Clients
Our clients are innovating in mobile and social, fighting disease, improving consumers’ lives and the performance of businesses through innovative technology and models, creating jobs, and addressing some of the most daunting social issues of our time. We are privileged to work alongside you!
Companies in high-growth areas
- Internet / mobile services and marketplaces
- Technology / software
- Life sciences
- Financial services including venture capital
- Social ventures
Entrepreneurs and executives
- Forming and launching new businesses
- Pursuing critical milestones
- Transforming their organizations
- Facing temporary leadership or skill gaps
- Balance new projects with management activities
S&A Contribution
About REX: Well-funded, early stage startup that provides better experiences for home buyers and sellers at a fraction of the traditional cost, through innovative technology and concierge services.
S&A Contribution: Partnered with the founder & CEO to establish the firm including the team, operations, website, and board. Then served as an interim, part time executive team member before assuming a full time position as COO and CMO.
Client: Founder & CEO
S&A Contribution
Biomarin is a leading biopharmaceutical firm in Marin, California
S&A has worked with several area of the company including research and development, medical affairs and commercial to assess and improve career development infrastructure including clarifying roles and responsibilities, defining competency models and building career pathways.
Direct client: VP Development Sciences Operations Management, VP Clinical Operations, VP Medical Affairs & VP Commercial Brand Management
S&A Contribution
S&A worked with one of the 360 Group owners to develop a social mission for the company, assess potential nonprofit partners, and establish the program which included managing modifications to the company website and regular communications. S&A continues to facilitate the giving program and manages marketing, PR and communications for 360 Group.
S&A Contribution
About The Glue Network: On the Glue platform, companies of all sizes engage customers and employees in giving to good causes they choose. Glue’s white label and gift card programs provided unprecedented branding, engagement and social media value that translate to customer and employee affinity, retention, advocacy and ultimately increased revenue.
S&A contribution: A team of two from S&A conducted a market assessment, managed the complex platform development project, developed financial projections, raised angel funding, developed and executed marketing plans, temporarily filling the CMO, COO and CFO roles.
For three years, Lynley Sides served as CEO and a member of the Glue board of directors, completing the Springboard accelerator program and raising a Series A round of funding.
Direct client: Executive Chairman
S&A Contribution
About Goodsnitch: Goodsnitch is a mobile app where consumers give feedback that’s delivered to the management of any businesses in 30 seconds and recognize “everyday heroes” who provide good service. The app gets an A+ from consumers for easy of use and a rewarding experience. Business clients like The Dallas Cowboys and Life Technologies that pay to customize the app enable Goodsnitch to give the custom app away to support the work of many non-profits.
S&A contribution: S&A acted as partner to the CEO and CMO to develop a go-to-market strategy and positioning and to secure vendors for website development, video creation, PR, and design, and to put core marketing programs and communications in place. Currently partnering with the CMO to ensure the success of digital and social marketing, content, PR, and market research and forging partnerships with nonprofit organizations to accelerate downloads and usage of the app.
Direct client: Founder & CEO
S&A Contribution
S&A has worked with Onyx drug development and manufacturing groups to assess organizational effectiveness improve processes, define roles and competencies to enable efficient, effective development as well as recruiting and retention of top quality people in a competitive environment. Establishing “right size,” scalable approaches today is setting the organization up to grow rapidly while avoiding growing pains that are common in rapid growth companies.
Direct client: SVP of Technical Operations, VP of Quality and VP of Clinical Operations
S&A Contribution
About The Intersection: A unique event, held by The Gratitude Network, that brings together thought leaders from the technology, entertainment, investing, education, media, and nonprofit spaces to advance innovation and social impact. Speakers have included Susan Sarandon, Tim O’Reilly, Steve Jurvetson, Barry Zito, Greg Brandeau CTO of Disney, Guru Singh, and Sheryl Wudunn, co-author of Half The Sky.
S&A contribution: S&A created and led The Gratitude Awards to recognize and support global social entrepreneurs who are moving the needle on the most critical social issues through ground-breaking innovations. The 2013 awards honored social ventures based in India, Kenya and Northern California, all of which have attracted significant funding and launch new products or programs since the event. The awards have grown in 2014 and 2015 in partnership with SOCAP and S&A continues to serve as an advisor to The Gratitude Network.
