Sebastien Provencher

Throughout my tenure at EverCommerce, I progressed from managing the Joist product and its profit and loss (P&L) for 2.5 years to assuming a broader strategic functional role leading the EverPro product management team (a VP Product equivalent). In my current position, I oversee a dynamic team of 50+ professionals spanning product management, design, research and analytics, collectively driving the development and success of 10+ SaaS products used by 350,000+ customers and generate annual recurring revenue (ARR) in the hundreds of millions of dollars. As was needed, I also managed up to three software engineering teams for EverPro (close to an additional 100 team members).

As a leader within EverCommerce, I managed the Joist team and product, overseeing a comprehensive group of over 35 professionals across product, design, engineering, customer support, and success functions. During my tenure, I was accountable for the entire profit and loss (P&L) statement, reporting directly to a General Manager. Through strategic leadership, I successfully drove significant growth, doubling both the revenue and customer base over a period of two years.

As the leader of a 6-person team comprising product management, design, and customer research professionals, I spearheaded the development of Joist, a SaaS solution tailored for contractors and home services professionals. Reporting directly to the Joist President, I established a robust foundation that catalyzed significant revenue growth and expansion of our customer base. My efforts in driving the product's success led to a swift promotion to the role of Joist President. Under my leadership, Joist has achieved remarkable success, solidifying its position as one of the top 10 grossing business apps not only in the United States but also globally

As a senior executive, I helped lead a successful organizational pivot following a 90% revenue loss due to COVID-19. Through a rapid discovery process, I identified a new market opportunity that revitalized the company's revenue stream, restoring it to over $15M annually. I managed the P&L for our self-serve marketplace, overseeing a lean team of 8-10 professionals across customer service, supplier relations, and sales coordination. Additionally, I supervised the SEO and content strategy teams, ensuring alignment with our new business direction. After leaving to join EverCommerce with my long-time mentor, I continued to provide strategic guidance as an advisor. Key Achievements: - Revenue Recovery: Implemented strategies that rebuilt annual revenue to $15M+ after near-total loss. - Marketplace Management: Directed P&L for self-serve platform, optimizing operations with a small, cross-functional team. - Strategic Leadership: Oversaw SEO and content teams, integrating their efforts with the company's pivot strategy. - Continued Impact: Maintained advisory role post-departure, ensuring continuity in strategic initiatives.

After spending 14 months in a mostly commercial role and now reporting to the Head of Product, I became a key senior IC member of our Product Operations team, leveraging my in-depth market knowledge, extensive product management, and startup operations experience to help the company transform our most common industry use cases into repeatable and scalable Enterprise AI software products. Over the period I was at Element AI, our revenues grew from $0 to tens of millions of annual revenues. Despite these achievements, I was unfortunately affected by one of the company's workforce reduction initiatives in 2019-2020.

As an early employee at Element AI, I played a pivotal role in the company's rapid growth and success. Joining as employee #3, I worked directly with the CEO in a hybrid business development and customer discovery capacity. My primary focus was identifying AI products and consulting opportunities for large global enterprises. Key Contributions - Sales and Business Development: I successfully moved over 100 potential enterprise sales leads through various stages of the sales funnel. This nurturing process provided crucial data points that supported the company's impressive $102 million Series A funding round in June 2017. - Company Growth: I was instrumental in scaling the company from its initial 8 employees to more than 500. My responsibilities included assisting with recruitment, conducting interviews, and facilitating the onboarding process for new hires. About Element AI: Element AI was a prominent artificial intelligence enterprise software company, co-founded by Yoshua Bengio, a renowned figure in deep learning. The company quickly gained recognition, becoming one of the top 100 most promising private AI companies globally. Key Milestones: - Founded in October 2016 - Raised $102 million in Series A funding in June 2017 - Expanded operations to multiple countries, including Singapore, South Korea, and the UK - Acquired by ServiceNow in 2020 for $230 million Element AI's journey exemplifies the dynamic nature of the AI industry, from its meteoric rise to its eventual acquisition, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.

