Matt Lerner

SYSTM

At SYSTM (formerly Startup Core Strengths), our mission is to help early-stage startups find their big growth levers (and pull them). We've noticed that great startups don't waste time on small stuff, so we  focus everyone on the most impactful work.

Founder & CEO

TransferGo

During my part-time interim role, our team more than doubled the YoY growth rate of acquisitions while lowering CPAs and improving retention and revenue per transaction. I also sourced their full-time VP Growth, and hired 4 other diverse and talented marketers to the team.

Interim VP of Growth

500 Startups

I led 500 Startups operations in London, investing in 35 seed-stage companies including Storemaven, SimplyCook, ZenJob, AirSorted, Popsa, Settled, Lexoo, Thriva, CharlieHR, HonestBrew, Fy and Second Nature. I also set up and ran the "Distro Dojo" growth marketing program for our portfolio companies in London and Berlin, which I was able to staff with a handful of the most extraordinary growth marketers in Europe.

Partner, London

PayPal

I led business-to-business marketing for PayPal UK, and oversaw the SMB/SME merchant business as a general manager.

Director, SMB

Created and lead PayPal’s first website marketing team, including conversion specialists, web analysts, developers, designers and writers. With a $3.5M budget, I oversee all business-facing areas of PayPal.com, driving over 85% of PayPal’s small business acquisition. The team boosted conversion (visitors to signups) in 2011 by 28%, generating an extra $67M over three years.

Director, On-Site Marketing

Built and managed a team of direct marketers who oversaw all marketing to PayPal’s existing small business customer base including activation, cross-sell and retention, generating $30M in incremental revenue.
+ Led pricing in North America.
+ Oversaw all marketing for the PayPal Debit Card, a $60M business, accelerating growth from 7% to 20% YoY in 12 months.
+ Deployed a propensity model targeting our most promising new customers with a high-touch “welcome” experience, boosting their value by 34% vs. control. The program generated an extra $11M in revenue in the first year and $55M over three years.

Group Manager, Merchant Engagement Marketing

Promoted within the same role, grew the team to 18. Developed processes & metrics around go-to-market. Oversaw the launch of many of PayPal’s most popular small business products.

Group Manager, Product Marketing

Built PayPal’s first outbound Product Marketing team. We oversaw all outbound B2B product marketing, launched a dozen major products and features.

Sr. Manager, Product Marketing

+ Originally hired to oversee developer marketing
+ Managed partner marketing through our shopping cart partners including GoDaddy and Yahoo!
+ Ran PayPal’s first consumer engagement campaigns
+ Launched Website Payments Pro, which currently generates over $100M revenue/year.

Marketing Manager

Macromedia

Brought Fireworks MX 2004 to market. The launch exceeded sales forecast by 20%. Planned subsequent release including researching and writing the MRD.

Product Manager

Visited 36 countries, wrote a book, climbed two 18,000 ft. Himalayan peaks, dove some of the world's best reefs, and learned to "think globally."

International Traveller

+ Led the successful development and launch of two products and discontinued a third product without alienating valuable customers.
+ Led demand generation among designers and developers for four of Macromedia’s largest launches including the flagship Dreamweaver product. Sales consistently beat forecasts. Tactics included print advertising, online media, direct mail (Harte Hanks) and email (Digital Impact) campaigns.

Product & Marketing Manager

Elemental Software

Poppe Tyson

Led B2B online marketing programs for clients including Novell Inc., Edward Jones Inc. and IDG.

Assistant Account Executive

Startup growth strategist, Ex PayPal, 500 Startups VC, Founder @ SYSTM

I founded SYSTM to help startups find their big growth levers - the small actions that can have the biggest impact on their growth. We’ve worked with over 200 companies and earned a 96% founder “likely to recommend” score.

Before founding SYSTM, I was the London-based Partner of 500 Startups, an early-stage VC fund, where I built and ran an accelerator seed-stage growth program for our portfolio companies.

Prior to joining 500 Startups, I worked for many years building and managing growth teams for three  startups (two disasters, one exit), and later at PayPal. 

I approach my work first as a general manager and then as a marketer, product manager or both, as needed. My lens is quantitative, but rooted in deep customer insights and testing, and based on fast iteration. I’m always learning, and I really enjoy teaching and helping those around me to learn and improve. Skip to the references below, you'll see that I'm regarded as a thought leader in many areas of business, and an inspiring people manager who reliably delivers ahead of expectations.

