Here are the 18 Growth Mentors of September 2024

1. Tamara Kurz

Describe yourself

Hi! I’m Tamara, probably the coolest person at every party: My specialty is Insurance Operations. And I am contagious – if you talk long enough with me, you’ll end up one evening at the bar with friends, wondering how you ended up monologuing very passionately about nonviolent communication, the balance of tech and empathy when creating resilient service delivery processes, and how the craft is more important than the hype.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I already am a Strategic Mentor at the InsurTech Hub Munich and really appreciate the exchange with founders, so I want to grow this side of private projects.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

For this, I’ll go with Michael Caine’s advice: Always use the difficulty. A growth mindset is a perspective that takes away the negative attitude toward outside factors – rather than taking energy out of you for anger and fear, it gives energy through fun and creativity when viewing situations as challenging puzzles to be solved.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Although I have my fair share of oil on my hands from working in the machine room, the one thing I would prioritize is attitude. Your view forward sets the tone, and if you choose fascination over fear, your whole organization will do too.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

If things go complex, the toolbox has to stay simple: start drawing, go talk to the front line, and filter out any noise – relentlessly.

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2. Steve Bohac

Describe yourself

Hi, I’m Steve! I’ve been in technology product roles for many years – I love this job!

Product marketing and management roles are so exhilarating as they put you in the center of the action of many companies, working with engineering, sales, operations and the executive team.

My experience has been predominantly market and customer-facing in product marketing roles, but have had significant time as a product manager as well working with engineering setting product direction and feature delivery roadmaps.

I cut my product marketing and product management teeth in large corporations, starting with HP and then to NetApp and then Red Hat. Since then, I’ve found the smaller, more dynamic life of startups to be more rewarding, exciting, and fulfilling. I’ve worked in many different technology areas, all during initial hyper growth stages – servers (physical and virtual), file storage, open source software, Kubernetes-based infrastructures, and recently AI as a product for customer support and then skills technologies.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I’m at that point in my career where I’ve got a wealth of experience in tech product marketing and product management and I’d like to help, guide, develop, and nurture either younger colleagues or less experienced startup CEOs on their journey toward growth developing and leveraging product marketing skills, approaches and methods.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

ITERATIVE & PATIENT – chances are you will not nail it initially. It will take some iterations to get to the ideal mix of a good product with compelling messaging targeting the right customer profile.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Product Strategy -> FOCUS – don’t try to be everything to everybody! Focus, keep it simple, be customer-centric in your approach, and use data to support decisions where possible. Too often I’ve seen startups spin their wheels with too broad a product that doesn’t solve a specific problem enough.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

1. Be very clear on what the problem is. Define it explicitly.
2. Scope its severity and business impact.
3. Identify all possible causes and research each to determine what is at the heart of the issue.
4. Determine a solution and be clear that it will solve the explicit problem you identified in (1).
5. Implement the solution and tweak/iterate if necessary until the problem is eliminated

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3. Shikha Agarwal

Describe yourself

I lead growth marketing for all YouTube subscriptions – YouTube Premium, YouTube TV, Sunday Ticket and Primetime channels. My team drives over 40% of growth for these businesses. My approach is grounded in data and logic, and pulls heavily from my multi-functional career journey spanning strategy, banking and sales ops. I enjoy developing the next generation of leaders and would love to work with you.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I have learned a ton from others, and now it’s time to give back and teach.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

I can’t do it “yet”.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Growth process – a step-by-step framework to driving growth and conquering complexity.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

I accelerated profits by developing a data-driven way to maximize the ROI from paid marketing.

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4. Rutger Stronks

Describe yourself

I’m an experienced B2B marketing leader: I started my career at Google and Twitter, after which I worked for 10+ years at multiple startups and medium-sized tech companies in various industries. I’m very passionate about B2B /growth marketing, in particular SaaS, and have managed, expanded and mentored marketing teams from 3 up to 20 FTE. I’m very passionate about sharing my knowledge and capabilities with fellow marketers – to help them achieve their goals.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

Helping startups to succeed in their marketing approach/strategy and learn from their challenges.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

It’s about your mission to persistently accomplish your goal or vision – overcoming the roadblocks with dedication, joy and effort.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Marketing metrics (and how to improve the numbers) – a data-driven marketing approach will always guide you – on a strategic, tactical and operational level – in the right direction. You can’t improve or chase the things you don’t know.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

1. Understand the problem in detail that you’d like to solve: use the available data and do your research.
2. Identify potential scenarios that would solve the problem. Think out of the box.
3. Translate the scenarios into actionable solutions.
4. Pick the solution that you think would solve it best.
5. Implement and monitor the impact.
6. If the solution works, celebrate! If not, see if you can adjust your implemented solution to steer it in the right direction, or go back to your potential scenarios and try other ones and restart implementing.

