Elena Verna

Growth, Dropbox

You can find more about me here: https://elenaverna.lovable.app/

Interim, Head of Growth

Lovable is turning 1🥳 and we just crossed $200m ARR 🤯. It’s wild. And not because the number is big, but because of how it happened. No giant sales org. Not a huge team (we are still under 100 peeps total). Not based in the heart of Silicon Valley. No endless paid marketing campaigns burning cash. Just product doing the heavy lifting like it always should.

Turns out when you focus on shipping fast, surprising people, and making software feel human again, the market pulls you forward. Builders talk, show/share what they make, and spread the word. The only other things that reliably worked for us were influencer marketing and giving the product away through freemium and every hackathon running on Lovable. It’s messy, nonlinear, and way more fun than the old playbook.

What I’m most proud of: this isn’t a growth theater. This is actual usage compounding. Real people building real things and telling their friends because they wanted to.

If you’re still treating growth like a channel optimization problem, you’re already behind. The most reliable engine is product that creates stories worth retelling. That’s what got us to 200m. And honestly, it feels like we’re just getting started.

#growth #lovable

Annual planning be like:
1. december: we start acting like psychics who specialize in ARR
2. we are given a number to hit
3. we build the plan
4. we rebuild the plan. and again. and again. and again. and again.
5. pre-reads, meetings, alignment about alignment. daily standups. 
6. we lose track of which version is “the plan”
(Its mid-Jan already) 
7. 40 slides. 6 pillars. 12 bets.
8. v27_final_final_FINAL.pptx becomes scripture
9. internal comms enters, now we need a comms plan for the plan
10. board hears the plan, no turning back
11. targets assigned like a chore wheel
12. Q1: always foundational work. Q2/Q3: the big stuff is coming. growth!
(last year? deleted from memory)
13. Q1 is running behind. 
14. big bets pushed to q3/q4 (q2 = still “foundations”)
15. we feverishly watch for “green shoots”
16. tech debt appears, migrations “almost done”
17. “need more time”
18. hockey stick expected to begin in Q4
19. “we can still hit the budget!”
20. there’s no way we can hit the budget. 
21. some executive exits
22. we promise to be realistic next year
23. someone proposes a new planning framework to fix everything
24. it’s December again. we become ARR psychics. 
#planning

I’m about six months into Lovable, but it honestly feels like six years. In a good way. I haven’t felt a learning curve like this since I was still climbing early-career rungs.

(I joined when we were just under $45m in ARR. We just announced hitting $200M - just 4 months after hitting $100M 😅)

My previous growth playbook carried me through roles where most of my job was tuning funnels and scaling established loops. Not here. Maybe 30-40% of what I knew still applies. The rest I’ve had to unlearn.  

Here’s what I’m seeing:

- Growth is now about launching new “features” and product surfaces, not just fine-tuning what exists.  

- Traditional marketing is still useful, but it’s no longer the main lever - product, virality, creator economies and community matter more.  

- The growth surface has collapsed: fewer knobs on the UI, more focus on model quality, embedded growth in product itself.  

- We’re racing on a moving treadmill: product-market fit isn’t a one-time milestone, it’s a continuous state in this AI era.  

- Roles are blending; structures are messy; you *must* author your role and navigate the ambiguity.  

Bottom-line: The current environment rewards people who can create clarity instead of waiting for it. 

⚡️Want to learn more about landing a job in AI company? Join a FREE webinar Sidebar is hosting with me this upcoming Monday!  Details on my blog post. 

Read more on my blog: https://lnkd.in/eXYVn5j3

Webinar sign-up: https://luma.com/l4575cls

#growth

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SheBuilds on Lovable buildathon applications are open again!!! A buildathon created for women, by women. Will you be there!!?

SheBuilds on Lovable is for every woman who’s had a product idea strike while feeding the kids, between meetings, on a run, during school pickup, and thought, “if only I had the skills, time, or help.”

Good news: The time is *now*. And no coding skills are required!

You will join hundreds of other women, get 48 hours, build your idea, and we give you unlimited credits to make it happen. Together. We will support you. We will lift you up. YOU. WILL. SHIP!

I want women shipping apps that solve real problems they care about. Tools that help your community, your household, your kids, your parents, you business (and yea, make money). 

🔥 Because when women build, world gets better. 

Ladies, let's go build something nobody saw coming 💃 

Important deets:
1. 48 hour buildathon is Dec 15-17
2. applications close in 48 hours, on Nov 26th.

