Catalyze Growth Partners

Founding Head of Business Development

Pilot

Investor

Upgraded

Advisor

Founding Head of Partnerships and Revenue

I head up revenue for Upgraded, a profitability operations consultancy for Canadian SME tech companies. We help unlock hundreds of thousands of dollars in working capital for each client through four pillars:

1. Government Programs/Financing (the average mid-sized company leaves $86k/employee on the table)
2. AI Solutions/Automations (47% of white collar work is automatable)
3. Tech Savings/Rewards (we can help our average company save 20 to 50% on their tech spend)
4. Financing (~50% of founders regret their VC financing)

We are completely performance based. So:
1. If we don't think we can help unlock more than $100k, we don't take on a client. It's not worth our time.
2. We only make money if you do. 
3. Our interests are closely aligned because of this.

Founding Head of Revenue

Planswell

-Promoted to Sales Manager in May 2022
-Promoted to Interim Head of Sales from July to November 2022
-Met daily in leadership team meetings from July to November 2022
-Scaled team from 11 to 32 AEs in Q3 2022
-Led team to an EBITDA-positive monthly revenue record in September 2022
-Granted 5x my existing stock options for high performance in September 2022
-Oversaw 64% growth in revenues in under 3 months (~ >$500k to ~$800k MRR)
-Guided fully-ramped AEs to 108% attainment

Stepped away from role in November 2022 due to kidney cancer prognosis and treatment.

Sales Manager / Co-Head of Sales

Trained, coached, and managed 4 SDRs while continuing to maintain the same quota as the rest of the AE team.

Achievements:
-Top AE on team in sales for all 5 months of 2022 until next promotion.
-143% to quota in first half of 2022.
-113% to quota of SDRs on my team. 
-3 of 4 of my direct report SDRs promoted to AE.
-Won 4 of 5 monthly sales spiffs.
-Only AE on team to achieve President's Club in 2022 (120% to quota over >6 months).
-Promoted to Sales Manager in May 2022.

Senior Account Executive / Business Development Manager

Achievements:
-#1 on sales leaderboard in 7 of last 8 months as AE (of 15 AEs)
-118% to quota in 2021
-2nd on team (of 15 AEs) in sales for 2021
-Granted 20% more stock options for high performance in 2021
-1st on team with 10% more dials than next closest AE in 2021
-1st on team with 21% more talk time than next closest AE in 2021
-1st on team with 23% more demos booked than next closest AE in 2021
-1st on team with 11% more demos held than next closest AE in 2021

Account Executive

CIBC

Product lead on the Strategy, Projects, and Delivery team in Digital Business Banking at CIBC. 

I have been responsible for strategy and/or project delivery on digital business banking projects related to:
-Platform analytics
-Onboarding improvement
-Client outreach 
-Market research
-Marketing and sales enablement
-Workflow improvement
-Client feedback and net promoter score
-App decommissioning

Some of the accolades we have earned as a team while I have been with the bank include: 
-Bank Innovator of the Year from the Digital Finance Institute's Canadian Fintech and AI Awards 
-Best Bank for Cash Management (North America-wide in 2019) and Best Treasury and Cash Management Bank (Canada-wide, and winner for 6 of the past 7 years, including 2019, 2020, and 2021) from Global Finance Magazine

Senior Product Manager, Digital Business Banking

Citi

Consulted for Citi Ventures with a small team of Rotman MBA students.
Created a prototype of a marketplace enabling organizations to transact anonymized, corporate IoT data from smart cities projects. 
Heavy focus on data risk management, tech strategy and infrastructure, and data compliance. 
Earned top grades on project from panel of Citi Ventures employees and other fintech professionals and executives.

MBA Innovation Consultant

Oracle

Created and validated enterprise blockchain use cases for Oracle in the telecom industry.
Final product was hyperledger blockchain-enabled C2C and B2C marketplace allowing for mobile data trading, exchange, and payments.  

In an innovation case competition judged by a panel of industry experts and senior Oracle management, my team was awarded first place in the telco sector, and second place overall.

We were invited to author a White Paper on our use case for Oracle.

MBA Blockchain Consultant

Allegheny Holdings Ltd, A Real Estate Corporation

Analyzed, reported on, and consulted on entry and exit of real estate markets and properties, including analysis of: tenancy, rental, and leasing statistics; interest and mortgage rates; market pricing trends; and socio-political, zoning, taxation, and regulatory factors in the acquisition and sale of real estate (roughly 70% commercial; 20% land; 10% residential).
Responsible for sales enablement efforts in organization: liaised with brokers to set sale prices; provided value prop and market-related collateral to support property sales.
Led organizational change initiative aimed at reducing errors leading to suboptimal investments, and instituted new investment framework within organization.
Responsible for contracts and relationship management with construction contractors, facilities contractors, real estate brokers, and others.
A family corporation.

 Director, Operations and Research

Western University

Graduate Student Teaching Assistant

Global Affairs Canada | Affaires mondiales Canada

Based in Arequipa, Peru, while working on a business development consulting grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (now Global Affairs Canada), administered through Niagara College.

