Ellen Rataj

PolishUp, Inc.

We help B2B sales teams hire more A players.

Co-Founder & CEO

nReach.io

VP of Sales

Closed Won Revenue

Helping Series A & B startups scale their teams to grow revenue

Fractional VP Sales & GTM operator

Commsor 🦕

Advisor

FreeWill

Managed a team of 60 people, I successfully turned around FreeWill's revenue engine by 36% YOY growth in 2023 (after an 8% YOY rev decline in 2022) by leading and scaling the 60 person sales organization to help nonprofits expand & accelerate their impact.

Rebuilt the FreeWill Sales Team through setting a strategic vision, implementing repeatable and scalable processes, and focusing on execution, accountability, and performance management that led to:  

+ Doubled PPR (productivity per rep)
+ Doubled win rate from 6% to 12%
+ Decreased sales cycle from 100+ days to a median of 45 days
+ Quartered new hire ramp time
+ Held ACV steady

HubSpot

As Head of Sales, I developed & ran the Ramp Acceleration Program for HubSpot's global sales org. Every sales segment (eg Corporate, MidMarket, SMB, etc) is assigned a Ramp Acceleration Manager to turn new AEs into fully productive reps as quickly as possible, measured through segment PPR and ASP metrics.

Founder - Head of Ramp Acceleration, Sales at HubSpot

I built the Sales Enablement (now Revenue Enablement) function from the ground up, focusing on coaching and developing global sales leaders through recurring programming, skill development playbooks, and 1:1 mentoring.

I also built the executive communication and strategy execution model for sales, to ensure cross-departmental alignment, through consistent change management efforts.

Founder - Head of Sales Leadership Enablement, GTM Enablement

As one of the original four SMB Sales Managers at HubSpot, I managed a team of 10 direct sales reps. I onboarded, coached and developed 22 sales reps over two years, many first-timers, and built programming to expand the segment to 30 sales managers and over 250 sales reps (as of H2 2022)

Sales reps on my team learned how to successfully position the HubSpot platform through a highly consultative and evangelical sales process.

Sales Manager

+ Received Brian Halligan's (HubSpot Cofounder) "Heavy Hitter" sales award
+ #1 Direct Sales Rep in 2014 at 181%
+ #4 Direct Sales Rep in 2015 at 154%
+ Attended every HubSpot President's Club annual recognition trip for top sales performers

I helped companies rethink the way they do business & how they compete within their industries.

Principal Account Executive

Vodafone Global Enterprise

I actively managed local relationships within the Netherlands for 25 multinational Vodafone customers.  As a customer-focused team player that influences & leads through strong communication and concise decision-making skills to achieve results, I drove profitable sales and increased Vodafone's market share of integrated products, services, and solutions.

National Account Manager

Verizon Wireless

I was hired as an Account Executive.  As a top performer, I was promoted into Sales Management and lead the Boston B2B sales team targeting mid-market accounts.

Sales Manager, Mid Market

AT&T Mobility

I was extended an offer to join AT&T's on-site, intensive five-month Business Sales Leadership Development Program.  Finishing #1 of 24, I transitioned into an Account Executive role responsible for net new business growth measured through monthly quota targets.  I also was responsible for maintaining all relationships going-forward and measured on install base, upgrades, add-on, and retention metrics.

Business Account Manager

In 2022, FreeWill's net new revenue unfortunately declined by 8% YOY. 
I was hired in Q4 2022 as VP of Sales to lead the 60 person team.
15 months later, we finished 2023 at 36% YOY net new rev growth. 

Why was I able to do this? How was I able to do this? 

I rebuilt the FreeWill Sales Team through setting a strategic vision, implementing repeatable and scalable processes, and focusing on execution, accountability, and performance management.

Within 12 months, we: 
+ Doubled PPR (productivity per rep)
+ Doubled our win rate from 6% to 12%
+ Decreased our sales cycle from 100+ days to a median of 45 days
+ Halved new hire ramp time
+ Held our ACV steady 

I am a people-first Sales VP, dedicated leader, and executive strategist with GTM enablement experience scaling global sales teams.

Today, I lead the 60 person sales organization at FreeWill by balancing execution across both short-term and long-term growth plans. I believe in motivating sales teams to perform at their best by running a repeatable and scalable GTM motion, which has increased FreeWill's revenue and driven company growth. 

As a company, FreeWill has raised over $10 BILLION dollars through the creation of over 1 million wills and supports a customer network of over 1500 non-profit organizations.

Prior to joining FreeWill in 2022, I spent a decade at HubSpot. In 2022, I built out a brand new global role within HubSpot Sales as "Head of Ramp Acceleration". I supported 25+ Managers and 4 Directors as I created, executed, and scaled a segment-wide program to decrease "time to ramp" for new hires, which has since been implemented across the global HubSpot sales footprint to all teams and segments.

From 2018-2022, I co-founded HubSpot's now 45+ person Revenue Enablement team. I built and lead the growing Sales Leadership Enablement team, focused on developing and coaching sales managers & directors across all our global offices as we scaled from 40 managers to 200 managers, through implementing net new global programs, processes, and playbooks.

From 2016-2018, I was one of four original SB Sales Managers for HubSpot. Over these two years, I coached and lead a high-performing sales team to exceed our monthly quota targets while simultaneously ramping 22 new hires, which positioned me to step into the challenge of cofounding our Sales Enablement team in 2018.

From 2013-2015, I joined HubSpot as an Account Executive. I was the #1 Global Direct Rep of the year in 2014 and the #4 Global Direct Rep of the year in 2015.

Responsible for scaling the FreeWill revenue engine.
Leading 65 exceptional sales people.
Helping nonprofits expand their impact.