3. APPLY HERE: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gpzsUR-R ⬅️ 
(if you've applied before, apply again!) 
-> you must have a Lovable account to apply

4. we’re selecting ~200 participants across 3 categories: business app, consumer app, and social impact 

5.  prizes: 5K lovable credits, mentorship from me, memories to last a lifetime, and a community that will absolutely change your trajectory

Season 1 was a blast. Season 2 is going to be even better. Don’t miss it!

P.S. Who runs the world???

#lovable #womenintech

Introducing… Lovable Missions - the easiest way to learn how to vibe code an app from scratch! Because if you’ve ever opened Lovable, saw the prompt box, and immediately wondered where the adult supervision went… this is your moment.

-> https://lnkd.in/eVinJDdS

We basically turned app building into GPS for builders: copy prompt, turn left, add a feature, arrive at app greatness.

Just pick your route: 
-> Landing page to catch that sweet sweet traffic before it runs away
-> Kanban board for the type A folks who color code their color coding
-> Lead capture for harvesting them MQLs 
-> AI chat bot that won’t gaslight you
aaaand more!

How it works: Grab an example app, follow the step by step prompts or watch the video, tweak it however you want, and prepare to shock yourself.

Warning: vibe coding is dangerously addicting. Side effects may include zero sleep, unsolicited app demos to friends, and the sudden belief that you possess superpowers.

Go build something. Now. 

P.S. This app is 100% vibe coded on Lovable. #EverythingIsPossible
#lovableway

behold… your 2026 annual planning bingo card.
I'm sorry to say, but... our business problems aren’t unique. neither are the solutions we keep pitching every december (just more AI this year than ever before). 
how many bingos can you hit? 
#corporatelife #tech

Labelbox

Labelbox is the data factory for generative AI, providing high-quality, differentiated data to leading model builders and enterprise AI teams.

Main job functions:
1. PLG executive focusing on creating and scaling the growth engine. Acquisition, retention, & monetization efforts. Responsible for a 5x growth in self-serve ARR from 6-7 figures in one year.

2. Built a high-performing growth team consisting of growth marketing, marketing ops, performance marketing, product management, design, and engineering. 

3. Hyperfocused on building product-led sales motion from 0-1. Operationalized a PQA scoring model in 3 months. Drove a 6-figure pipeline through rapid experimentation of PQL/PQA motion.

4. Created an efficient Paid and ABM marketing motion that generates 4x ROI on top-line Active Pipeline per quarter.

5. Lead the GTM acquisition efforts of the supply marketplace of Alignerr.com. Focused on acquisition and supply liquidity to ensure demand is met.

Director of Growth & Head of GTM for Alignerr

Growth Consulting

Netlify

Senior Growth Lead

• All things Acquisition, Retention & Monetization. Loops loops loops!

• Instrumental in developing and strategizing the acquisition strategy for Netlify's PLG engine

• Collaborate with growth team in standing up and contributing to the PQL motion (Product Led Sales)

• Stood up and help drive several data projects in collaboration with Data/Eng/Product teams involving tools such as Snowflake, Census, Segment, Hubspot, Mode, Transform, SFDC & more

• Managing Performance Marketing functions including Google Ads (paid search, display), LinkedIn Ads, Twitter Ads, Carbon Ads, & more in order to drive Self Serve growth & Enterprise hand raiser motions

• Deeply embedded in cross-functional collaboration between different parts of the org in order to scale Acquisition, Retention & Monetization growth loops

Growth

Stytch

– Provided 1:1 advisory services to CEO and founding team on best PLG practices towards acquiring the self-serve developer and providing input towards onboarding strategies to increase activation.

– Owned, managed, launched, and scaled the growth marketing acquisition strategy targeting the self-serve developer. Managed a paid $200k+ monthly budget across various channels.

– Supported the marketing team through leadership and management while the Head of Marketing was on maternity leave. Temporarily had strategic input on marketing initiatives. Had 1:1s with each team member and coached each member with guidance and best practices.