Directed and consulted on 4 projects: 
-Led change initiative to improve fundraising and related digital capabilities for a welfare provision charity; 
-Developed and project-managed a cultural tourism marketing plan and implementation for a large municipality;
-Created a multimedia educational partnership program for an underprivileged school, procuring donations of seed money, computers, and digital cameras; 
-Developed a home-stay tourism model and marketing plan for a rural community tourism not-for-profit organization.

Economic Development Consultant

Growth 📈 @ category-defining orgs | Working on a top-secret project 🤐 | MBA @ iE | Lean 6σ Green Belt | Cancer Survivor | Girldad | Per aspera ad astra 🌌

I am the Founding Head of Revenue at Upgraded, a tech-enabled working capital advisory for Canadian SME tech companies. We help our clients access hundreds of thousands of dollars in working capital through four pillars: government programs, AI solutions, tech savings, and financing. We are performance-based, meaning we only make money if our clients do.

I have over six years of experience in SaaS revenue generation, with a track record of exceeding quotas, driving growth, and leading high-performing teams. I have an MBA from IE Business School and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. I am passionate about helping tech entrepreneurs scale their businesses, avoid layoffs, and achieve their goals. I am also a cancer survivor, a girldad, and a lifelong learner.

👹Daniel Schloss

Global Public Affairs

Director, Western Canada

Canada Energy Regulator

As leader of the Strategic Communications Team, I had responsibility for media relations, external and internal communications, social media, employee engagement and internal communications, web, print and graphics. My experience includes developing and implementing successful communications strategies for energy projects, incident response, regulatory processes, crisis and issues management, and energy information. I have developed and can bring a Truth and Reconciliation and EDI lens to my work, having focused on my personal development and supporting the CER’s development in the areas of Truth and Reconciliation and diversity, equity and inclusion. I am well-versed in environmental, social and governance (ESG) related topics and issues.

Director Of Strategic Communications

Government of Alberta

I served two Alberta premiers during this time, Dave Hancock and Jim Prentice, as the director of communications and deputy director of communications. The roles included: leading and managing a team of 20 ministerial press secretaries and communications staff; developing and overseeing government and political communications strategy for the Premier and Government of Alberta; promoting awareness of the Premier and Cabinet’s priorities; collaborative work with Executive Council, Cabinet and senior political staff; developing issues management strategies; providing media relations advice to the Premier; and, serving as the primary spokesperson for Dave Hancock. 

I supported internal and external stakeholder engagement efforts, with a significant focus on culture shift and regaining support for the government. 

I assisted the transition team leading into former Premier Jim Prentice’s swearing-in and throughout his first months in office. In addition to the activities listed above, the transition included managing reassignments for press secretaries, staffing the Premier’s communications office, supporting new ministers, and drafting all communications materials for the Premier.

Director of Communications, Premier's Office

I held several roles and positions during this time, not all at once, serving as Press Secretary to the Deputy Premier, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education, Minister of Human Services and Government House Leader. I provided expert political and strategic communications advice; developed and delivered communications and issues management strategies; worked collaboratively with senior political and departmental staff to deliver on the Minister's and Cabinet's strategic priorities.

Press Secretary, Office of the Deputy Premier, Minister, Government House Leader

I monitored media and responded to media inquiries on tight deadlines. I researched and drafted briefing notes, primarily focused on issues management. I worked in this role in the branch, Assistant Deputy Minister’s office and Deputy Minister’s office levels in two ministries, Employment and Immigration and Health and Wellness.

Issues and Information Officer

Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council

Communications Coordinator

Government of Manitoba

Assistant, Manitoba Legislature

Red River College Students Association

Vice-President

Craig Loewen is senior strategic communications and public affairs leader with two decades of experience in government and political roles specializing in strategic communications, government and media relations, stakeholder engagement, issues management and crisis communications.

As Director for Western Canada in Global Public Affairs’ Calgary office, Craig provides expert advice and support to clients across sectors, including strategic communications, energy, environment and resources; health and life sciences; economic development and technology and innovation.

Craig has spent over a decade in senior communications and leadership roles advising Premiers, Cabinet Ministers, CEOs, Board Chairs and Boards. As the strategic communications team leader at the Canada Energy Regulator (formerly the National Energy Board) for the past eight years, Craig supported significant organization-wide transformational changes in communications, engagement and Reconciliation.

Before working at the national energy regulator, Craig worked in provincial legislatures in Manitoba and Alberta, the Alberta Premier’s office for two different Premiers, the Deputy Premier’s office, Ministers’ offices, and the Alberta and Canadian governments. He campaigned for political parties and candidates nationally, provincially and municipally.

Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Winnipeg and attended Red River College Polytechnic’s Creative Communications program. He is active with his children’s school and sports communities and volunteers on the board of directors of the Federation of Calgary Communities.

taplio

The Battle

👹Daniel Schloss

Craig Loewen

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