Kevin Epstein
Author, Lecturer, Patent-holder, Entrepreneur; Currently VP Marketing & Products at an Enterprise Software startup, advising others. Previously held positions at RealNetworks, Inktomi, VMware, etc. -- always willing to chat about great ideas.
| Headline: | Entrepreneur |
| Work status: | Employed Full-Time |
| Website: | http://blog,stupidmarketing.com |
| Industries: | Information Technology, Internet |
| Skills: | Business, Copy Writing, Editing, Entrepreneurship, Event planning, Guerrilla marketing, Investment, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Negotiation, Public Relations, Public speaking, Recruitment, Viral marketing, Writing |
| Next step: | I have a history of successfully taking on select marketing consulting projects and advisory roles for first-tier venture-backed companies, and am interested in such roles. |
| Groups: | BASES |
| Interested in: | Advising startups, Brainstorming, Finding business partners, Finding cofounders, Finding team mates, Joining a startup, Meeting new people, Mentoring, Offering Expertise, Professional opportunities, Promoting my startups, Recruiting for my startup, Sharing my projects, Starting a company |
| Schools: | Brown University, Stanford Business School |
FULL BIO
Kevin Epstein is a Silicon Valley marketing executive with a Stanford MBA, a degree in high-energy nuclear physics, several technology patents in his name, founding experience at three successful small-business retail ventures, and more than fifteen subsequent years of experience in guerrilla marketing tactics at such software industry high-flyers as Netscape, RealNetworks, Inktomi, and VMware.
Since 1992, his marketing programs have generated more than 5 million sales leads for companies of all sizes in all major global markets. He has spoken at seminars addressing top executives from the Fortune 500, has been a popular guest lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and School of Engineering, has received various awards for his impact on sales, and currently leads direct marketing efforts at the world’s fastest growing large-enterprise software company.
Kevin is also an author; his first book, Marketing for Small Business Made Easy, the latest entry in the Made Easy series by Entrepreneur Press, is scheduled for release through McGraw Hill in mid 2006.
Committed to innovation and appropriate marketing, Kevin continues to serve as an outside advisor to various venture-backed and individual entrepreneurial start-up companies. Notable prior ventures in which he has participated include CDnow (now an Amazon.com brand), Devicescape (funded by Kleiner Perkins, venture backers of Netscape), ©Right and YouSendIt.
Outside of the office, Kevin remains actively involved in Stanford and Brown University alumni associations, as well as local community efforts. He is also an avid sailor, swimmer, and chef. Originally from the New England area, Kevin currently resides in Northern California with his wife and two children.
WORK EXPERIENCE
| Employer: | Scalent Systems |
| Position: | Vice President of Marketing |
| Time period: | April 2006 - Present |
| Description: | Server Repurposing & Infrastructure Virtualization Software.
• Create company messaging, positioning, and marketing programs. Responsible for all strategy. • Deliver 5x ROI on annual budget of $1mm, reporting to CEO / President • Founded and built Marketing department. Own PR, Analyst Relations, Messaging, Branding, Lead Generation, Field Marketing, Technical Marketing, Channel Marketing, Alliances Marketing • Increased lead flow by orders of magnitude to several thousand leads per quarter • Increased active analyst coverage from one to twenty-four analysts / twelve firms • Garnered numerous awards, including InfoWorld Technology of the Year, Red Herring Top100, AO100; programs written up as industry examples by Forrester, AMA; recruited to speak at events |
| Employer: | Yousendit (Sevin-Rosen funded startup) |
| Position: | Advisor to the founders & CEO |
| Time period: | May 2005 - May 2006 |
| Description: | Internet File Transfer Service.
Consulting VP Marketing to consumer-oriented company. Created initial product plan and viral marketing plans for company; built base of 9mm users on $0 budget. |
| Employer: | Skyrider (CRV / Sequoia Capital funded startup) |
| Position: | Advisor to the founder |
| Time period: | November 2004 - May 2005 |
| Description: | Peer-to-Peer Advertising.
