Jessica Venturini, advisor, board director and chief revenue officer, talks about her role as a member of the Upliift Advisory Board and why adding value is fundamental to her approach to being an advisor, as it has been throughout her career.

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• • There’s always something to learn from inspirational founders, which enriches me.
  • It’s good to be curious and maintain a thirst for new ways of thinking and doing things.
  • The European software industry is a rich and vibrant environment.
  • Upliift values the vision, skills and ability of founders who have created successful businesses and offers financial and operations resources to continue that success.
  • Upliift’s diverse Advisory Board reflects the company’s determination to get close to the founders’ markets in which it invests and to speak the language of those local markets.

How did you get started in business and/or technology?

I studied languages and literature at university in Italy,  and  I realised soon that this didn’t give me what I was looking for in a career, so applied for a postgrad in marketing and management. I wanted to study internationally, and after researching the available courses, I found one in Ireland that was interesting. This started me on my business journey and, from there, helped me move  into the tech world, initially by chance I have to admit, as this led to me finding employment with Siemens Business Services,  which had a European centre of excellence in Cork, Ireland, where I’d studied.

How did you build your expertise?

Although I’d got into the tech world by chance, I found it interesting from the outset. I began in business development at Siemens. This meant that while I had a local perspective in Ireland, I also gained a global view. From there I moved to the US internet company Yahoo!, which was a very enriching  experience. At the time, Yahoo! was bigger than Google and I spent around two years with the company, still based in Ireland. Then, after six years studying and working in Ireland, I decided to move back to continental Europe. I joined Board International in Switzerland, in what became a pivotal experience for me.

Tell us about your experience with Board International

When I joined Board, they were starting to scale from around 60 people. I was with them for more than 13 years and was part of their transformation from a niche player to a global leader. We were transforming into a professional-led company, going through two  fundraising rounds. This expanded my experience in business development and go-to-market, notably SaaS where I’ve spent my career. I’ve been primarily focused on internationalisation, business development and go-to-market.

Were there many differences working for US and European corporates?

Cultural differences aside, for me the biggest difference was about being at the heart of a business (Board’s HQ) and working more remotely (Yahoo!’s Irish subsidiary). At Board, I had the opportunity to be part of the leadership team that took the company forward from the early days. It was exciting working in a locally headquartered company where everything happens, decisions are made and strategies agreed right where I was working. It was also stimulating and inspirational working closely with the founders. At Yahoo!, it was a trendy, ‘happening’ company, but we were a remote arm of the US-headquartered business and weren’t really part of the broader decision making, so it didn’t have that same sense of excitement.

How did you get to know Upliift?

I knew Upliift Chairman Oliver Thomas from when he was at Grafton Capital, one of Board International’s investors. But it was really through Pietro Ferrari, a co-founder of Board International and CTO while I was there, that I came across Upliift. Pietro is Managing Director of Upliift in Italy and introduced me to Alex Myers, Upliift founder and co-CEO. The prospect of sharing my industry experience and particularly my experience of scaling a company from a go-to-market and business development perspective was intriguing. After many years with the same company, I was attracted by the idea of sharing my experiences with different organisations and in different environments across Europe.

What prompted you to become a member of Upliift’s Advisory Board?

From a personal knowledge and development viewpoint, the fact that I would be in contact with a lot of inspiring people,as founders of software companies tend to be, was a great incentive. I was attracted by being part of a community of leaders and innovative people. I’m also used to working in an international context, so I liked the idea that Upliift is focused on the European software market, looking across borders at different countries in Europe. The European software industry is a rich and vibrant environment that I want to be part of.

What attracted you about Upliift’s investment approach?

Owners and founders typically have a long-term view of the product or service they’ve developed. They want to see their ‘ success continuing to thrive long into the future. That’s why I liked the fact that Upliift’s permanent investment model gives them an investment partner who will be with them for the long term. It takes away the tension because a founder/owner knows that what they’ve built will be preserved. This is very different to the private equity model that looks at the short- or medium-term view. In contrast, Upliift uses the vision, skills and ability of founders who have created something successful and offers financial and operations resources, as well as networks, to continue that success.

What role do you play as an Advisory Board member?

I’m very conscious of the fact that while there are women leaders in the software industry, there could/should be many more. That’s why it’s beneficial to be part of ecosystems where you can contribute to the industry and enrich it with a female point of view. But beyond the gender topic, the Upliift Advisory Board brings together people from many different backgrounds, with multiple experiences and nationalities, which is important. The European market has many cultural nuances compared to the American market. While in the US you’ll be told that someone from Texas is very different to someone from New York, nonetheless they have just one language, for instance, which cannot be said of Europe.

So, what Upliift is doing with its diverse Advisory Board, is important. It reflects Upliift’s determination to get close to the founders’ markets in which it invests and to speak the language of those local markets and really understand the issues that founders are facing.

What does it mean to be an advisor?

For me, it’s about sharing my experience and making my competencies and skillsets available to the different companies and organisations in the Upliift ecosystem. it’s not about teaching how things should be done, imparting wisdom, rather it’s about sharing specific knowledge and experience with the view that it will be  valuable contribution  for those companies looking to scale up. From my own background, I hope my experience might contribute to the growth and internationalising of European tech organisations.

I’m also looking to learn myself. I see my work with Upliift as an adventure in which I can discover more about how different business models work as companies grow, scale and become more successful. The niche companies in which Upliift invests have a lot of knowledge within them and there’s always something to learn from inspirational innovative founders, which enriches me. It’s good to be curious and maintain a thirst for new ways of thinking and doing things.

What makes a good advisor?

I’ve mentioned curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, but it’s also important for advisors to be open minded and flexible. The ability to listen to founders is so important. Founders are a special breed of person, with a special bond to the products and services they’ve built and know so much about . So, an Upliift advisor must be  respectful and prepared to listen. You should also be willing to challenge yourself (and be challenged). You must be empathetic and collaborative in how you work with founders. The ability to communicate well is important as well, so that the advice you give is clear and based on a good relationship with the founders and owners. And finally, you need to deliver value and become a trusted coach.

What motivates you?

If you deliver value, you build trust and enriching relationships, people are happy to work with you,  and all that is rewarding. Some of the most rewarding moments in my career have been when people I’ve worked with have come back to me, maybe years later, to run something by me, discuss ideas, share views. It tells me that my input and our exchange of ideas is a valuable exercise. And what better role to continue to deliver that value than as an advisor? Sitting on Upliift’s Advisory Board is the perfect place to do that!