Paul Friesen

Developer & Platform Marketing | CMO | Advisor & Investor

San Francisco7k followers

Rapid

ex-Panoply by SQream

ex-Algolia

I’m a CMO for infrastructure, developer and creator platform companies, with prior CEO
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I specialize in translating complex systems—APIs, data platforms, and AI infrastructure—into clear category narratives and repeatable go-to-market engines that scale from product-led adoption to enterprise I’ve spent my career building and scaling GTM systems across startups, growth-stage companies, and public-company environments—leading teams, sharpening positioning, and driving durable revenue growth in technically complex Today, I’m operating as an Operator-in-Residence, working closely with founders and executive teams on infrastructure and platform GTM. My focus includes PLG → enterprise expansion, multi-ICP positioning (developers, operators, buyers), pricing and packaging inputs, launch strategy, sales enablement, and applied exploration of AI-driven GTM Previously, I served as CMO at Rapid (acquired by Nokia), the world’s leading API hub. I built and led a full-stack marketing organization spanning product marketing, growth, enterprise, brand, and developer relations; repositioned the category; scaled marketplace adoption; launched high-growth self-service offerings; and helped drive enterprise expansion with customers including Sun Life and Before Rapid, I joined Panoply as CMO and later became CEO, leading GTM, product (non-engineering), customer operations, and company strategy through rapid growth and a successful acquisition by SQream. During my tenure, we raised $20M+, grew revenue 100%+ YoY, scaled trials 5×, reduced churn below 10%, and built strategic partnerships with Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Snowflake, and Earlier, I built GTM foundations at Algolia—supporting 100%+ YoY growth and a $2B valuation—and led Marketplace and Ecosystem GTM at Atlassian in the years leading up to IPO, helping grow the business 3× and establish what became $1B+ in lifetime marketplace I began my career in product marketing at Intel, managing the $6B Xeon business across the Americas and developing a deep foundation in infrastructure GTM, enterprise complexity, and ecosystem-driven I’m selective about advisory and investment work while preparing for my next full-time operating role.

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GTM Index

RAPIDJOB
1. CMO
  2Y 11M
PANOPLY BY SQREAMJOB
1. CEO
  2Y 11M
2. CMO
  1Y 11M
ALGOLIAJOB
1. VP of Mktg
  2Y 11M
ATLASSIANJOB
1. Head of PMM, Marketplace &…
  3Y 11M
INTEL CORPORATIONJOB
1. Dir of PMM
  2Y 11M
2. Senior PMM
  2Y 11M
3. PMM
  1Y 11M

