Akshay Karal

Rocketium is a CreativeOps platform that helps enterprises launch their visual creatives (static images, .gifs, videos, and .hmtl5) 2x faster and in half the cost. The Rocketium Platform supercharges enterprise CreativeOps with AI-Powered creative production, streamlined creative operations, and actionable creative analytics. Highlights - Head of Product Marketing - Responsible for positioning, strategic narrative, and messaging frameworks - My team launches new products; and builds: custom-solutioning content, market-facing messaging, marketing collaterals, competitor intelligence - Created a value-realization and RoI framework for customers and prospects

Joined as the Head of Growth Marketing. Realised it wasn't the right opportunity for me. Moved on in ~30 days. Took a short break.

Zapr had one of the largest offline media consumption repositories (Linear TV Viewership data) in the world. We helped brands and broadcasters leverage TV viewership analytics and smart audience segments for digital advertising. Highlights: - Led marketing for Zapr's core business - Responsible for pipeline and brand - Ran lifecycle marketing campaigns with multiple digital touchpoints Samsung acquired Zapr. Was time for my next challenge, yet again.

Promoted to Head of Marketing. Responsible for all things marketing, brand, and pipeline. Highlights: - Launched the new positioning across web and digital channels - Led the marketing team of folks across content, digital, campaign, ops, and design - Realised I did not enjoy the ops that came with a functional leadership role. Missed the action. Decided to find my next challenge.

First marketing leadership role in a SaaS startup. Led product marketing and strategic GTM. Led new product launches and helped expand to newer geographies. Highlights: - Owned all aspects of messaging, positioning, and GTM for APAC and EMEA markets - Market-tested the platform in Europe by creating a strategic narrative, driving brand awareness and generating demand - Ran account-based marketing campaigns, targeted lead gen campaigns, and partnered with ecosystem partners to drive field marketing programs - Set up marketing automation with multiple digital touchpoints, to reduce lead leakage, and accelerate pipeline momentum - Successfully launched a suite a products during the first-wave of COVID to create a new revenue stream, during the global macro-economic crisis

Decided to shake things up and optimize for learning. Joined a young B2B marketing agency as their 8th employee. Un-learnt the enterprise way of working. Embraced the scrappy 'let's get sh** done' startup culture. Led GTM engagements with 10+ early-stage SaaS startups. Highlights: - Worked with SaaS founders in developing the positioning and messaging - Built a fully organic (SEO-driven) pipeline for the agency. - Learnt the art of selling. Managed end-to-end sales cycles - In the pursuit of professional discomfort, I wore the hats of a content writer, marketer, account manager, sales guy, and GTM consultant. In hindsight, this was a gold mine of hands-on learning. - Led GTM engagements for 10+ B2B SaaS customers across robotics, fintech, martech, CRM, and supply chain automation - Managed a performance marketing team that ran digital (paid and organic) campaigns focused on creating awareness and driving demand - Created a ton of decks (pitch decks, investor narratives, product demos, positioining frameworks, case studies, keynote presentations etc.)

Got promoted again. Became the GTM guy. Managed Joint GTMs with our biggest Partner - Microsoft. Aditi Technologies went through 2 acquisitions to become a part of Harman Connected Services. Highlights: - Built digital campaigns, created targeting and segmentation strategies, ensured content across channels were optimized for funnel stages. Measured campaign performance with analytics and meaningful metrics. - Developed marketing collaterals to generate & nurture leads - Planned and executed most activities across a partner marketing lifecycle. Built joint GTMs with partners such as Microsoft. Owned joint targets (pipeline and revenue) - Got bored of all the additional processes, and the narrower job-role that came with being part of a large enterprise (post acquisition). Decided to look for my next challenge

Got promoted. Sunsetted Aditi Brewmaster. Dabbled with Partner Marketing. Highlights: - Graduated from running a PPT factory to become a GTM planner. Continued to build more decks and excel trackers - Created content across pipeline stages and marketing channels - Executed Joint GTMs with Microsoft for IoT solutions. Won Microsoft's IoT partner of the year award.

Found my calling in marketing. Pitched to the CMO to give me a shot at a marketing role. Took on marketing assignments in the evenings, after my day job in HR. Fully transitioned to the marketing team in two months. Highlights: - Power user of PowerPoint. Built pretty slides for semi-technical decks - Wrote content for web, social, and email campaigns - Product Marketing associate for Aditi Brewmaster. Part of the 2 people team that managed to 6X the revenue from Brewmaster in 3 quarters - Worked on campaigns aimed at creating demand through SEO, content marketing, and paid campaigns (search & social).

Worked on hiring brand campaigns. Built content to promote CSR initiatives. Took exit interviews. Highlights: - First brand campaign to chauffeur new joiners in a Rolls-Royce to office, received love from local publications - Learnt that taking exit interviews in the first quarter of one's career can be emotionally exhausting - Realized that I didn't quite enjoy my work - Spoke to people from across teams to understand what their work entailed, and asked myself if I would enjoy doing any of those jobs - Was convinced that the marketing team did really challenging work.

Gave up on a campus placement offer as a financial analyst with an American bank, to pursue what I believed was my passion. Joined the workforce as an employee engagement intern. Aditi technologies was a boutique software solutions provider building cutting-edge software products on cloud. Spent 3 months learning about the business, meeting some of the smartest people, and understanding the basics of what made a technology services company.