Growth Advisor

MuteSix

• Mentored paid search marketing coordinators and led them to successfully manage new accounts within 3 months

• Continued growth of existing accounts while managing a 10x increase in budgets

• Thought leader in new google search strategies

Senior Search Engine Marketing (Growth) Manager

• Drove a +340% YoY increase in ROAS while controlling $2.4 million in annual budget

• Increased landing page conversion rate by +4% by leading creative teams to design new webpages using effective optimization techniques & designing conversion loops

• Fully develop strategy, manage $100k+ monthly budgets, and own entire paid marketing campaigns of Google & Bing Paid Search, YouTube, Display, & Discovery ads

• Consistently launch new strategic campaigns through strong partnerships and effective cross-functional collaboration with design, creative, data/analytics, and marketing teams

• Received promotion

Search Engine Marketing (Growth) Manager

•Content writer and storyteller for various medium publications with more than 100,000 followers medium.com/@drewteller 
•Created and manage publication: Yogi Stories https://medium.com/yogi-stories

StoryTELLER

Lund Yoga Community (LYC)

•Launched the first donation-based yoga studio in Sweden -> 56% Monthly Gross Margin

•Using storytelling, I created the mission & the vision of the brand backed by solid values which were consistently delivered upon every single day through copywriting, social media messaging, and website positioning

•Generated customer base to 200 people in less than 4 months through use of strategic product market fit and emotional value-based messaging 

•Cultivated a global community with an audience from 25+ different countries (my favorite part)

•Product Marketing Achievement: Drove a consistent 25% monthly new member activation rate through weekly social media & email campaign testing (IG was ToF, FB was MoF, email was BoF)

•Developed social media marketing and Facebook ad strategies to position with targeted audience

•Growth Achievement: Maintained a 75% weekly user retention through listening to my students, adapting to their needs, and serving tea (seriously, tea helped!)

•Investment Achievement: Awarded 1-year funding by pitching to local investors and partnering with the University, which opened up the potential market to 25k more students

•SEO Achievement: Landed #1 on Google Search in less than 5 months

Founder

GetAccept

• Hypergrowth startup environment where I was the 3rd person in the marketing team while company was scaling from 30 to 100 employees -> responsible for growing their sales enablement product while simultaneously running experiments

• User Acquisition Growth: Generated a 6% increase in SQLs from a 22k MQL base through an email campaign consisting of 3 strategic touch points (top of funnel audiences -> newsletter, blog, website visitors, webinar attendees)

• Product Marketing: Assisted in ~14% increase of sales yield by creating a fully functioning sales/marketing collateral content management library within HubSpot

•Sales Enablement: Researched, synthesized, and authored the first educational content piece on Sales Enablement to help align internal marketing and sales teams to work more cohesively: https://www.getaccept.com/blog/ultimate-guide-how-and-why-you-need-sales-enablement-in-your-organizations

Senior Growth/Product Marketing

AEI/Affiliated Engineers, Inc.

•Designed Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Energy modeling of complex systems in Hospitals, Biotech labs/Cleanrooms, Data Centers, and renewable energy-focused buildings

•Managed design projects of 1-3 years and budgets of $800k+

•Created technical presentations, trend data analysis, and developed proposals

•Proficient in AutoCAD, Revit, and MS Excel skills for design completion

•Engineered wiring and controls diagrams for the control systems of new building platforms

•Reviewed specifications and submittals in fast pace environment to ensure construction deadline is met

•Managed business relationships and budgets for multiple clients

•Created excel spreadsheets using complex formulas and macros for streamlining work and efficiency
 
•Quality assurance and oversight for manufacturing and construction practices

Mechanical Project Engineer, Management Consultant

Director of Growth | Labelbox | TheProductLed.com

PLG | ABM | Growth Marketing | PLS | GTM Motions

With over 6+ years of leadership in product-led growth (PLG), product-led sales (PLS), and growth marketing strategies, I am a proven leader in scaling businesses through innovative go-to-market (GTM) and account-based marketing (ABM) tactics. My expertise spans both bottoms-up approaches, optimizing self-serve acquisition, and top-down strategies, where I’ve significantly influenced pipelines and revenue growth.

As the first PLG marketing hire at Netlify and the PLG executive hire for the product-led sales motion at Labelbox, I have a track record of driving substantial results.

--

M.S. Management (Thesis: Strategic Thinking)
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
B.S. Materials Engineering

I am addicted to Strategic Thinking where the intersection of Systems Thinking + Cognitive Psychology + Game Theory live. To me, strategic thinking is more than strategy, it's about developing facilitators of strategic thinking -> | Being holistic | Developing quick insights | Growing intuition | Embracing logical thought | Integrative - synthesizing discrepancy | Flexibility & open mindedness | Metaphoric - storytelling

Growth Advising & Consulting:
* Innovator: Advisor-level role who designs growth models - qualitative & quantitative
* Builder: Advisor/Consultant level role who builds out processes & systems to test growth model hypotheses (mostly Series A and B startups with PLG focused models)
* Optimizer: Consultant-level role who optimizes/scales growth channels (e.g. Google Paid Search)

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Elena Verna

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