FreeWill is a social good startup on a mission to shift $1T to high-impact nonprofits by helping fundraising teams simplify complex ways of giving, acquire new donors, and deepen donor relationships. We’ve helped 1450+ nonprofit partners raise $9B+ in gift commitments; I’m thrilled to help bring on more!

Partnerships | Sales Development Representative

Bay Ridge Center

- Managed nonprofit’s social media channels and webpages daily, generating replicable assets for team
- Spearheaded partnerships, securing a donation from Brooklyn Brewery for annual summer benefit
- Magnified outreach to community organizations, including political offices, libraries, and businesses

Community & Social Outreach Specialist

The Fulbright Program

Based at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, I conducted research on independent artist trajectories in India's rapidly changing music market. My project explores the extent to which emerging indie artists are newly able to sustain livelihoods off of their subcultural artistic perspectives due to a surge in democratized digital platforms and societal shifts. I am currently working on a writing project to synthesize my findings in conjunction with a sharable set of resources for artists.

Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholar

Beam Impact

- Led Social Impact Partnerships as startup grew from seed stage to Series A
- Operationalized partnerships between mission-driven brands (such as Instacart, Parade, and Roots Canada) and hundreds of high-impact nonprofits, honing skills in strategy, research, and client communications
- Spearheaded social impact communications for flagship Instacart integration, liaising with 180+ nonprofits to facilitate the distribution of 6.5 million+ meals across the U.S. and Canada
- Project managed transition to updated donation fulfillment system, overseeing nonprofit database and onboarding new organizations 
- Generated social copy, curated design briefs, and analyzed impact data to support B2C marketing initiatives
- Contributed to integration process for new brand partners, helping QA UI and UX logistics

Business Development Extern

AlphaSights

- Researched and mapped out value chains across 35+ complex industries including healthcare, music, technology, video games, digital transformation and finance for client-facing projects
- Led projects and delivered across several tight workstreams, developing skills in project management, client education, market communication, negotation and beyond
- Identified and interfaced with industry experts and liaised with strategy consulting clients to understand strategic objectives and provide specialized insight efficiently and effectively
- Contributed to internal culture by organizing events and mentoring junior talent

Client Services Associate

Trailblazers Media

- Spearheaded social media strategy to accrue 2000+ followers across socials
- Designed content, copywrote captions, and established branding rubrics across socials
- Contributed editorially and curated features across the South Asian diaspora
- Helped set the tone for the brand's social and visual identity across Seasons 1 & 2

Social Media Lead & Founding Member

New Degree Press

- "Soundstorm: Musings on the Madness of the Modern Music Ecosystem" is a book of essays analyzing the business and culture of music, drawing from my personal experiences and the insights of artistic and commercial trailblazers in music
- Supported by the NYU Gallatin Dean's Award for Graduating Seniors
- Recognized as a Kindle #1 New Release in 5 categories including Music Business and Sports & Entertainment Industry upon publication in December 2020

Author, "Soundstorm"

Sony Music Entertainment

- Drove awareness for 130+ artists across genres in the NYC market as a cultural tastemaker
- Managed a portfolio of social media channels daily to execute digital marketing campaigns, doubling Instagram followers and garnering ~20% engagement on average
- Implemented physical marketing campaigns across retail, lifestyle, and on-campus accounts
- Hosted interactive listening events to target the local student population
- Attended and covered artist shows to conduct demographic analysis and gauge feedback
- Generated multimedia content including video assets for nationwide distribution

College & Lifestyle Marketing Representative — The Orchard

LinkedIn

- Crafted multimedia content and culturally-oriented essays to share on LinkedIn
- Represented LinkedIn and fostered student engagement on NYU’s campus and globally

Campus Editor

New York University

- Presented comprehensive campus tours every week and represented the university
- Managed and starred in popular social media takeovers and contributed articles to admissions blog as part of internal Digital Ambassador team
- Moderated internal professional development and networking panel
- Worked at recruitment events and answered phones at admissions office
- Competitive selection process into program (10% acceptance rate)

Admissions Ambassador

- Mentored first-years as a student leader, helping them transition to their new environment
- Facilitated engaging events for new students during welcome week to build community
- Served as an accessible online and offline resource for students throughout the year
- Supervised outings to hotspots at NYU and in NYC including music performance spaces

Gallatin Orientation Leader

Hi! I'm Saransh, a writer and researcher who thrives at the intersection of social impact and effective communication. As a versatile marketer, cultural analyst, and classically trained musician, I aim to apply an interdisciplinary approach to everything I do.

🌱 I'm a member of the Partnerships team at FreeWill, a social good startup on a mission to shift $1T to high impact nonprofits by helping fundraising teams acquire more donors and advance their missions.

🎧 I'm a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, having recently completed a research grant in Hyderabad, India to assess independent artist trajectories in the Indian music ecosystem. I moonlight as an artist manager for Sanjana, an LA-based singer-songwriter whose music has surpassed 1.8 million streams.

📚 I'm the author of "Soundstorm: Musings on the Madness of the Modern Music Ecosystem" (2020), a book of essays analyzing the business and culture of music from a multicultural, Gen-Z perspective.

💡 I'm an alumnus of NYU Gallatin, where I crafted a concentration in Cultural Entrepreneurship, studying the potential of harnessing business as a tool for social and cultural impact. Throughout college, I interned at 7 companies (including Sony Music and Roc Nation), represented NYU as an Admissions Ambassador, sang in an a cappella choir, studied abroad in Paris as a French minor, and beyond!

Let's connect — always happy to chat! Feel free to learn more about me and my work at saranshdc.com

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Ellen Rataj

Saransh Desai-Chowdhry

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