Job: Rapid — CMO · 2022 – 2024 · 2y — Rapid is the world’s leading API hub, used by over 4M developers to build, use, and share APIs. Rapid sits at the intersection of infrastructure, developer experience, and enterprise API management, and was backed by a16z and SoftBank, raising $250M+ before being acquired by Nokia in 2024 to accelerate their API management and marketplace strategy. As CMO, I led all aspects of marketing during a critical period of scaling — overseeing Product Marketing, Growth, Enterprise Marketing, Brand, and Developer Relations. I partnered closely with Product, Sales, and Engineering to drive adoption across both PLG and enterprise motions. Key achievements • Built and scaled a full-stack marketing org…
Job: Panoply by SQream — CEO · 2019 – 2021 · 2y — Panoply democratizes data with a cloud-based, no-code data platform that unifies business data and BI workflows. I was promoted from CMO to CEO to lead the company’s next stage of growth, overseeing GTM, product (non-engineering), customer operations, and overall company strategy. I partnered closely with the board on scaling, performance, and acquisition planning, culminating in Panoply’s successful acquisition by SQream in 2021. Key achievements • Grew revenue 100%+ YoY each year • Helped raise $20M+ in funding • Scaled trials 5×, significantly increasing pipeline and conversions • Maintained churn below 10% through improved onboarding + customer programs • Built the operational model th…
Job: Panoply by SQream — CMO · 2018 – 2019 · 1y — I joined Panoply as CMO to build the marketing foundation from the ground up. I owned product marketing, demand generation, growth, brand, communications, and analytics, creating the GTM engine that positioned Panoply for scale and ultimately supported my transition into the CEO role. Key achievements • Built Panoply’s marketing organization and GTM programs from scratch • Drove 500%+ YoY growth in unique trials through PLG experimentation, lifecycle marketing, and funnel optimization • Reduced churn to below 10%, improving retention and customer health • Delivered sustained revenue acceleration, with peak periods reaching 8% MoM, contributing to 100%+ YoY growth • Landed customers includi…
Job: Algolia — VP of Marketing · 2016 – 2018 · 2y — Executive team member (reporting directly to the CEO) leading Product Marketing, Growth, Brand, and Developer Relations. Algolia is a search-as-a-service platform backed by Accel, Salesforce Ventures, and Index Ventures, ultimately reaching a $2B valuation. I built Algolia’s first scalable GTM engine and led the company’s Product Marketing function, helping reposition the product from developer-only usage to broader enterprise adoption. Highlights & Impact • Built and led the Product Marketing team, defining positioning, messaging, competitive strategy, and enterprise narrative • Drove 100% YoY revenue growth, contributing to Algolia’s global scale and valuation • Launched Algolia Enterp…
Job: Atlassian — Head of Product Marketing, Marketplace & Ecosystem · 2013 – 2016 · 3y — Recruited to lead Product Marketing and GTM for Atlassian’s Marketplace and Ecosystem two years prior to its IPO. Reported to senior leadership and partnered closely with product, engineering, platform, community, and corporate marketing teams to align positioning, campaigns, and ecosystem growth initiatives. Atlassian’s Marketplace connects millions of users with third-party apps that extend products like Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket. I owned Product Marketing and GTM for the Marketplace and Ecosystem during a period of hypergrowth, scaling a small team into a full marketing function and helping build programs that ultimately generated over $1B in lifetime revenue. Highlights & Impact…
Job: Intel Corporation — Director of Product Marketing · 2010 – 2012 · 2y — Led Product Marketing for Intel’s Data Center and Xeon business across North & South America, a multibillion-dollar segment during a period of rapid enterprise and cloud growth. Reported into Americas Marketing leadership and coordinated closely with global Product Marketing, APAC, and EMEA teams to align launches, messaging, and GTM strategy. Highlights & Impact • Owned positioning, messaging, launch planning, competitive strategy, and GTM for the Xeon E5/E7 processor families across the Americas • Led the regional launch of Xeon E5, which contributed to over $6B in revenue • Drove GTM alignment with Dell, HP, and IBM, influencing how OEMs sold Intel’s server platforms into enterprise, c…
Job: Intel Corporation — Senior Product Marketing Manager · 2008 – 2010 · 2y — Supported global Product Marketing for Intel’s data center group with a focus on enterprise, virtualization, and cloud adoption. Highlights & Impact • Built integrated marketing plans covering partner marketing, paid media, events, sponsorships, social, case studies, and sales training • Established partner marketing programs with VMware, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco, BMW, Thomson Reuters, Novartis, and DuPont • Created competitive positioning and content for enterprise workloads and early cloud deployments • Coordinated globally with APAC/EMEA teams to ensure consistent messaging, launch readiness, and channel strategy • Supported performance benchmarking and competitive analysis that i…
Job: Intel Corporation — Product Marketing Manager · 2007 – 2008 · 1y — Part of Intel’s post-MBA Marketing Rotation Program, gaining broad experience across consumer, channel, and enterprise teams. Highlights & Impact • Managed worldwide consumer media device marketing, leading cross-functional teams across the U.S., Japan, China, and France • Led marketing for “Path to the Cloud” channel program, which helped accelerate adoption of Intel processors in emerging cloud infrastructure markets • Supported HP account team initiatives, improving alignment between Intel’s platform roadmap and partner GTM efforts • Built early exposure to segmentation, messaging, partner management, and global coordination — foundational PMM skills used throughout later leadership ro…
School: Stanford University Graduate School of Business — Executive Development
School: The Wharton School — Executive Development
School: York University - Schulich School of Business — MBA
School: University of Victoria — Computer Science

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Product ManagementProduct MarketingMarket ResearchCompetitive AnalysisProduct DevelopmentGo-to-market StrategyStrategic PartnershipsProgram ManagementBrand ManagementAlgoliaDemand GenerationMarket PlanningSales ManagementMarketingLeadershipProject ManagementCross Functional RelationshipsStrategyBusiness StrategyStrategic Planning

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Paul Friesen

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