps we had. I talked to Tim Zheng and ⚡️ Roy Chung about having me bring Curl to assist me, and without any hesitation, they said sure. What started as weekly one-on-one sessions with Curl, quickly expanded to our entire leadership team, bringing a noticeable lift to our operations. The results? Transformative. Curl’s involvement didn’t just accelerate our progress—it magnified Apollo’s potential. As Curl now officially joins Apollo as their COO, at yet another pivotal time, I am more convinced than ever that good people bring out the best in each other. They say when you teach, you learn. In this instance, not only did Curl’s mentorship open new doors for me (and continues to do so), but in doing so, Curl’s mentorship resulted in new doors opening for him. Today, I watch with pride as Curl steps into the role of COO at Apollo. This is an enormous move for the Apollo team. Congratulations to Matt Curl and the Apollo.io team on the continued journey to excellence.

Today is my last day at HUB. It has been an intense, rewarding, sometimes frustrating journey. I regret nothing. When I joined three years ago, there wasn't even HUB—just a bunch of people trying to figure out how to start. There were zero lines of code, an evolving idea of what the product(s) should look like, and lots of PowerPoint decks. Starting the build took some time, but in less than a year, we put together an enterprise-grade post-trading platform processing trades for some of the biggest asset managers in the world—quite a feat. That said, my biggest achievement was building a high-performing team of excellent individuals. It turns out it is easier than you think: hire the right people and spend your time protecting theirs so they can do their best job. It works every time! Finally, I also learnt something we all know implicitly: you can't "build" a culture. It will just emerge, and your best chance as a leader is to hire well and set good examples. As for what’s next, working at an early-stage startup meant my focus was always on the present. Now, I'm taking a break to ponder my future and my next career move. I’m excited about this next chapter and the opportunities it might bring.

From 2021 to 2023, I was privileged to join Heap in creating experiences and value propositions that users love. Leaving Heap was tough, especially saying goodbye to the incredible and talented people I spent most of my day with. I miss working with them so much! Our CEO, Ken Fine, practiced exit interviews with every departing Heapster. During mine, I expressed how grateful I was to work in a company with such a close-knit culture, with colleagues driven by growth, creativity, and customer impact. Recently, with Heap's merger with Contentsquare, significant organizational shifts occurred, resulting in the layoff of many skilled Heaple across various departments (Product, Marketing, Growth, Engineering, Design). These extremely experienced and talented professionals are now seeking new opportunities. I'm linking to some of my colleagues' LinkedIn posts in the comments - please explore to see if they might be a good fit for a role you're looking to fill. Happy to make warm intros! If you're looking for specific skills not listed, feel free to DM me, and we can explore more candidates. *** 🙌 Ending this post with an optimistic message and analysis by Tomasz Tunguz, Venture Capitalist at Theory - read more in the first comment: "Why is a flat growth rate something to cheer? First, 30% growth is now top quartile. Second, each of these businesses has scaled, doubling or more in the last three years. A 30% growth on twice as large a revenue base signifies many buyers are ready to spend. Third, many of these businesses like Mongo & DataDog are raising guidance suggesting their teams’ confidence in the software market in 2024." **** Tagging current and ex-Heople for visibility and reach, please engage and support to maximize reach as well. Cameron Haskell Joanna T. Connie Yuan John T. Cook Peter Kurkowski Alton Wells Christy Hollingshead Tushar Bansal Mona (Monique) Popli Melissa Centrella Suzi Hiza Mayra Delgado Lynn Girotto Micha Hershman Rachel Obstler Sarah Chandler Emily Brodman Vijay Umapathy Lane Hart Piper Browne Holly Goodliffe Daniel Tachna-Fram Kimberly Chow Ben Lempert Jake Hughes Megan Stanford Gabby Richardson James Carroll Bryan Zavestoski Joel Califa David Fullerton David Robinson Matt Lingner #opentowork #product #marketing #design #engineering

New year, same me. Many people make resolutions to change who they are. Or to create brand new habits. Or to make a 180. In 2024, I’m doubling down on what I’m great at. I build products for a living and lead the Finance and Risk Solutions platform team at Dun & Bradstreet. I’ve helped design, build and launch products at AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Comcast, OneSource Virtual and more. Like most product managers, I have a broad background before working as a director of product management: > I served as a language and cultural expert in the United States Air Force > I wrote a daily investment column to 6.2 million readers at The Motley Fool syndicated to dozens of publications > I worked with an early stage tech focused VC firm to fundraise and build due diligence processes > I helped build a strategy practice and launch a new market with Slalom (my favorite consulting firm) > I was appointed as an adjunct professor at the The University of Texas at Dallas > I started a micro private equity firm, acquired a company and then had a successful exit. Instead of trying to change, shift or pivot, I’m investing more in my strengths and experiences. The more diverse a product manager’s skill set, the more effective they can be at building products and helping people. 2024 may be a new year, but I’m still the same guy trying to help as many people build products that matter. ****** I'm Austin, a product management leader, ex strategy consultant, former university educator and micro-PE investor. If you found this helpful, consider resharing ♻️ and follow for more content. ****** #productmanagement, #productdevelopment, #softwaredevelopment, #innovation #management, #technology, #careers, #marketing, #personaldevelopment, #programming, #design, #sales, #engineering, #careerdevelopment, #ux, #uxdesign

