Chris is available for hire
Hire ChrisChris Selland
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Location
Reading, MA, United States
Toptal Member Since
August 29, 2023
Chris is a seasoned leader with a proven track record in developing and executing go-to-market (GTM) and growth strategies. He has led marketing, sales, and business development teams in early and scale-stage companies within the SaaS, AI, data analytics, and fintech sectors and held the CEO role in three startups. Chris brings 20+ years of experience and a knack for identifying productive partnerships and building strategic alliances that accelerate progress toward critical strategic goals.
Career Highlights
CEO
DJ Capital Partners
Vice President of Marketing | Alliances and OEM Sales
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
VP of Enterprise Research
451 Research (the Yankee Group)
Case Studies
Expertise
Work Experience
GTM Advisor
2023 - PRESENT
Trender.ai
- Launched a new AI-powered sales prospecting solution to help sales and marketing teams identify and connect with the right prospects at target accounts.
- Worked with the CEO, co-founder, and the head of product on messaging, influencer marketing, pricing, and competitive analysis.
- Developed partnerships with Google and other key partners and built vertical OEM relationships.
Focus areas: Pricing, Product Marketing, SaaS, Business Models, Content Marketing, Subscription Pricing, Fundraising, Social Media Content, Strategy, Growth Strategy, Sales Growth, Sales, eCommerce, Growth Hacking, Growth, New Product Rollout, Pitch Decks, Venture Capital, Market Assessment, Business Development, Go-to-market Strategy, Business Planning, Value Proposition, Business Strategy, B2B, United States, Software as a Service (SaaS), Software, Business Plan Consulting, Go-to-market Plans, Market Entry, Market Opportunity Analysis, Competition Research, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Target Profiles, Enterprise Software, Roadmaps, Enterprise SaaS, Startups, Product Design, Monetization, Influencer Marketing, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Marketing, Digital Marketing Strategy, Social Media, Social Media Platforms, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Lead Generation, Presentations
Advisor and Interim CEO
2022 - 2023
Squark AI
- Joined as GTM advisor in mid-2022 to define GTM strategy and focus efforts.
- Promoted to CEO in November 2022 in conjunction with receipt of the signed term sheet for seed financing.
- Handled the financial modeling and fundraising 1H 2023 with two signed term sheets.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Pitch Decks, Venture Debt, Early-stage Venture Capital, Capital Raising, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, SaaS, Enterprise SaaS, Market Assessment, Financial Modeling, Valuation, Partnerships, Business Development, Go-to-market Strategy, Business Planning, Revenue & Expense Projections, Forecasting, Platform as a Service (PaaS), Value Proposition, Business Strategy, B2B, United States, Software as a Service (SaaS), Software, Business Plan Consulting, Go-to-market Plans, PowerPoint Design, Market Entry, Market Opportunity Analysis, Competition Research, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Target Profiles, Enterprise Software, Roadmaps, Startups, TOM, Organizational Design, Organizational Strategy & Design, Monetization, Influencer Marketing, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Digital Marketing Strategy, Finance, Social Media, Social Media Platforms, Lead Generation, Presentations, Client Presentations
CEO
2018 - 2022
DJ Capital Partners
- Implemented a high-velocity go-to-market (GTM) model, which involved transforming the business from a hardware-first approach to a more diversified model encompassing SaaS, payments, and hardware.
- Executed a successful recapitalization in 2019 and facilitated the sale of the company to DJ Capital Partners in 2020.
- Navigated the company through the pandemic and revitalized pre- and post-pandemic growth.
- Relocated headquarters from New York to Boston in 2018 and from Boston to Pittsburgh in 2022 and moved hardware production from internal manufacturing to contract manufacturing.
