In today's dynamic business landscape, agility and expertise are key to thriving amidst challenges. GenB's Fractional & Interim Executive Leadership service offers your organization the seasoned leadership it needs, on a flexible basis. Hiring a fractional executive from GenB means gaining access to top-tier talent with a wealth of experience, without the long-term commitment of a full-time executive. This approach not only optimizes your resources but also brings fresh perspectives and specialized skills to navigate complex challenges. GenB stands out with its proven track record of successfully guiding businesses through transformation and growth. Our executives are not just leaders; they are strategists and innovators who have been at the forefront of industry changes. Partner with GenB for executive leadership that is adaptable, experienced, and focused on delivering tangible results.
Potential Roles Include: Chief of Staff (COS), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Product Officer (CPO), Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Data Officer (CDO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), "Head of" / "Director of" / "Product Owner" designations are also possible in larger organizations.
In the ever-evolving digital era, staying ahead means embracing change. GenB's Digital Transformation & Modernization service empowers your business to harness the power of digital technologies, reinventing processes, and enhancing customer experiences. Perhaps it is simply a desire to enhance the cyber security of our current processes in this ever more dangerous online world. This journey is not just about technology; it's about aligning your business strategy with the digital age. GenB excels in this realm, combining deep industry knowledge with cutting-edge tech expertise. We don't just implement solutions; we transform your business model, making it agile, data-driven, and customer-centric. Choosing GenB means choosing a partner committed to future-proofing your business, ensuring you lead in the digital frontier.
In the intricate world of mergers and acquisitions, technical due diligence and integration are critical for success. GenB's service in this domain ensures that your M&A decisions are based on thorough and accurate technical assessments. We delve deep into the technology stacks, architectures, and roadmaps of potential acquisitions and portfolio companies, providing you with a clear understanding of risks and opportunities. Our expertise in M&A integration is unmatched, focusing on seamless merging of systems and cultures while maximizing value. With GenB, you're not just making informed decisions; you're positioning your merged entity for accelerated growth and innovation.
If you have robust funding and/or demonstrate rapid revenue growth, are in the scale-up phase and prioritize having a technical competitive advantage, we'll definitely vibe.
If you find yourself in a scenario requiring specialized expertise, an objective external perspective, or protection from corporate IT stifling your progress, we'll be fast friends.
If you need a review of investments you are considering, strategic technological oversight for portfolio companies, or tech-related risk assessment, we'll get along well.
Overview: LegalPad, facing technical stagnation after stellar market growth, required an experienced technology leader to enhance their technical capabilities to further them as an attractive acquisition target. With the abrupt departure of their VP of Technology, GenB was called to fill the leadership void with a great sense of urgency.
Objectives: The main goal of the engagement was to revitalize LegalPad’s technical direction and processes. This required cohesion amongst several disparate teams. GenB was therefore tasked with managing the internal product development, engineering, BizOps, and data analytics teams as well as their external overseas development team.
Obstacles: GenB, serving as CIO, had to quickly integrate into the role, inherit and unite diverse teams, and manage both internal and external players across different functions and time zones. GenB tackled the challenges by aligning team members with a new vision and ensuring quality and rapid development, all while navigating the complexities of an imminent acquisition.
Outcomes: Under GenB's leadership, LegalPad saw a transformation in its technical culture, focusing on rapid market-oriented product development and iterations. This approach of fostering psychological safety encouraged experimentation and efficiency, leading to the rapid and successful launch of meaningful features and an increase in product value. This transformation played a crucial role in the successful acquisition of LegalPad, with GenB representing all technical aspects during and post-acquisition.
Overview: Deel, experiencing rapid growth and valued at $12 billion, recognized the need for enhancing their product offerings in the realm of global mobility. With a strong presence in the HR and fintech space and a mission to revolutionize global hiring and payroll processes, they faced the dual challenges of building new features internally and integrating multiple acquisitions into their expanding platform.
Objectives: GenB, serving as Director of Product, was tasked with managing multiple product development teams for Deel's Global Mobility initiatives. GenB also played a crucial role in overseeing the technical integration of firms acquired by Deel, developing strategies for seamless incorporation into Deel's ecosystem without breaking the acquired entities’ products and service offerings.
Obstacles: In the fast-paced environment of Deel's expansion, GenB faced the intricate task of integrating diverse technologies and teams from acquired companies. Each acquisition brought unique systems and processes, requiring careful alignment with Deel's existing technology and business models. GenB navigated these complexities while ensuring that the integrations enhanced Deel's global mobility solutions, without disrupting the company's rapid growth trajectory or compromising on its user-first approach. This required strategic foresight and adaptability to harmonize different technological landscapes into a cohesive, efficient whole.