Almost exactly one year ago, I was impacted by a mass layoff. I spent 10 long, agonizing months applying for jobs, interviewing, and wondering if I would ever find the perfect fit. I wanted a company with a vibrant, employee-centric culture that provided ample opportunities for growth, and truly cared for, respected, and invested in its people. One that was excited about my creativity, and would support me in using innovative ways to empower the team to learn. I began to wonder if I was asking too much, if I had created a unicorn in my head. I was almost ready to settle for the next offer that landed on my desk. I am so, so thankful that I didn't. Liatrio is everything I'd been searching for, and so much more. From the immersive onboarding experience, to connecting with my immediate team, and the warm, excited welcome from everyone I encountered - it felt too good to be true. This weekend, however, confirmed that I have, in fact, found my unicorn 🦄 The company flew us to Dallas for one spectacular night, a celebration of and a thank-you for the hard work the team put in over 2023. The event itself was incredible, the people were even more so. Every single person I met was as kind and genuine as I experienced them over Slack and Zoom. There were lots of hugs (and if you know me IRL, you know that's a ✨ big ✨ deal), tons of laughs and the authentic vibe of belonging, care, and excitement to work together and be together. Authentic. Excited. Those are the words I'm carrying throughout 2024. This was worth the wait, and I'm ecstatic to dive in deeper and contribute to all of the things that make Liatrio great. Thank you, Chris Blackburn, Mike Denton and the rest of the team for inviting me in - I can't wait to continue doing amazing things with you all 🙏🏼 #learning #learningdesign #learninganddevelopment #tech #devops #enablement #dreamjob #finallyfoundit #worthwaitingfor #employeeexperience #companyculture #believethehype #peoplefirst #peoplemakeitgreat #community #celebration #gratitude

☀️Hello from Sunny Florida! ☀️ I’m thrilled to be taking some well-earned PTO for the rest of the week. Grateful to work at a company that truly values and encourages time away to recharge! Naturally, with a moment to pause, I’ve been reflecting on the year so far: - I’m incredibly proud of the growth within my small but mighty Product Management team. We’ve achieved so much together! - We’ve hosted impactful Product, Tech, and Ops quarterly sessions, driving alignment and innovation across the company. - We successfully launched our Reporting Modernization initiative, enhancing reporting capabilities to better serve our merchant acquiring partners! - I had the privilege of participating in a volunteer event where my colleagues and I built furniture for those in need in Atlanta — such a rewarding experience. ❤️ - Perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned from some strong leaders in Fintech, Banking, and Money Movement. It’s a privilege to continue to forge strong relationships across the firm. If you know me, you know that above all, I strive to enjoy every day with humor and compassion! Everyday is a blessing. Even when deadlines are tight and stress is high, I passionately enjoy Product Management in this exhilarating Fintech world! 2024 has been fast-paced and full of accomplishments, and I’m excited for what’s to come in the months ahead. Here’s to finishing the year strong! #ProductManagement #TeamGrowth #Innovation #Gratitude #WorkLifeBalance #ReflectAndRecharge

Why my client left a high-paying job at a Fortune 50 company to join a startup—and why it was the BEST decision ever. "Are you out of your mind?" That's what people asked my client when they announced they were leaving a secure, well-paying job at a Fortune 50 company. On paper, everything was perfect: - Six-figure salary - Generous benefits - Prestige But deep down, they felt unfulfilled. They missed the thrill of innovation. They wanted to: - Be agile, not bogged down by bureaucracy - See the direct impact of their work - Be part of something bigger than just profits So, they took a leap of faith. We helped her join a startup with a bold vision and a handful of passionate people. The journey so far: - Steep Learning Curve: Every day brings new challenges. - Wearing Multiple Hats: From strategy to execution. - Direct Impact: Seeing how their decisions shape the company's future. - Reignited Passion: They're more excited about work than ever before. Was it risky? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Without a doubt. Sometimes, stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow. Has anyone else made a bold career move? I'd love to hear your stories.