Focus areas: Financials, M&A Strategy, Strategy, Fundraising, Leadership, Team Building, Team Mentoring, Team Leadership, Team Management, Business Relocation, Marketing, Web Marketing, Shopify, Subscription Pricing, Product Marketing, Pricing, SaaS, Social Media Content, Growth Strategy, Sales Growth, Sales, eCommerce, B2B2C, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), Channel Optimization, Growth Hacking, Growth, Fundraising Consultant, Crowdfunding, Looker, New Product Rollout, Pitch Decks, Venture Capital, Family Office, Recapitalization, Market Assessment, Financial Modeling, Valuation, Partnerships, Business Development, Go-to-market Strategy, Business Planning, Revenue & Expense Projections, Forecasting, Value Proposition, Business Strategy, B2B, United States, Software as a Service (SaaS), Software, Procurement, Inventory Management, Go-to-market Plans, PowerPoint Design, COO, Market Entry, Market Opportunity Analysis, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Target Profiles, Change Management, Roadmaps, Enterprise SaaS, Startups, TOM, Organizational Design, Organizational Strategy & Design, Product Design, Monetization, Influencer Marketing, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Digital Marketing Strategy, Finance, E-learning, Lead Generation, Presentations, Client Presentations, Fintech
Vice President | Strategic Alliances & Corporate Development
2017 - 2018
Unifi Software (acquired by Boomi)
- Spearheaded partner strategy, alliances, and key growth initiatives for a data-as-a-service (DaaS) platform provider.
- Led OEM sales and closed a seven-figure deal with a major public data platform.
- Worked closely with the CEO, founders, and board to accelerate growth through key strategic alliances, including Adobe, PwC, Microsoft, and Cloudera.
Focus areas: B2B Partnerships, M&A Strategy, Strategy, Business Partnerships, Partnerships, Growth Strategy, Sales Growth, Sales, Channel Optimization, Growth, Looker, Venture Capital, Market Assessment, Business Development, Go-to-market Strategy, Business Planning, Forecasting, Value Proposition, Business Strategy, B2B, United States, Software as a Service (SaaS), Software, Go-to-market Plans, Market Opportunity Analysis, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Target Profiles, Enterprise Software, Roadmaps, Startups, System Integration, Monetization, Influencer Marketing, Finance, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Lead Generation
Vice President of Marketing | Alliances and OEM Sales
2012 - 2017
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Led business development, strategic alliances, subject matter expertise, and OEM sales for the Hewlett Packard Enterprise big data platform business unit while expanding the partner ecosystem to support platform expansion and corporate growth.
- Partnered with the corporate development team to evaluate and integrate strategic opportunities while also providing support in closing multiple deals.
- Served as the marketing lead for the HP Vertica business unit from 2012 to 2014, successfully driving the business through triple-digit growth and securing placement for Vertica in the Gartner Data Warehouse Leader quadrant.
- Spearheaded the launch of the HP Haven Big Data Software platform and organized the HP Big Data Conference.
Focus areas: Marketing, Content Marketing, Community Management, User Stories, Events, Market Research Analyst, B2B Partnerships, Business Partnerships, M&A (Buy-side), Product Marketing, Pricing, Team Leadership, SaaS, Social Media Content, Strategy, Growth Strategy, Sales Growth, Sales, Channel Optimization, Growth, Looker, New Product Rollout, Partnerships, Business Development, Go-to-market Strategy, Business Planning, Market Sizing, Value Proposition, Business Strategy, B2B, United States, Software as a Service (SaaS), Software, Go-to-market Plans, PowerPoint Design, Market Entry, Competition Research, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Target Profiles, Change Management, Enterprise Software, Roadmaps, Enterprise SaaS, System Integration, Organizational Strategy & Design, Product Design, Monetization, Influencer Marketing, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Digital Marketing Strategy, E-learning, Social Media, Social Media Platforms, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Lead Generation, Presentations, Client Presentations, Management Consulting
Board Member | Tournament Director
2009 - 2015
Needham Soccer Club
- Served as a board member and director of the Needham Memorial Day Tournament, one of the largest, longest-running, and most successful youth soccer tournaments in the US.
