From building the function from scratch at $6M ARR, to scaling a team from 3 to 14 ahead of a $45M Series B, to turning around retention that had dropped below 70%. I've operated across the full range of CS challenges at venture-backed companies.
I started as employee #11 at SevOne, a network infrastructure startup that grew to $80M+ in revenue before being acquired. I joined as a support engineer in 2008, grew into post-sales and pre-sales engineering, and was leading teams by 2014. That progression gave me a ground-level understanding of every part of the customer lifecycle.
At Kentik, the challenge was building a CS organization from zero. At People Data Labs, it was scaling a team and building out both CS and pre-sales engineering ahead of a major fundraise. At FOSSA, it was turning around a function where gross retention had dropped below 70%. Each situation demanded a different approach, different tooling, different team structure.
What stays consistent: I leave behind a functioning organization with systems, people, and metrics that the company can build on for years.
I'm currently doing fractional CS leadership work with early-stage SaaS companies. I'm open to the right full-time opportunity at a company where I can do what I do best: build.
Four companies, each at a different stage, each needing a different version of the same skillset.
Inherited a CS function where gross retention had dropped below 70%. Rebuilt the team structure, introduced AI-driven tooling, and partnered with Sales, Product, and Engineering to stabilize the customer base during a company pivot. Preserved $1.2M ARR through proactive account planning while simultaneously cutting $600K in annual operating expense.
Owned all of Customer Success and built the pre-sales/solutions engineering function from scratch, which didn't exist before I joined. Scaled the combined team from 3 to 14, adding CSMs, customer success engineers, and solutions engineers. Transitioned CS from reactive to proactive and built churn forecasting and ARR tracking models that became central to the company's Series B narrative. CS contributed roughly a third of 2021 revenue and drove approximately 100% of ARR growth.
Built the entire Customer Success organization from the ground up. Owned the full P&L, introduced tiered customer segmentation, launched premium professional services, and maintained 90%+ gross retention while the company scaled from $6M to $25M ARR. CS-sourced expansion and upsells contributed 20-50% of new ARR depending on the quarter. Zero voluntary team attrition.
Joined as the 11th employee and grew with the company from early-stage through $80M+ in revenue and acquisition by Turbonomic (later IBM). Started as a support engineer, moved into post-sales and then pre-sales engineering, and was leading teams by 2014. Built the Platform Services team that enabled $10M in upsells, and served as the lead solutions architect supporting $65M and $100M in annual sales across consecutive years. Three-time Presidents Club, two-time Sales MVP.
These are from people who reported to me, managed me, or worked cross-functionally with me.
"When we hired Manuel he inherited a nascent Customer Success program with some legacy debt to clean up and potential to be realized. He took what was already in place, cleaned things up, built around it, hired the right people, and established a Technical Services team. He accomplished everything we asked of him and more."
"Manuel is the person you want in your corner when things are on fire. He's a big-picture operator who understands how customer success, post-sales execution, and leadership discipline fit together. He'd be a significant asset to any executive team, or any founder who needs clarity, structure, and steady leadership during scale or transition."
"Manuel built up an effective CS team that punched way above its weight. In a dynamic and challenging landscape, he led the team to deliver major improvements along key metrics such as time to value, NPS, and onboarding velocity. An invaluable asset to any organization standing up a new CS team."
"Manuel is detail-oriented and methodical in how he tackles problems, with a strong grasp of both technical and customer-facing dynamics. He's also a highly effective remote leader. I've consistently relied on him for sound judgment and sharp negotiation instincts."
I studied Information Systems at Drexel University (B.S., Magna Cum Laude) and started my career in the technical side of SaaS before moving into customer-facing leadership. That technical foundation shapes how I approach CS: I'm as comfortable in a product architecture discussion as I am in a QBR.
I write Honest Signals, a newsletter for startup leaders about the uncomfortable truths that drive real growth. It covers CS strategy, team building, and the hard conversations most leadership content avoids.
Outside of work, I'm training for ultra-marathons. I find the discipline transfers: long-term planning, managing discomfort, and knowing when to push and when to conserve.
I'm open to full-time CS leadership roles at B2B SaaS companies ready to build or scale the function. The best way to reach me is a direct email or a message on LinkedIn.