🌟 Career update: I’ve entered free agency! 😎 🎇 My next quest: Helping a fintech or technology company build and scale products and teams that deliver real world impact to people. 💡 TrueML: In 2022, I realized a dream of leading a product organization at a mission-driven growth stage start-up. At TrueML, I spearheaded the evolution and performance of our consumer-facing applications, our ML-powered decision engine, our channels, UX and content. 📈Results: We crushed our Q1 revenue forecast (the first quarter I owned delivery), more than doubled revenue on our high margin growth product, and delivered some transformative capabilities like ML-integrated outbound dialing and an intelligent payment plan length optimizer. 😊To my TrueML friends: I'm deeply grateful to my colleagues and the leadership at TrueML. The learning, agility, and results-driven culture we cultivated together were truly inspiring. Wishing the team continued success! Aparna Venkataraman Randal Romell Raja Datta Shannon Brown Asten Buckles Parker Lyons Laura Marino Naama Bloom Thomas Overton Ohad Samet Steve Carlson Nadav Samet Anastasia Zimina Michal Bujak Noah Barr 🎯What’s next: I am seeking product leadership opportunities (VP Product, Head of Product, CPO) at mid to late-stage growth or PE-backed opportunities in fintech and consumer tech. My aim is to leverage my skills building and scaling products profitably and growing high-performing teams. Note: I’m open to larger companies if it’s a good culture fit. 🤳Let’s connect: I’m excited to reconnect with many of you. Feel free to reach out, introduce potential opportunities or simply say hello. Your support and sharing of this post are immensely appreciated! Onward and upward!

I’ll exit the Chief of Staff stint in my true dramatic self, where I started it, ‘What does a chief of staff really do?’ I’ve many a times spoken about this role being both lonely and thankless, so as I read this note that my principal sent.... I deeply value it. I'm just so happy to have learnt so many things from him, especially the ability to stay close to the details! 🙃 Of course, impostor syndrome is on a roll as I write this, but I feel the need to share this to a current CoS or a future one, so you can see the value you’re truly adding. Even if no metrics can capture it! 🧡 Being a CoS has been a highlight of my career, of many things, it taught me perseverance. With that, onto the next challenge. ✨ What am I up to next? Empty canvas, yet again! I’ve had an extremely non-linear career path, I thought of each step as filling up a missing bloc. One of those is customer exposure, I'll be thinking about our Startup & SMB Segment. Super pumped to join Ravi Ekanthalingam's team, whose not only a Chargebee Legend but an extremely passionate problem solver. Thank you for the opportunity. My 'curated' 1000 Qs now coming your way!! Are you a current Chargebee merchant that’s in the SMB segment? Are you someone working with this segment in the SaaS ecosystem? I’d love to chat! #LetsDoThis #Adios #CoS

As many of you know by now, just a few weeks ago—only 4 months after I joined—Moxion Power closed its doors. This wasn’t my first layoff in a startup struggling with financial issues as it tries to scale and grow its customer base, but this one cut especially deep. A topic often overlooked in these situations is the social violence inflicted on employees. 😔 Beyond the economic implications, what hit the hardest is the abrupt end to the collaboration, the vision, and the passion we had collectively built. You spend countless hours building trust, aligning diverse teams, and driving towards a shared goal and great mission, ready to change the world. But when a company abruptly closes or decide to lay-off a big chunk of its workforce, especially without warnings, the bonds and shared passion that fueled the work are suddenly and painfully severed. 💔 The vision we crafted together is no longer, and the product we poured our hearts into is lost—gone, without the time to properly reflect, without the time to grieve, without proper goodbyes! We can, of course, stay in touch with our now friends-coworkers, but it will never be the same. We did try to make things better, but there wasn't enough time! This experience has reinforced for me the importance of resilience and adaptability in our industry. It’s a reminder that while products may come and go, the skills we develop in #CrossFunctionalCollaboration, the ability to unite teams around a common purpose, and the drive to see a vision through to fruition are what truly endure. Without us— Talents —there are no products! As I look to the future, I carry forward the lessons learned from all of those professional adventures—the importance of building strong, trust-based relationships and the power of a unified team to create something remarkable. I have made true friends, met mentors, and learned so much so fast. While the end of Moxion was a significant chapter in my career, it’s also a stepping stone towards new opportunities to apply these skills in engineering, product and marketing and continue to drive innovation on how to bring successful products to market. 🚀 With that said, I am open to work and actively seeking my next opportunity in product leadership to contribute and grow in a dynamic environment. #ProductMarketing #ProductManagement #Leadership #GoToMarket #Resilience #CareerGrowth #ClimateTech #Product #StartupLife #Teamwork