Steven Kolak

Business Development Executive

Natick, Massachusetts, United States29 yrs 8 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Proven track record in corporate development and strategic partnerships.
Expertise in product marketing and management for technology solutions.
Strong ability to drive lead generation and business growth.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Corporate Development and Product Marketing expert in the SaaS and technology solutions industry.

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Skills

Core Skills

Corporate DevelopmentBusiness DevelopmentProduct MarketingProduct ManagementPartner ManagementCompetitive Analysis

Other Skills

Ecosystem Creation and ExpansionLicensing AgreementsM&APartner Relationship Development & ManagementProduct Strategy and RoadmapMeasurement System CreationPersonnel Coaching and DevelopmentMarket Requirements DocumentSales TrainingLead GenerationMarketing CampaignsProduct MessagingProduct DemonstrationsCustomer PresentationsCollateral Material

About

MathWorks collaborates with tens of thousands of customers ranging from just a few people to the largest companies in the world. To enable our customers to make their Autonomous, Automated Driving, AI, Control Systems, Wireless, and other algorithms and "engineered-systems" a reality. Within that context, I am a dynamic, experienced, and hopefully genuine professional with a history of establishing and nurturing business relationships, performing innovative product marketing for emerging or strategic products, and creating and delivering on product strategies and roadmaps. I have a solid combination of business and technical skills with the ability to look at challenges in unique ways, create and distribute maximum value for all involved, and propose and implement what is necessary for an organization or partner relationship to succeed. Examples of my experience: - Business Development - Corporate Development - Ecosystem Creation and Expansion - Licensing Agreements - M&A - Partner Relationship Development & Management - Product Marketing - Product Management - Product Strategy and Roadmap - Measurement System Creation - Personnel Coaching and Development

Experience

29 yrs 8 mos

Total Experience

4 yrs 11 mos

Average Tenure

10 yrs 11 mos

Current Experience

Mathworks

3 roles

Corporate Development Manager

Promoted

Jul 2015 – Present · 10 yrs 11 mos · Natick, MA

Responsible for identifying, prioritizing, and executing strategic opportunities for MathWorks aimed at entering new markets or enhancing technological leadership with MATLAB and Simulink products.
Reach-out to organizations to establish senior-level relationships
Opportunity assessment and development/advocacy within the organization
Licensing arrangements, strategic partnerships, and other strategic options
Analyzing industries, business models, partnerships, and adjacent markets
Developing processes, tools, and best practices for the corporate development function
Ensuring relationship, partnership, or transaction effectiveness
Negotiation and execution of these related activities
Special projects for executive management team

Business DevelopmentCorporate DevelopmentEcosystem Creation and ExpansionLicensing AgreementsM&APartner Relationship Development & Management+5

Business Development and Partner Management

Promoted

Jun 2007 – Sep 2014 · 7 yrs 3 mos

Responsible for identifying and prioritizing strategic partnering opportunities for the company in the Test & Measurement application area. Architected and negotiated the business terms for the creation of a sales channel where the $5B industry leader in the T&M industry markets and sells MathWorks software as a global value-added reseller (VAR). Led a multi-disciplinary team in the ownership and expansion of this channel. Created unique and compelling marketing campaigns to drive lead generation and new business. Remained a business area owner at MathWorks for T&M responsible for setting product direction, setting forecasts, and reporting on results to executive management.

Business DevelopmentPartner ManagementMarketing CampaignsLead Generation

Product Marketing Manager

Sep 2004 – Jun 2007 · 2 yrs 9 mos

Developed and implemented the product messaging and marketing strategy for company's Test & Measurement product line. Authored technical papers, demos, articles, web-based communications, and user stories. Performed competitive analysis including analyzing competitor pricing and positioning. Coordinated with engineering in creating the product roadmap and product requirements pertaining to data acquisition, image acquisition, and instrument control. Trained sales team on product strengths, capabilities, and benefits as well as competitive differentiators.

Product MarketingCompetitive AnalysisProduct MessagingSales Training

Cognex corporation

Senior Product Marketing Manager

Sep 2014 – Jun 2015 · 9 mos · Natick, MA

Responsible for driving the customer introduction and enterprise adoption of Cognex Designer, Cognex’s software development environment for developing 2D and 3D machine vision applications, and associated vision hardware.
Owned the delivery of detailed product roadmaps and marketing requirement documents
Conducted sales and technical training to direct and partner channels on product positioning and differentiation, product capabilities, and pricing and selling strategies
Created and delivered lead Designer training course at Cognex’s annual Kickoff sales training
Introduced first Market Requirements Document at Cognex using Pragmatic Marketing principles
Executed permanent and temporary license security implementations for hardware and software
Developed multiple self-service SharePoint intranet tools to formalize delivery of sales, AE, and technical support content created including customer presentations, sell sheets, and FAQ documents
Performed additional marketing responsibilities for various PC-based and embedded products including industrial controllers and PC cards for OEMs and system integrators

Product MarketingProduct ManagementMarket Requirements DocumentSales TrainingLead Generation

Compuware

Product Specialist

Jan 2003 – Jan 2004 · 1 yr

Created and delivered presentations, product demonstrations, and proofs-of concepts to high level decision makers and end-users. Contributed to the creation and review of collateral material. Communicated customer concerns and sales roadblocks to engineering and upper management.

Product DemonstrationsCustomer PresentationsCollateral Material

Hammer (was empirix, a teradyne spin-off)

Product Manager

Jan 2000 – Jan 2002 · 2 yrs

Crafted product messaging for decision makers (CIOs/CTOs) and end users, resulting in $100K+ deals. Determined quarterly product advertising and conceptualized product promotions. Generated product recognition by being cited as domain expert in Information Week, InfoWorld, SDTimes, and Software Magazine. Publicity created 20% increase in product purchases. Conducted business briefings with Gartner, IDC, etc. Authored product collateral such as press releases, product datasheets, white papers, competitive analysis documents, and price lists. Responded to RFIs and RFPs. Drove short-term and long-term product roadmaps by regularly performing research on enterprise software market. Provided continual feedback to engineering and upper management on needed product functionality and improvements. Lectured to audiences at industry organizations and on-line Webinars.

Product MessagingProduct PromotionsMarket ResearchProduct Management

Teradyne

Pre-sales Applications Engineer and Software Engineer

Jan 1995 – Jan 2000 · 5 yrs

Created and delivered presentations and proofs-of concepts to key customers and product demonstrations to prospects at international trade shows. Defended design proposals and concepts to management and engineering communities. Developed hardware and software solutions for semiconductor SOC microchip device testing on Catalyst/A5xx automated test equipment (ATE) systems. Created training material for new instrumentation and delivered to key customers. Provided technical support and consulting duties to customer base and other Teradyne divisions. Applied Total Quality Management (TQM) techniques to problem resolution and continuous improvement activities within ISO9001 organization.

PresentationsTechnical SupportProblem Resolution