Outcomes: GenB's leadership resulted in the successful integration of new features and teams, enhancing Deel's product offerings and global mobility solutions. This effort contributed to Deel's impressive ongoing ARR growth and its standing as a fast-growing, innovative company in the global HR space.
Overview: Exelon identified the need for advanced media monitoring and insights to guide their marketing and communications strategies. Their initial efforts to develop the “Exelon Reputation Intelligence Center” (affectionately referred to as “eric”) encountered several challenges, leading to cost overruns, low engagement, and technical inefficiencies. The initiative was going to be scrapped, until they engaged GenB in the hopes of revitalizing this crucial project.
Objectives: As the new product owner, GenB's task was to analyze the shortcomings of the initial product development attempts and to develop a strategic roadmap for future success. All roads led to a focus on customer experience, user-centered design, and an agile development methodology.
Obstacles: The project was not only technologically complex, involving natural language processing, AI, data science, visualization, cybersecurity, and infrastructure-as-a-service (“IaaS”), but it also faced internal challenges. The corporate IT team created a constrained environment by enforcing enterprise architecture and rigid guidelines on day one. This approach was more about compliance with pre-set standards rather than prioritizing user needs. GenB faced the critical task of advocating for a user-first approach and pushing back against these established norms yet had no institutional power to use in so doing. This required not only technological agility but also strategic negotiation skills to pivot the project towards this more flexible, agile development methodology without making enemies along the way. This shift was essential for the project's success in a highly regulated corporate environment resistant to change.
Outcomes: GenB was able to form a coalition of internal stakeholders, placing the end-user at the forefront of the development process. This user-centric approach led to grassroots, internal demand for the product rather than a top-down enforcement of use via organizational politics. The result was a highly adopted, budget-efficient solution implemented in half the anticipated time, providing Exelon with robust tools for reputational risk management and optimization of their messaging strategy.
Overview: EngagedMD, initially facing challenges in launching their healthcare platform, was at a crucial juncture. The cloud-based platform aimed to revolutionize patient education and informed consent in medical procedures but struggled in its first development attempt. The co-founder team was so disillusioned by their terrible experience with an external development vendor that they were considering walking away from the venture altogether. They knew that if they gave it one more try, they had no PlanB so they brought GenB onboard to ensure the second product development effort was to be a success.
Objectives: GenB was tasked with revamping the entire product development process for EngagedMD. This included conducting customer development interviews, writing product requirements, user stories, and creating the backlog. GenB assembled a well qualified external development vendor for the MVP, and later, helped in recruiting and training EngagedMD's first head of product and subsequent internal engineering team.
Obstacles: The primary challenge was overcoming the initial failure experienced by the co-founder team and transforming their vision into a viable product. GenB had to navigate technical complexities such as video streaming, e-learning, and integrating with systems like DocuSign while ensuring HIPAA compliance and robust security protocols. But GenB also stood side-by-side with the co-founder team to convince investors of the project's viability. Their investors were also wary about the project and needed convincing that seasoned professionals were now running the product development effort before they would cut the next check. The transition from a reliance on external vendors to an internal development team was also not without growing pains.
Outcomes: The revamped approach led by GenB was a resounding success. EngagedMD is now widely adopted, having processed over 2 million patients and over 8 million electronically signed consent forms. It is the software of choice for over 20,000 clinicians globally, including in the US, Canada, the UK, and Japan saving each 56 minutes per patient on average. GenB's role was instrumental in EngagedMD's successful re-launch and subsequent transition to a self-sustaining company with its own software development team. GenB's long term consultation and quality control oversight eventually lead to EngagedMD outgrowing the need for GenB's services, which is always our ultimate goal.
I can't thank you enough for your interest in GenB! Ever since I discovered "view source" on Netscape Navigator I have been on a quest to build the most innovative and successful digital products in the world. But what I've learned over the years is that it isn't about the zeros and the ones, it's about the heroes and the fun. Those special people on a product or tech team that show up every day ready to fight through the unexpected and have a blast doing it out of a genuine love for the game.
Unfortunately, this industry draws a lot of charlatans masquerading as gurus. They promise the world and under deliver; they try to keep product and technology in a "blackbox" to remain needed; and they talk down to those most in need of their support.
At GenB, we avoid jerks and junior-level. We only have seasoned professionals who have not only "been there, done that" on the largest stage, but are also a ton of fun to work with and uber collaborative. Experts who only want to solve your most pressing issues, not go through the motions or play politics.
If this website has resonated with you, grab a time for us to chat during a complementary product & technology strategy consultation. I have been doing this my whole career and would be honored to offer my learnings to help accelerate your success!
Your Friend in Business,
Kevin May, PhD
Founder & Chief Strategist