Mamazen Startup Studio

Head of Ventures (fractional)

Co-Created

Co-Created is a venture studio that spun out of Prehype, extending a 10+ year track record to continue building startups with some of the world's best companies and entrepreneurs.

Venture Builder

SYSTM (Formerly Startup Core Strengths)

At SYSTM (formerly Startup Core Strengths), our mission is to help early-stage startups find their big growth levers (and pull them). Great startups don't waste time on small stuff, so we focus everyone on the most impactful work.

Growth Coach

Unilever

Here at Unilever’s Foundry we partner with the world’s best scaleups and startups to unleash disruptive innovation on a global scale.
We bring together Unilever’s 400+ brands and functions together with high growth businesses, to encourage innovation and create new partnerships that deliver meaningful business impact.

Senior Advisor, Startup Partnerships @The Foundry

PawSquad

Acquired by IVC Evidencia

PawSquad is a groundbreaking veterinary platform combining digital and home visit services to deliver convenient, personalised and stress free care to our pet patients - day or night. 

We’re a startup at heart, combining strong tech and data with the best veterinary team and advisors to shake up an industry that for too long has been lagging in customer-centricity.  

PawSquad serves thousands of pets and happy owners in markets like London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Southampton and Bournemouth, and is expanding rapidly with the aim of becoming the largest veterinary service provider in the UK and beyond. 

Our online consultations enable pet owners to speak to a vet via video or text through our website or app without having to travel to a practice. Similarly, our home visit provides pets and their owners with a relaxed and personal veterinary experience in the comfort of their home - making the experience as stress-free as possible. 

Our ongoing relationship with Direct Line Insurance Group also means that our services are reaching more and more of the nation’s pet owners.

Co-founder/CEO

Citi

I help develop, and accelerate growth for Citi's start-up ventures.

Discover 10X (D10X) is an internal incubator/accelerator that operates as a partnership between Citi Ventures and Citi's major business units. We work to identify and develop new growth opportunities for Citi, leveraging best practices from venture capital, startups, and tech.

New Ventures - Citi Ventures

Quib.ly

Quibly is a members-only questions and answers community that helps parents guide their children towards a bright future.

OTTO International Inc 

Multi-channel fashion retailer responsible for the launch of the $200MM German brand, APART, in the US market. Subsidiary of APART International GmBh (ex-Otto Group)

Negotiated and acquired licensing rights for North America of Otto Group’s APART brand.

Raised $7M in seed capital

Defined and executed strategy to launch $200MM brand, APART, in the US. 
Built and managed team of 30 employees to launch APART brand in the US market. Achieved $15m in sales by Y3; Directed company structure with direct management over: Technology, Finance, IT, Sales & Marketing

Developed multi-channel distribution strategy via wholesale, retail and ecommerce. Built sales distribution network calling at 3400 brick and mortar stores and 12 department stores. Launched 2 proprietary retail stores and online store.

Co-Founder/CEO APART North America 

Unidos Financial Services INC

Unidos is an integrated platform offering financial services products to the rapidly growing underserved community in both the U. S. and abroad. 

Planned and implemented the marketing strategy for the launch of an innovative cash to debit card money remittance service for the US - Latin America corridor. Launched product to 500+ retailers in the US & Mexico.

Director of Product Marketing

Vivaro Corporation

Leading national Telecommunications and Financial Services provider to the $750BB Hispanic market.

As early employee and senior marketer, contributed to Vivaro’s growth into becoming the leading US Hispanic DSD company with a network of 10K+ stores and $250MM in annual revenue. Built and managed national consumer marketing organization of 12 regional marketers. Led brand development for the #1 US pre-paid telecom card, generating $30MM in incremental sales in 1 year. Promoted to Marketing Director for Unidos, the company’s start-up financial services division.

I build high impact ventures and deliver digital first propositions for great companies big and small. 

Entrepreneur with 15 years experience building and operating ventures in the health, telecom, fin-tech, fashion and edu-tech sectors in both UK and US with focus on strategy, building great products, execution and working with talented teams.

Specialties: 
Customer discovery 
Product strategy and road-mapping
Growth 
Rapid experimentation 
Business model validation
Jobs to be done
Lean Validation

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The Battle

Matt Lerner

🧞‍♂️Francesco Cardoletti

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