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5. Michelle Bozeman

Describe yourself

I’m Michelle and I’m looking forward to helping you achieve your goals. I have over 25 years of experience in Big Tech developing high-performing teams that help enterprise customers achieve their business goals. I’ve experienced the excitement of growth and achievement along with the frustrations of dysfunctional teams, toxic managers and a lack of work-life balance. I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most talented leaders, mentors and executive coaches over the years who guided and helped me navigate difficult situations. I’m delighted to give back and use my experience and insights to support others.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I’m passionate about helping others grow their careers in tech. I’ve mentored, developed and hired early-career and senior-level technologists at both Microsoft and Amazon. I’ve also developed multiple mentoring programs. I’d love to continue to help.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Growth mindset is about being curious and open to learning. Be open to exploring ideas, accepting feedback, and knowing that failure is an opportunity for growth.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

How to scale and sustain a culture of innovation.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

First I need to clearly define the problem and understand its scope. The first definition from a customer or a mentee isn’t necessarily the actual problem. Peel the onion by getting curious and asking questions. Drill down beyond the surface and challenge inconsistencies and assumptions along the way.

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6. Matt Feldman

Describe yourself

I spent 10 years riding the rollercoaster of in-house marketing for high-growth SaaS businesses. Having been hands-on across almost every aspect of marketing, leading and growing teams to drive growth – I get it! Now, I’m a strategic B2B marketing consultant, helping start-up’s fledgling marketing teams to flourish. I’m a full-stack marketer with 10 years of experience having built an agency specializing in Paid Advertising and Business Intelligence/Analytics. Unlike a lot of marketers who view things from a single angle, I like to view marketing holistically from multiple angles to contribute towards real incremental growth for my clients and devise impactful Go-To-Market Strategies.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

With 10 years of experience in growth marketing, I’m eager to meet passionate emerging entrepreneurs and share with them the basic building blocks for growth.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

The belief and willingness to think that nothing is set in stone and there is always room for growth, whether it be personally or that of a business, no matter the challenge.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Growth Strategy

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Applying first principles to a problem which me and my team look to establish the fundamental truths to an issue and then eliminate painstakingly by the process of elimination of what is wrong by identifying all potential issues and then stack ranking in terms of the predicted likelihood of the issue.

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7. Josh Littler

Describe yourself

Hi everyone, I am Josh and super excited to be here as a fellow mentor and mentee at Growth Mentor! I have 7+ years of B2B marketing experience working in small teams and have touched most areas of marketing in my time. I’d love to meet more like-minded mentors and chat about B2B marketing + hobbies.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

To help people like me grow, for free.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

I am a big fan of shipping marketing concepts or ideas quickly and iterating once you have the initial signals. It’s far better than being scared of failure and never launching something. This is how I learn. I’m also convinced that taking the initiative and dedicating time daily to learning outside of my day-to-day has helped me level up tremendously, with the help of fellow mentors here.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

GTM Strategy, I have demonstrated experience across the core elements of marketing and have tangible outcomes tied to my marketing efforts.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Face-to-face interviews I find are best for this. Gather all the associated details and context from my research, the customer or the prospect. Map out the who what why how of the problem and brainstorm solutions and options to help solve it.

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8. Joanne Hurley

Describe yourself

I enjoy helping to solve a variety of business-related issues, including growth marketing problems.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I help organizations achieve their growth and customer retention goals. Remote work veteran currently enjoying life in Barcelona.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Learning is a lifelong journey that requires consistency and patience and finding the joy in living outside your comfort zone.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Removing roadblocks to success. Sometimes the answer is there it just needs to be found in the noise.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Aim to understand the ‘problem’ by gathering context, breaking down the problem into smaller, easier components, and hypothesis generation. In a nutshell, a lot of active listening and asking the right questions.

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9. Jennie Flor

Describe yourself

My passion is helping startup and growth-stage companies go from 0 to 1 and scale efficiently and effectively.  My strategic ideas, insights, and nudges have helped companies I’ve worked for, and fractional clients, yield 4x projections.  With 20 years of experience, primarily in health & wellness, I seek to help you crush pipeline, revenue, awareness, reach, and engagement.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

It’s my passion to bring my skills as a seasoned business development professional to startup and growth stage companies that need a little direction, and manpower, from someone who has designed and launched 4 successful GTM strategies, each yielding 2x< in pipeline and revenue expectations.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

It’s the belief that your abilities and intelligence can develop through effort, learning, and persistence. Focusing on self-improvement, rather than an outcome, will yield more than you ever anticipated!

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

If just ONE thing – it’s mindset. In my opinion, it’s where everything begins, thrives, or dies.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

First look at their strategies and initiatives, juxtaposed against their end goal. Do they match? If so, are they working? If not, let’s change that.

