Startup operator. Coach. Educator. Thought partner.

I’ve spent most of my career in the startup world—leading engineering and product organizations at Akamai, VMware, and DigitalOcean, coaching dozens of founders and teaching thousands students at Harvard Business School.

My startup journey started in earnest in 1999 when I joined Akamai in its earliest days, where I saw firsthand what it takes to scale a team and how much more there is to startups than the initial idea. I went on to join two more startups during their rocket ship phases— VMware in 2005 and DigitalOcean in 2016. Through these experiences, I learned what happens after the idea—where you aim for product market fit and leadership, operations, and culture are forged—that defines a company’s trajectory. That insight continues to shape my work today.

Since 2013, I’ve coached founders and C-suite leaders across a wide range of challenges including the highs and lows of scaling to growth challenges, hiring, product and go-to-market pivots, cofounder dynamics, board management, burnout and more.

I bring operational depth and empathetic listening to every session—and as a certified executive coach (PCC, ICF), I support clients in navigating both professional decisions and personal challenges to surface their own clarity and confidence.

In parallel with my coaching, I’ve served as faculty at Harvard Business School since 2016. I’ve taught courses on product management and entrepreneurship; led the winter Short Intensive Program: Startup Bootcamp; co-chaired the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship; and created the courses, ‘Startup Operations’ and ‘The Startup Toolkit’.

I’m also the founder of Good For Her, a nonprofit that supports founders who identify as women, and an active angel investor and board member committed to helping early-stage teams thrive.