Joining Engagio During a Pivotal Transition

I joined Engagio at a critical moment when the company was searching for a new product direction. The previous product team had been removed, a new head of product was hired, and I was brought on soon after. Leadership recognized the need for a major product pivot but struggled to align the company around a clear strategy. The existing product was yet another marketing CRM in an overcrowded space, and all of leadership understood that continuing in the same direction was not a viable path forward.

Leading a Company-Wide Design Sprint

Under these high-pressure circumstances, I led a week-long design sprint that included executives and key team members from every department. For several hours each day I led structured design thinking exercises. Midway through the sprint, the CEO was so excited about the emerging concepts that he wrote "Do not erase! Billion dollar idea" on the whiteboard. By the end of the week I had several people come up to me saying they had worked at Engagio for year(s) and only just now felt like they had clarity about the company and the long-term vision.

Validating the New Direction

Following the design sprint, I built an interactive prototype based on the ideas that came from the collaboration. I spent two weeks meeting with existing customers and letting them click through that prototype. After gathering enough feedback the CEO took my prototype and customer insights directly to the Board, presenting them as the foundation for Engagio’s new strategic direction.

Achieving Cross-Company Alignment

Through this process, I helped unify sales, marketing, customer success, engineering, design, and executive stakeholders around a shared vision. This alignment was instrumental in reshaping the company’s future trajectory. I released the new product about 11 months later and Engagio was acquired by Demandbase about 6 months after that.