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10. Jeff Chen

Describe yourself

I’m a dynamic brand and digital marketing strategist with over 13 years in the sports industry, specializing in growth-driven brand marketing campaigns. Having led initiatives for both high-profile brands like Jordan Brand and SLAM as well as VC-funded startups, I’m excited to share my expertise in building brand narratives and digital strategies that resonate with global audiences. As a mentor, I look forward to helping others navigate their paths, foster connections, and achieve their own standout moments in the industry.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I am passionate about leveraging my extensive experience in sports marketing and brand development to help aspiring professionals and startups achieve measurable growth and success in their endeavors.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset to me is the foundation of continuous improvement and learning—it’s about seeing every challenge as a chance to expand skills and understanding. This philosophy is central to the name of my brand marketing consultancy, GREATT, which stands for Growth, Reinvention, and Evolution; All The Time.

I embody this adaptive approach and mindset as it propels both my professional endeavors and my commitment to mentoring others.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

If I could mentor someone on just one topic, it would be strategic brand marketing in the sports industry. This is an industry I am deeply knowledgeable about, having worked with iconic brands like Jordan Brand and SLAM.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

My approach to pinpointing the root cause of a problem involves a systematic method of deep analysis and critical thinking. I start by gathering all relevant data and feedback to understand the full scope of the issue. Then, I use a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify patterns or anomalies. This often involves breaking down the problem into smaller, manageable components to isolate the areas of concern. I also rely heavily on the “5 Whys” technique, which involves asking “why” multiple times until the underlying cause is uncovered. By maintaining an open mind and considering multiple perspectives, I ensure that no potential cause is overlooked. This thoroughness allows me to not only address the immediate symptoms but also implement long-term solutions that prevent recurrence.

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11. Ibby Dalrymple

Describe yourself

Throughout my career, I have been deeply involved in the research, design, and development of digital products and services that benefit both people and the planet. Having worked across diverse sectors and for various companies, I’ve contributed to every stage of the product lifecycle—from initial ideation to market launch—while taking on roles ranging from Researcher and Product Lead to Innovation Ambassador. This hands-on experience has sharpened my ability to innovate, solve complex problems and collaborate across disciplines.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I want to become a growth mentor to leverage my UX background in helping startups create user-centered solutions that not only drive growth but also push them toward innovations that benefit both people and the planet.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities, intelligence, and talent can be developed and improved over time through tenacious hard work and diligence.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Sustainable user experience (how to create digital products and services with a smaller carbon footprint)

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

My approach to pinpointing the root cause of a problem involves gathering data through research, asking targeted questions, and breaking the issue down into smaller components. I analyze patterns, user behavior, and feedback to identify underlying factors and collaborate with stakeholders to gain diverse perspectives. This methodical, evidence-based approach ensures that I address the true cause rather than just the symptoms.

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12. Holly Knoll

Describe yourself

I am a business coach and founder of The Consultant Code, where I help professionals start businesses in 60 days or less. I run a technology consulting company that advises CIOs and their teams on their technology strategy, governance, and software implementations. I host The Everyday Entrepreneur Podcast and I also founded The Vine, an in-person networking group in Minneapolis for like-minded women professionals.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I want to help founders build a strategy and plan to go from idea to implementation in the most efficient way possible.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Growth mindset means to me that everything is “figureoutable”.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

How to get more done in less time.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

First – clearly define the issue, involve all those impacted and understand various points of view. Document key data points and identify themes and explore and possible causes. Evaluate the possible causes by looking for patterns. Test the possible causes to determine what could be causing the issue by assessing the impact of the test. Continue to tweak and refine the tests until a root cause is identified. Align on a solution and implement it. Monitor and ensure the solution is working as expected. Communicate to stakeholders the status of the root cause analysis throughout the process and upon implementation of the solution. If the solution does not work as expected, begin again with the analysis.

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13. Eugene Kataev

Describe yourself

I’m a marketing professional with 10 years of experience ranging across Telecommunications, Cybersecurity, Robotic Process Automation and E-commerce industries.
Throughout my career I’ve built successful pricing, promotional and retention strategies, created customer segmentations and built processes on country, EU and Worldwide scales.
I’m very data-driven at heart and am constantly seeking to build marketing strategies that generate measurable monetary results. Besides that, I’m very interested in behavioral sciences and consumer psychology.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I find it exciting to help others grow and I know that I will grow through that myself.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Constantly challenging status quo, seeking new ways to solve problems and develop oneself. Be willing to face challenges, persist, experiment and iterate while making measurable progress towards the goal.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Strategic marketing: who to target, with what price point and value proposition, to drive profitable results.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Early in my career, I was facing the challenge of a highly competitive market with dominant competitors and declining sales. Traditional promotional activities didn’t work and we needed to find a source of growth. My solution was the concept of “Honest Price”: in a market where all the competitors were giving discounts with tons of hidden payments after the grace period, I’ve re-created the entire product lineup to a new one that would provide customers with attractive product composition and price level with no hidden strings attached. I’ve designed all the product communications to revolve around the “Honest Price” concept and trained sales teams accordingly. The lineup was so successful, that it provided double-digit growth for the company of sales and profit for the next two years, with no need to utilize any extra promotional tactics.

