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Fortunate to have worked at many of the world's most successful SaaS companies, at every…
Articles by David
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Marketing and Finance: A Match Made in Heaven!
Marketing and Finance: A Match Made in Heaven!
As marketing professionals we’re often at the center of a variety of critical cross-functional initiatives, which gives…
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Why Centers of Excellence are No Longer Optional in the Digital Era
Why Centers of Excellence are No Longer Optional in the Digital Era
This blog originally appeared on CMO Nation Marketers often believe that investing in analytics and digital marketing…
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What Is Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and Is It Right for You?
What Is Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and Is It Right for You?
This blog originally published on the Marketo blog. B2B marketers are always on the lookout for the best way to support…
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David Cain shared this[client on the move!] Huge congrats to everyone at Shepherd, your investors, customers, and partners! Huge milestone! Love what you're building over there Justin Levine!David Cain shared thisToday we're announcing our $42M Series B at Shepherd. We're in the midst of a generational infrastructure boom to power AI, and we're building the only AI-native commercial insurer to cover it. This moment would never have been possible without our partners, retail brokers, and existing investors. Four years ago we were little more than an idea. Today we've written over 1,500 policies and counting for some of the most consequential projects and assets in the U.S. Thank you to Justin Smith-Lorenzetti and the Intact Private Capital team for leading this round and believing in what we're building. And to Costanoa Ventures and Spark Capital for doubling down once again. I wrote more about the raise and where we're headed — link in comments.
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David Cain shared this[client on the move] Huge congratulations to Dakotah Rice, the entire Harper (YC W25) team, Emergence Capital , Y Combinator, and all the investors! Love how you're transforming the commerical insurance world with an AI-first approach. You're building an incredible business over there and we're proud to support you. ♥️David Cain shared thisWe raised $47M from great investors like Emergence Capital, Y Combinator, Antler, Peak XV Partners, 10x Founders, Lobster Capital, Outset Capital, Optimist Ventures, Pioneer Fund, Untapped Ventures. That's the headline, but this is my real story.
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David Cain shared this[client in the news] Huge huge congratulations to Jin W. Chang, Mark Horton, everyone at Fieldguide, and all the investors who supported them! You're building a legendary company!David Cain shared thisWe didn’t start Fieldguide to raise money. We started it to solve a problem we knew intimately–an industry stretched thin, asked to do more with less. Today we announced our $75M Series C, led by Goldman Sachs. It’s a milestone we’re proud of, but it isn't the whole story. The real story is that audit and advisory has hit a breaking point. Agentic AI is no longer experimental. It’s expected. And firms aren’t asking if they should modernize the work, they’re asking how fast they can. I had the opportunity to sit down with Leo Schwartz at Fortune to discuss this and what’s next for Fieldguide. Thanks to Leo for the great conversation, and to our customers and partners as we enter our next phase. https://lnkd.in/gZfy3rDAGoldman Sachs leads $75 million funding round for Fieldguide, an AI-native accounting and audit platform | FortuneGoldman Sachs leads $75 million funding round for Fieldguide, an AI-native accounting and audit platform | Fortune
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David Cain shared thisHey marketers, really good overview and valuable tips and insights on AEO/GEO from Joe Chernov in his latest article. Absolutely worth a read!David Cain shared thisHere are my thoughts on the expansion of visibility optimization from purely SEO to SEO plus AEO / GEO. I quipped recently that when it comes to traffic, the query giveth; the prompt taketh away. But despite that stark(!) difference, there is also a remarkable number of similarities between the two practices. Anyway, have a read and let me know what you think. https://lnkd.in/ebhWev39Beyond SEO: The State of AEO, According to Vendors, Agencies, and Marketers - Battery VenturesBeyond SEO: The State of AEO, According to Vendors, Agencies, and Marketers - Battery Ventures
