Our Experts
Meet our top First Gear Pod CMOs, ready to build and scale your business growth.
Valerie Angelkos
Dynamic marketing leader with extensive experience driving growth across B2C and B2B startups and tech giants. At early-stage startups Zapp, Genuin, and Howl, as well as Plaid, she led foundational marketing, product and marketing launches, achieving significant user acquisition, retention, and revenue. At Google, she developed and executed marketing strategies for YouTube Shorts, Google Meet, and Google Ads, driving user and revenue growth. Valerie's background also includes roles at L'Oréal and P&G, showcasing her versatility and leadership across various sectors.
Jorge Samayoa
Seasoned product and marketing leader with over 17 years of experience driving growth in the FinTech and e-commerce sectors. At HelloFresh, he leads conversion rate optimization, customer data platform efforts, and Google-led growth strategies, managing a team of 15 and 40 engineers. At PayPal, Jorge built and led the Consumer Payments Experience Growth organization, achieving a 5x increase in activations for referral programs and significant revenue gains for Xoom services. Previously, he held key roles at Procter & Gamble and is a serial entrepreneur and business owner.
Michael Kattan
Renowned for his expertise in FinTech marketing, Michel Kattan has successfully led substantial revenue growth and team development at industry giants like PayPal and Oportun. His strategic skills in optimizing marketing operations and media attribution have delivered significant cost savings and revenue increases. Michel's experience includes mentoring and scaling international teams, leading successful product launches, and transforming brands, such as integrating Xoom into PayPal and rebranding Oportun as a FinTech leader.
Owen Hall
Owen Hall is a seasoned leader in tech and consulting, with 20 years of experience in strategic leadership, product management, marketing, partnerships, and P&L ownership. He excels at driving innovation and growth across diverse industries, leading strategic planning, marketing, operations, and product development for both B2C and B2B companies. Owen has held key roles at NCR, PayPal, S.H. Silver Family Office & Luxury Retailer, and Hulu, where he has consistently showcased his versatility, strategic acumen, and ability to deliver comprehensive solutions.
Ready to get started?
This is for you if:
✔️ You are an early-stage startup (pre-seed to Series B).
✔️ You have raised at least $1M in funding, and have space to designate a small but mighty marketing budget, yet you aren’t ready to build a full marketing team.
✔️ You are a tech-B2C business, a D2C business, or a B2B SaaS business (our expertise!).
✔️ You are in the pre or early-PMF stage, and are eager to cross the chasm with a structured and vetted, product and marketing approach that can scale.