- Led the tournament's growth to over 120 teams, including international participants from Canada and the UK.
- Partnered with Mass Premier Soccer on College Showcase.
Focus areas: Fundraising, Operations, TOM, Organizational Design, Strategy, Organizational Strategy & Design, Social Media, Social Media Platforms
SVP Corporate Development
2011 - 2012
Hale Global
- Handled deal sourcing for a specialized private equity firm focused on recapitalizations, buyouts, and distressed assets.
- Worked with portfolio companies on growth and EBITDA improvement strategies and tactics.
- Built the database of corporate development professionals focused on spinoffs and non-core assets.
Focus areas: Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Buyouts, M&A (Buy-side), Buy-side, Private Equity, Recapitalization, Bankruptcy, Distressed Assets, Distressed/Special Situations, Financial Modeling, Valuation, Go-to-market Strategy, Business Planning, Revenue & Expense Projections, Forecasting, Platform as a Service (PaaS), Business Strategy, B2B, United States, Software, Business Plan Consulting, COO, Market Entry, Market Opportunity Analysis, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Change Management, Enterprise Software, Roadmaps, Enterprise SaaS, Startups, TOM, Organizational Design, Organizational Strategy & Design, Monetization, Digital Marketing Strategy, Lead Generation, Client Presentations
VP Business Development
2004 - 2008
Soundbite Communications
- Developed key strategic alliances and business/corporate development strategies for rapidly growing multi-channel customer communications ASP.
- Negotiated the acquisition of SMS/text messaging provider Mobile Collect.
- Represented the company by speaking at numerous debt collection and fintech events.
Focus areas: Business Partnerships, Partnerships, B2B Partnerships, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Acquisitions, Corporate Development, Fintech
Founder and Managing Director
2001 - 2005
Reservoir Partners (acquired by Aberdeen Group / Harte Hanks)
- Founded and led a respected market research and consulting firm focused on customer experience and CRM strategy.
- Partnered with investment banking boutique Covington Associates on numerous due diligence and M&A deals.
- Sold the company to Aberdeen Group in 2004, where I became VP of sell-side research prior to Aberdeen's acquisition by Harte-Hanks.
Focus areas: Market Research, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Customer Experience Strategy, Contact Centers, Customer Experience, Customer Experience Management, Customer Support, Customer Service Strategy, Market Sizing, Forecasting, Business Strategy, B2B, United States, Software, Business Plan Consulting, Go-to-market Plans, PowerPoint Design, Market Entry, Market Research & Analysis, Market Opportunity Analysis, Competition Research, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Target Profiles, Change Management, Enterprise Software, Roadmaps, Enterprise SaaS, Startups, System Integration, TOM, Organizational Design, Organizational Strategy & Design, Monetization, Influencer Marketing, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Marketplaces, Marketing, Digital Marketing Strategy, Finance, Social Media, Lead Generation, Presentations, Management Consulting
VP of Enterprise Research
1994 - 2000
451 Research (the Yankee Group)
- Led three research teams including full P&L, enterprise software, customer relationship management (CRM), and B2B eCommerce.
- Hired and managed a team of 20+ analysts and grew each practice by 30% per year.
- Closed the largest consulting project in company history in support of a divestment strategy for a major publicly traded telecommunications provider.
Focus areas: Market Research, Enterprise Software, eCommerce, CRM Systems, Siebel CRM, Market Sizing, Value Proposition, Business Strategy, B2B, United States, Software, Business Plan Consulting, Procurement, Go-to-market Plans, PowerPoint Design, Market Research Analyst, Market Entry, Market Research & Analysis, Market Opportunity Analysis, Competition Research, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Target Profiles, Enterprise SaaS, Startups, Monetization, Influencer Marketing, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Marketplaces, Marketing, Digital Marketing Strategy, Lead Generation, Presentations, Management Consulting
Education
1988 - 1991
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Economics
New York University - New York, NY, USA
1982 - 1986
Bachelor's Degree in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY, USA
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