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David Cain shared thisClient in the news! Huge congrats to Federato and all their investors! Major milestone. They're building an incredible company and changing the insurance world in the process.David Cain shared thisWe’ve raised a $100 million Series D led by Goldman Sachs, a milestone that reflects a profound shift underway in the insurance industry. 🌐 Insurers are signaling that the era of the Old Core is ending. The future belongs to AI-native, full-lifecycle platforms built to help insurers make better, real-time decisions in tune with the AI transformation surrounding all of us. This raise is powerful validation of our mission. Changing the way insurance work gets done drives huge returns to insurers and insureds alike. With continued support from all our existing investors, Emergence Capital Caffeinated Capital, StepStone Group and Pear VC, we’re doubling down on building the technology that will define this next chapter of an impactful industry. Read the full story 👉 https://lnkd.in/eVcKGJrH
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David Cain shared thisHey Event/Field Marketing folks, here's your chance to join an awesome company and amazing leader. Lauren Sommers is best of the best.David Cain shared thisWe’re growing the team! I’m looking for a Senior Event Manager (Third Party & Field Events) to join me at Eudia! One of the biggest reasons I joined Eudia was its event-minded, community-first approach — the belief that real connection happens when people come together. Having founders who truly believe in the power of events has shaped this past year into one of the best. Now, I’m looking for someone who shares that same passion — who loves crafting meaningful experiences, thrives on creativity and logistics in equal measure, and wants to be part of one of the fastest-growing startups out there. If that sounds like you (or someone you know), come join me on this incredible journey → https://lnkd.in/gepSV_kg #marketing #events #b2bevents #fieldmarketing #thirdpartevents
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David Cain shared thisGreat Sr Field Marketing Mgr role at a great company!David Cain shared thisTo all my marketing friends, we're looking for a standout Sr Field Marketing Manager to join the marketing team here at Ontra! Our field marketing team is putting on the most incredible, intimate, and premium experiences on earth. These are quite literally the hottest ticket in town, from NYC to London to San Francisco. We're looking for someone who wants to own events from start to finish -- all the way through to measurement of true business impact. As an added bonus you get to work with the master of field events, Ahisha Stewart, along with Tiana Webb! You won't find a better team on the planet.
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David Cain shared thisGratitude! That's the feeling this week. Wednesday night, my partners Janine O'Neill (she/her), Regan Cain, PHR, and I threw our annual ElevenX Talent Summer Bash in celebration of our 2nd anniversary in business. Joining us were 75+ incredible VC talent leaders/investors, GtM professionals, and founders. We were so honored by the turnout and, more importantly, by all the support we've received from the attendees and so many others (you all know who you are!) these past two years, as we've built our small but mighty search firm. Huge thank you to all 11X supporters! Thank you for trusting us to help build your GtM teams and help guide your careers in deeply meaningful ways. Building 11X and working with you is a dream come true. We're energized and more excited than ever as we move into year three! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ pics attached and more in comments :-)
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David Cain shared thisFolks over at TigerEye continue to put out awesome new features at a staggering pace. Love what you're doing to drive stronger GtM business intelligence Tracy Young, Ralph Gootee, Stuart Frederich-Smith and team!David Cain shared thisOne of my biggest projects in 2017 was contributing to a massive reorg of territories for PlanGrid. I can't tell you how many spreadsheets, Tableau dashboards and Salesforce reports were required to even start getting our hands around the problem. This was a smart team, but we were limited by tools that were slow, siloed and highly technical. And for the most part, they're still what people are using today. We built Territory Management in TigerEye to approach the problem differently: First, you're always working with connected data. This means you don't need to deal with stale info when making big decisions. Second, it’s intuitive and simple. Drag and drop to move accounts and see the impact only your key metrics instantly. Finally, it’s smart. Our new Optimize tool suggests ways to rebalance accounts (all or just those that need reassignment) in the fairest way possible. TigerEye territories could have dropped a 6 month project down to a couple of weeks tops (we still need time to argue after all). ---- We've got a new trial available for TigerEye that lets you check out Territories for yourself. Drop a comment if you'd like to get access.
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Phil Fernandez I think that 4+ yr data is for large/F500 cos
Claude said...
In B2B/SaaS/Startup Tech
Based on an analysis of 14,000 executives in Pave’s compensation database, both CMOs and CROs average just 1.8 years in their roles — the shortest tenure of any executive function. This essentially makes the GTM leadership track a revolving door.