Direct client: Founder and Director, The Gratitude Network
S&A Contribution
About Private.me: Private.me is a “forgetful” platform that protects internet users’ private data by storing it in a distributed manner across multiple non-profit organizations. Private.me keeps users’ data private and amplifies security mechanisms such as encryption, offering protection from service provider snooping, hacks, and misuse.
S&A contribution: Strategic advisor to the CEO regarding the market, product direction, establishing a tech venture, fundraising, launch planning and marketing.
Direct client: Founder & CEO
S&A Contribution
About The Gratitude Network: A social venture fund that provides financial support, access and mentorship to innovative social entrepreneurs with the highest potential to advance the world’s most important social causes, with a priority on those serving the bottom of the pyramid. The Gratitude Network sponsors The Intersection Event and The Gratitude Awards are the primary source of The Gratitude Fund’s pipeline of social entrepreneurs.
S&A contribution: S&A created and led The Gratitude Awards which recognize and support global social entrepreneurs who are moving the needle on the most critical social issues through ground-breaking innovations. The first year of the awards honored three social ventures based in India, Kenya and Northern California, all of which have attracted significant funding and launch new products or programs since the event.
Direct client: Founding Partner
S&A Contribution
S&A provided project managers for change initiatives which have included a CRM implementation to improve sales effectiveness and the centralization of Events management across functions and geographies to increase ROI on events and ensure consistency of branding.
Direct client: Head of Project Management Group
S&A Contribution
Designed project team system including team structure, roles, and portfolio management approach to enable growth and improve decision making. Conducted a separate process improvement initiative to dramatically improve speed and reliability of drug development efforts. For both projects, developed supporting documents and managed organizational change.
Direct client: SVP, Development and CEO
S&A Contribution
About Cadence: Cadence is a technology company and leading developer of semiconductor processing equipment.
S&A contribution: Provided a perspective on approach and best practices in globalization of services businesses. Conducted a situation assessment of the Cadence organization and recommended a multi-year approach to globalization of the Cadence services business.
Direct client: Head of Global Services
S&A Contribution
Dozens of organizational change and process improvement initiatives to improve the speed, decision making, effectiveness and repeatability of product development, launches and ongoing commercialization.
For the C-level executive team, conducted a global Decision Making Best Practices Study, developed an assessment tool and improvement methodology including training that was implemented company wide and led to dramatic improvement in many areas.
Direct client: The Executive Committee, VPs and Directors from Product Portfolio Management, Development, Finance, and Commercial
S&A Contribution
About Illumina: Illumina develops sequencing technologies and manufactures and commercializes sequencing instruments.
S&A contribution: Conducted a market assessment of next-generation sequencing equipment. Assessed unmet market needs in various sectors, potential solutions, the competitive situation, and potential for each. Provided recommendations regarding which sectors and solutions to pursue.
Direct client: Head of Product Marketing
S&A Contribution
About Outlook Ventures: Outlook Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm that invests in internet and enterprise software companies.
S&A contribution: As Outlook Ventures approached the launch of its third fund, S&A developed new positioning based on market research, directed the design and developed the content for a new website and recommended marketing plans across events, PR, thought leadership, direct marketing and online presence to improve the quality of deal flow. We then worked with the firm to implement the marketing plan and transition its ongoing maintenance to internal personnel. The S&A team included an interim head of marketing, one specialist and affiliates for specific projects.
Direct client: Managing Partner
S&A Contribution
For Responsys, S&A developed new positioning post-acquisition of a web tracking company, conducted market research and developed marketing programs including an integrated lead generation program, a cross-sell program and several new communication tools. The S&A team included an interim VP, marketing, an interim lead generation director and specialists for specific roles.
Direct client: CEO
S&A Contribution
For Elements, S&A acted as a complete outsourced marketing department. S&A’s principal, specialists and vendors have collaborated with Elements executives to develop a branding strategy, positioning, core messages, a web site, and other marketing materials.
Direct client: Company Founder
S&A Contribution
Work for early stage startups has included business plan writing, financial projections, market research, securing key team members and vendor relationships, and establishing core marketing and product development functions. Each project resulted in a subsequent round of funding.
Direct clients: Founders