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14. Elena Borisova

Describe yourself

I’m a product and design leader with 15+ years of experience building successful products and teams. I combine my background in mathematics, psychology and design to find and validate next impactful product investment.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I learned a lot about building teams and products and would like to share knowledge and help people avoid problems I’ve encountered.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Seeing the universe and your abilities as flexible/adaptable. Experimenting and learning from the results, especially from failure. Approaching the product as “what should we launch to validate our key assumptions”. Seeing your assumptions as they are, rather than as facts.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

What to build next for maximum business impact.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

In a very simplified way, it’s asking “why” enough of time. “Asking” could be looking at data, talking to a team or users, or digging into the mechanics.

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15. Daniel Mathisen

Describe yourself

I have a unique mix of experience with B2B growth strategies, GTM strategy and Sales leadership.

This enables me to advise on PLG, SLG, MLG and which model works well for what type of business and how to smoothly transition between them.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I want to use my experience to guide startups to avoid making the same mistakes that I have previously made. I also enjoy learning new things from every startup that I advise since every situation differs.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Nothing is impossible. You just have to make sure to create the right circumstances for it to happen.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Building a GTM model that scales with you.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Depending on the problem, Look at the data, talk to customers/prospects and the truth lies somewhere in between

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16. Brett Vanderblock

Describe yourself

I’m a data leader who is strongly attuned to identifying opportunities to drive business value from data. I’ve scaled across Data Engineering, Analytics, Data Science, and ML/AI, both for improving internal decision-making and productizing data. Also a part-time teacher, I find joy in sharing knowledge and empowering others in their own learnings.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

Share my expertise in rapidly providing business value through data, and engage with the evolving challenges of startups.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

A growth mindset is, above all else, focused on curiosity. To grow your company and skillset you must constantly be curious about what new concepts there are to learn, what others in the field are doing, and what else you can do to optimize your workflows and strategies. A growth mindset is an open, learning, risk-taking state of mind in which your expertise plays a role, but the opportunity around you is really the guiding light.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Data & AI

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

I’m often focused on finding the keystone use case/value proposition as it relates to data. Quite often the root cause is wide-reaching and complex, so I instead focus on the root outcome we are trying to achieve, and then trace that backward. (i.e. our data is a mess vs. in order to improve our conversion rate, we need X insights to act upon)

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17. Audrey Liu

Describe yourself

Hi! I’m Audrey, a growth marketer based in Singapore. My specialties are growth and product marketing. I use data to uncover insights to drive growth. I’ve experience working in both B2B and B2C.

In Singapore, I organize a quarterly meetup called SG Product-led Growth Meetup, where people working in growth gather and connect with each other.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I want to give back. In my journey working in growth, I’ve had many great mentors who have inspired me and helped me.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

To learn and most importantly, unlearn and constantly update your mental model to fit the reality. And also be open-minded to info/data that might go against your intuition initially.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Product marketing.

Why? In my first company, we managed to increase the ARR by 66% that year (as compared to ~5-10% in the past 4 years). We didn’t without spending any money on acquisition. How did we do it? We did a repositioning of the product. That experience made me realize that positioning and targeting the right audience are the fundamentals of driving organic growth.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

Nothing out of the box, always go back to the fundamentals – talk to customers and look at data.

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18. Andy Wolfe

Describe yourself

I told myself I’d have it all after I sold my company. In 2016, my life turned upside down. Then I found happiness. Then I sold my company.

In just one sentence, why do you want to become a growth mentor?

I want to help founders see that happiness brings success.

In your words, what does a growth mindset mean to you?

Taking skillful action to improve while allowing things to be as they are.

If you could mentor a startup on one topic, what would it be?

Happiness. Because it’s the point of life. And secret to success. I’m a living, breathing case study.

Describe an out-of-the-box solution to a complex problem that made you proud of yourself.

You sell your unhappiness for the amount you earn divided by the number of hours you’re unhappy. Optimize THIS metric.

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Interested in becoming a growth mentor?

What we’re looking for:

• Growth marketers, product managers, and designers, with extraordinary track records of success
• Inspirational founders that have “been there and done that.”
• Friendly people that take joy in helping other people.
• At least 5 years of demonstrable experience working in growth.
• GrowthMentor is a #givefirst platform. You should be cool with mentoring for free until you have three reviews.