Consulting VP Marketing to consumer-oriented media company. Wrote initial presentations, white-papers; CEO stated materials were “critical to obtaining first sales”. |
| Employer: | VMWare (NYSE: VMW) (acquired by EMC) |
| Position: | Director of Marketing |
| Time period: | May 2002 - April 2006 |
| Description: | Infrastructure Virtualization Software
• Generated 10x ROI on $8mm lead generation marketing budget, employing tactics from keyword leasing and online advertising, to direct mail and email, to seminars, webinars, and events • Delivered over 1mm leads per year to sales force. Marketing campaign highlights include instituting a quarterly 3000-attendee 20 city seminar series, a 14,000-attendee webinar series, and an executive-level direct mail iPod campaign that yielded sales meetings with 80% of F100 CIOs • Established User Group program, attracting 15,000 members influencing $300mm in sales in a year • Pioneered use of automated email, lead tracking, webinar, and online marketing systems, enabling VMware to communicate with over 3mm contacts per month with only a 0.3% opt-out rate • Founded Field and Channel Marketing teams. Manage staff of thirty-six direct and second-tier reports and teams on multiple initiatives, responsible for worldwide strategy & tactics • Owned product definition, roadmap, alliances, outbound marketing, pricing, launches for GSX Server product line, for half of product’s lifespan. Grew revenues by 4x, to $20mm annual run rate • Promoted from Director Product Management to Director Marketing 4/03 |
| Employer: | Devicescape (Kleiner-Perkins funded startup) |
| Position: | Advisor to the founders |
| Time period: | December 2001 - September 2002 |
| Description: | Wireless Networking Software.
Wrote original business plan presentation, resulting in funding offer. |
| Employer: | Inktomi (acquired by Yahoo) |
| Position: | Director of Product Management & Marketing, Network Products Division |
| Time period: | March 1999 - May 2002 |
| Description: | Infrastructure Software.
• Evangelized Inktomi, representing company on press tours, for industry analysts, at speaking engagements for partner forums, both in the US and Internationally (Japan, Korea, England) • Managed staff of twenty direct and second-tier reports through product specification and launches. Team created Product and Marketing Requirements Documents, collateral materials, and presentations, designed lead generation programs and events, and drove 60% of Inktomi leads • Drove new product launches, increasing Inktomi’s software product portfolio by 30%, sales by 5x • Co-Inventor (with CTO) of patented system for Data Gathering & Storage, Network Systems • Negotiated agreements with OEMs to embed Inktomi software, doubling server product line sales. • Promoted twice: from Sr. Prod. Mgr. to Group Prod. Mgr. 11/99, then to Director 12/00 |
| Employer: | Realnetworks, Inc. (RealPlayer) |
| Position: | Product Line Manager, Professional Server Line |
| Time period: | December 1996 - March 1999 |
| Description: | Enterprise & Consumer Software.
• Managed streaming media server line from $0 to $10mm in sales • Created RealServer Commerce Edition and Education Edition, which led RealNetworks 5.0 product line introduction; increased RealNetworks market share by 5% • Drove product definition, roadmap, pricing, and launches for RealServer Line • Initiated RealNetworks lead generation and outbound marketing (direct, web, and reseller channels) for RealServer line, increasing sales leads from tens to hundreds per week • Represented RealNetworks on press tours, for industry analysts, at speaking engagements |
| Employer: | CDnow! Inc. (Acquired by Bertlesmann, 2000) |
| Position: | Advisor to the founder & CEO |
| Time period: | June 1994 - May 1997 |
| Description: | Internet Retail & Software.
Consumer-oriented media company. Co-wrote business plan, obtained $4mm funding offer. |
| Employer: | Raychem (acquired by Tyco) |
| Position: | Business Manager / Analyst, Corporate Strategy / Finance Division |
| Time period: | June 1994 - September 1995 |
| Description: | Industrial Products & Telecom.
• Introduced and led international executive-level scenario planning exercise, resulting in CEO decision to refocus $1.5bb business on telecom lines, away from defense contracting • Spearheaded introduction of Internet technology to Raychem, resulting in first internet presence • Created online forecasting tool for divisional use |
| Employer: | Corporate Decisions Inc. (Bain/Mercer) |
| Position: | Strategy & Implementation Consultant |
| Time period: | September 1992 - June 1994 |
| Description: | Strategy & Mgt. Consulting
• Designed and ran direct marketing campaign for new online business unit of financial printer • Strategic recommendations led three $1bb+ businesses to invest in electronic / online systems |
EDUCATION
| University: | Stanford Business School |
| Time period: | 1995 - 1997 |
| Degree: | Marketing / Entrepreneurship, MBA |
| University: | Brown University |
| Time period: | 1988 - 1992 |
| Degree: | Physics, BSc |
PUBLICATIONS
| Articles: | Too many to list... Google "Kevin Epstein" |
| Books: | Marketing Made Easy (7/06, Entrepreneur Magazine Press, 210 pp., $19.95 pb) |
| Patents: | A few. |
INFORMATION
| Hobbies: | Alumni volunteer; Stanford University lecturer; Avid sailor and chef; Devoted husband and father |