David Cain commented on a post
5d
ACC had a nice run there... 😉
Congrats on the brand evolution and phenomenal product innovation!
David Cain commented on a post
1w
Incredibly excited for you and Shepherd, Julian Clarke! Going to be an amazing chapter for you both.
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David Cain liked thisDavid Cain liked thisSearch isn’t broken—it’s just evolving. Are you confident your brand is showing up and is included in the answer set? I will dive into this at the INDEX’26 GEO Summit in SF this Thursday, partnered with CMO Huddles. I’ll be on a panel to discuss how we’re rewiring growth for this AI-driven reality – hosted by Drew Neisser! Join 🐧 Joyce (Chan) Hwang (Dropbox) 🐧 Christine Royston (Wrike) 🐧 Amanda Kahlow (1mind) 👉 Request your invite: https://lnkd.in/eTdm4vfQ #CMOHuddles #INDEX26 #GEO #MarketingStrategy
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David Cain liked thisExcited to officially join Fastly as CMO. As AI reshapes digital experiences, the infrastructure powering them is critical. Fastly is built for this moment. Looking forward to helping more companies understand the Fastly advantage and to working with the team on the next chapter.David Cain liked thisWe’re excited to announce an important addition to the Fastly leadership team! Fastly has appointed Joan Jenkins as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), where she will lead our global marketing organization and help accelerate growth, expand our market presence, and strengthen our leadership in security, edge computing, and AI. Joan brings more than two decades of experience driving growth and building high-performing teams at some of the world’s most innovative technology companies, including Informatica, Oracle, Mindtickle, and Cisco. Her expertise in AI-powered marketing and data-driven strategy will be instrumental as we continue to scale and deliver exceptional value to our customers and partners worldwide. “As AI reshapes digital experiences, the infrastructure behind those experiences has never been more important. Fastly’s platform is designed for this moment, helping customers succeed when performance and protection matter most,” said Joan. “I look forward to introducing the Fastly advantage to more companies and accelerating our next phase of growth.” Please join us in welcoming Joan to Fastly! https://lnkd.in/g4Du8HSA #Leadership #Marketing #AI #EdgeComputing #Cybersecurity #Growth
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David Cain liked thisThe most ambitious people I meet with are usually the most exhausted. And it's not because they're weak. It's because they've been trying to outperform a level that their nervous system was never supported to sustain without entrainment. Their bodies keep the score. Pain. Pings. A racing heart rate. Adrenal fatigue. Trouble falling asleep. Nicotine. Caffeine. Sugar. Meds. Numbness. An untamed mind. An indulgence of the bodily impulses and needs. While their brain stays focused on the calendar. And somewhere between the meetings, tough decisions, and the need to keep performing " high-performance", the nervous system quietly crosses over into survival mode. Hyper-vigilance. Low HRV. Fight, freeze or flee. One more deal. One more Zoom call. A forgotten heart. They stop feeling. And for the longest time, they've coined it as a strength. A badge of honour to brag about to their colleagues. Who worked the longest? But is it really a true expression of strength? Or... Is it the ego's attempt to stay in control and gain certainty? Your body knows. Your heart keeps nudging you. Take a breath. Slow down, and be here now. Remember who you are beyond this jail of identity you've created for yourself. Because when we become present. When we take a conscious breath, we realize that true high-performance isn't about powering through. It's about building that internal capacity through nervous system safety to not only do more, but to do it from a place of being more, from wholeness. The truth is... 💜 You are more than your role. 💜 You are more than the deals closed. 💜 You are more than our limited beliefs and past traumas. And to remember that. To actually get a handle on things, we must remember how to breathe and how to walk before we run. So we can listen. So we can remember who we are beyond the identity we're trying so hard to hold onto. So that, just maybe... 💡 We can hear the intelligence of our hearts. 💡 We can experience a little peace & magic before we kick the can. 💡 We can realize that the inner work is so much greater than the outside outcomes. And most importantly... Realizing that taking care of ourselves isn't a step backward. It's how we actually go further, how we embody our expansion w/o burning out in the process. This is where everything changes. - Clarity sharpens. - Energy balances out. - Creativity starts to flow. - Nervous system expands to support growth, not hinder it. This is the power of your own breath. _ 🦋 Hi, I'm Kinz. 🌬️ Ready to try this out for real? No fluff. ⤵️ Download our free 20-min guided track to start activating that Higher Energy inside you now, from a place of presence and inner ease. (Link in comments)
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David Cain liked thisDavid Cain liked thisThrilled to welcome OpenTable as Span's newest customer. 65,000+ restaurant partners worldwide trust OpenTable to power their reservations and table management solutions. An organization of that scale demands an engineering team that's not just fast, but that embraces modern engineering practices at the highest level. In our conversations with OpenTable’s engineering leadership, they weren’t just asking, “How do we move faster with AI?” They wanted to go deeper and understand, “How can we get the impact data we need to know if we’re moving in the right direction?” This is an increasingly important question as AI-driven development becomes a mainstay of today's engineering teams. And that's just one of the questions Span was built to answer. Grateful that OpenTable chose us to be a partner of theirs as they define what AI transformation looks like across their engineering org.
