Strategic Operator
Startup Ecosystem Architect
turning bold ideas into reality
Hi, I’m Courtney!
I’ve worked as a NASA Engineer, Startup Founder, Startup Program & Partnership Leader, Author, Consultant, Speaker, Ultra Runner & Coach…
But really I just love building programs that help innovators and entrepreneurs succeed.
I love operating. I’ve built strategies, operational mechanisms, scalable process and trusting partnerships supporting the biggest, boldest new ideas. My work has bridged the gap between startups and corporations for over a decade. I enjoy being the person the turns the idea into the strategy, into the program, into the scalable program, and I enjoy doing all that while building impactful partnerships.
I love communication. I bring people together through strong communication, empathy, and transparency. I enjoy building playbooks, handbooks, and guides that make people’s jobs (and lives) easier.
My work…
A strategic operations professional who loves bringing people together
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I’ve developed dozens of startup program strategies from the ground up, clearly identifying program differentiation, ICP, curriculum, tooling stacks, and methods to track and measure success. I’ve hired & trained program management teams and built playbooks and systems for scalability.
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I’ve built trusting partner relationships across the tech industry, often translating between startups/small organizations and corporate executives. Building partner management processes, onboarding systems, reporting systems and more, I pride myself on building trusting relationships. I’ve launched co-sell and GTM motions with some of the largest players in the tech industry
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I’ve developed, launched and scaled successful global community strategies serving thousands of entrepreneurs. I oversaw operations, built playbooks and processes that supported the organizations customer engagement goals.
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I love helping people and mission-driven organizations reach their goals. My focus areas include:
Startup program strategy and operations
Partner operations and business development
Startup community strategy / engagement
Startup accelerators
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I’ve spoken at dozens of conferences, classes, online workshops and more. My favorite topics include:
Women in tech & entrepreneurship
Community building
Career satisfaction & pivots
Entrepreneurship programs
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The Student Startup Guide
A book written by student entrepreneurs, for student entrepreneurs, The Student Startup Guide is a collection of stories from students that started companies in college. I’ve also published a number of books on ultrarunning topics, but you can visit my other page for that. :)
My Process
I start with an initial consultation meeting so we can align on goals and current gaps.
I create a proposal for our work together, clearly outlining timelines and key deliverables.
Phase I: Market Research and Positioning. I start with market research, a competitive analysis, and voice-of-the-customer feedback to inform strategy, while considering internal goals and the north star the program. Deliverable: Competitive analysis report and key recommendations.
Phase II: Program Strategy Development. I create and deliver a detailed program strategy, clearly outlining scope, KPIs and success measures, operational recommendations, curriculum (if applicable), and staffing needs. Deliverable: comprehensive program strategy document.
Phase II: Training. I train any team members or assist with hiring the right team to deliver the program. I assist with tooling setup (e.g. program application systems, surveys, program delivery systems, community systems, etc) and tracking system / reporting set up for KPIs.
Phase IV: Hand-off. I present a complete summary of our work together - you’re off and running!
Project Examples
DigitalOcean Startups: 0-1 Program Strategy & Launch
Led the DigitalOcean Startup team strategy, including delivery of a comprehensive strategy to win top AI-native startups while improving applicant quality, partner programs, success measures, KPIs, and reporting systems.
Led / closed all partnerships including co-selling/GTM motions with top ecosystem partners such as Stripe, AMD, NVIDIA, Techstars.
Doubled AI-native program applications and tripled AIML startup revenue within 6 months.
BRITE Energy Innovators: Program Strategy Re-Launch
Leading a complete startup program audit and competitive analysis to position the program in the ecosystem, improve applicant quality, reduce program management costs, and improve program ROI. Leading program playbook creation and training for program managers to deliver and operate the new program.
Ongoing client relationship: results coming soon!
AWS Startups: 0-1 Community & Program Strategy, Launch, Management
Led the strategy and launch of a suite of programs and communities serving technical founders with VC and accelerator partners such as a16z, Techstars, Bessemer, Lightspeed, Y-Combinator.
Developed program playbooks used across the Startups organization to deliver best-in-class customer experiences.
Launched a developer community and drove growth from 0-10,000+ community members, leading to significant increases in customer engagement and program-attributable revenue within 1 year.
Whop.com: GTM Strategy
Lead go-to-market strategy development and partner operations in a new vertical (universities) for a Series B startup. Conducted market research and VOC work to identify ideal partner profiles, created co-sell motions, developed partner enablement and training, and led reporting / overall partner operations.
Onboarded 100 universities to the platform in < 1 year and drove overall product adoption in this new market segment, exceeding goals and timelines.
Get in touch.
Consulting, speaking, coaching, and more, I’d love to hear from you to see how I might help!