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David Cain liked thisDavid Cain liked thisI joined Shepherd almost 2 and a half years ago to learn from incredible leaders and do the best work of my career. Today we’re announcing our $42M Series B led by Intact Private Capital, alongside Spark Capital and Costanoa Ventures. What we’re doing at Shepherd affects the real world. When we underwrite faster, a data center build starts on time. A highway gets built safely and without delay. A school gets the coverage they need at a differentiated price. And it’s resonating with people – our brokers, our insureds, and our partners feel the impact. Over the past two years, that’s translated into real traction: 1,500+ policies, $400B+ in insured value, and a customer base that includes many of the companies quietly enabling the AI boom. If you’re interested in joining the team at this exciting moment, shoot me a message. This is just the beginning!
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David Cain liked thisDavid Cain liked thisHey fellow board members! Particularly at public and large scale privates. How are you reviewing, assessing, and ensuring accountability around productive AI and agentic adoption in your companies? On so many other topics that boards oversee - comp, accounting and audit, risk, security and privacy, etc - there are well understood objective standards and accredited professionals. Board members also of course consume lots of pro level written materials on these topics, continuing eduction, etc Is anyone in my network seeing interesting and productive board exploration on theis topic of AI+agentic adoption and benefit capture? What kinds of tools and/or advisors are you using? Particularly interested in the the topic beyond software development, which is somewhat better understood and documented.
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David Cain liked thisDavid Cain liked thisAI in martech is starting to remind me of cable “cord-cutting": What begins as freedom ends as bloat. For years, we’ve complained about large, horizontal SaaS systems in GTM. “1000 features yet I only use 10!” So with AI, we do the obvious thing: We unbundle. Instead of one massive system, we build: • agents for lead scoring • agents for outreach • agents for reporting • agents for enrichment No fluff. No wasted features. Only what we use. It sounds perfect. But isn't this exactly how cord-cutting started? Cancel cable. Pick only the streaming services you want. Pay less while clearing clutter. Until one day you realize: You went to bed with Disney, and woke up with Hulu, ESPN, and HBO Max. Bottoms-up bundling. More fragmented. Not actually simpler. Now imagine that future in martech: Dozens (or hundreds) of agents, each of which needs some form of: • monitoring • orchestration • updates • governance Will we escape SaaS bloat only to create agentic bloat? Pete Townsend may never have worked in our world, but he kinda nailed our circumstance with his timeless “meet the new boss / same as the old boss” lyric. Will we get fooled (or, more accurately, fool ourselves) again?
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David Cain liked thisDavid Cain liked thisToday marks 7 years sober 🙏 But it took losing my dad to get there. The worst thing that ever happened to me was in the strangest, most unexpected way, also a gift. Since his sudden death, I went from AE to VP. The career stuff feels nice but secondary. The real win is who I've become. More present, more focused, more intentional. A better partner, an imperfect but engaged dad, and more real version of myself. It's hard to see it in the moment but on the other side of rock bottom is the comeback. Going through it? Trying to get sober? Hit me up in DM or text, 719.310.3183. 🤍
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