As Head of Product, I reported directly to the CTO/Co-founder and served on the executive committee of a global, VC-backed Adtech company with 150 employees. My primary responsibilities included: - Leading a team of 8-10 product managers and designers - Overseeing the company's product roadmap - Spearheading the transition from waterfall to agile methodologies - Cultivating a robust product management culture I was strategically brought in as a change agent to modernize our processes while navigating the constraints of a legacy tech stack and monthly release cycles. Despite these challenges, we consistently delivered value to our worldwide customer base. Key achievements: - Drove annual revenue growth of 15-20% - Successfully implemented agile practices across the product team - Maintained product innovation and delivery in a complex technical environment After my tenure, which contributed to the company's success and eventual acquisition by Web.com in 2017, I pursued an opportunity with Element AI, one of Canada's most prominent startups of the 2010s.

Led the development of an innovative SMB SaaS startup from concept to prototype. Spearheaded product design, business strategy, and fundraising efforts. Successfully secured $250,000 in committed funding based on the strength of our prototype and business model. Demonstrated sound business acumen by conducting thorough market validation, which ultimately led to the decision to discontinue the venture due to insufficient product-market fit and limited revenue potential.

As a key leader at HomeAdvisor, I spearheaded the establishment and growth of the company's Canadian operations. Reporting directly to the President, I was tasked with building the Canadian office from the ground up. Our team leveraged the Canadian market as an innovation hub, using it to test and refine new product concepts. Working with a small but highly skilled team of four software engineers and designers, we successfully launched two significant products: - A new two-sided marketplace - A SaaS product Our SaaS offering quickly gained traction in the market, attracting thousands of contractors and home services professionals who each paid a monthly subscription fee of $30. This rapid adoption demonstrated the product's value and market fit. After successfully establishing HomeAdvisor's presence in Canada and launching these innovative products, I decided to pursue a new entrepreneurial venture, leaving the company to explore and develop a fresh startup concept.

As a co-founder and leader in product management and business development, I spearheaded the creation and launch of multiple Enterprise and SMB SaaS social media products, including Needium and Praized. Our company demonstrated resilience by successfully navigating two pivots and weathering the 2008 financial crisis. Achievements and Responsibilities: Funding and Leadership - Secured approximately $3 million in venture capital funding - Served on the board of directors, contributing to strategic decision-making Partnerships and Revenue - Negotiated channel reseller agreements with major North American local media companies - Established partnerships with over a dozen resellers, including Yellow Pages Group, Yellowbook, and Examiner.com - Achieved a peak annual recurring revenue (ARR) of around $500,000 Product Development - Led the development of innovative SaaS solutions for social media management - Guided the company through strategic pivots to adapt to market changes Challenges and Outcome Despite our accomplishments and perseverance, the company ultimately faced financial constraints. We exhausted our available runway, which led to the difficult decision to cease operations. This experience provided valuable insights into the challenges of running a SaaS startup, including the importance of sustainable growth, effective cash management, and adaptability in a rapidly evolving market.

Building on my success in product management, I transitioned into a strategy and business development role, reporting directly to the VP of Business Development. In this position, I took on several key responsibilities: Strategic Evaluation and Analysis I assessed new business opportunities, potential partnerships, and product line extensions to drive company growth. My role involved conducting thorough due diligence, creating financial models, and performing comprehensive market and competitive analyses to support executive decision-making. Partnership Management I oversaw strategic partnerships with major industry players, including Google, WhitePages.com, and Findwhat. These collaborations were crucial in expanding our market reach and enhancing our competitive position. Mergers and Acquisitions As part of a deal team, I contributed to multiple successful acquisitions. This experience provided valuable insights into corporate strategy and business expansion through inorganic growth. Entrepreneurial Venture After eight highly successful years at Yellow Pages, where I honed my skills in strategy, business development, and partnership management, I made the decision to embark on my own entrepreneurial journey. Leveraging the expertise and experience gained, I founded my own startup.

As the head of product management for YellowPages.ca and Canada411.ca, I led a team of 6 product managers in developing and launching innovative AdTech and MarTech solutions. Our efforts resulted in significant growth, increasing annual digital revenues from $10 million to over $200 million. Additionally, we successfully expanded YellowPages.ca's user base, growing unique monthly visitors from 500,000 to 3.2 million. Key Achievements - Revenue Growth: Drove digital revenue expansion from $10M to $200M+ annually through strategic product development. - User Engagement: Increased YellowPages.ca's monthly unique visitors from 500K to 3.2M, enhancing the platform's reach and value. - Team Leadership: Managed a team of 6 product managers, overseeing the creation and implementation of cutting-edge AdTech and MarTech products. - Market Position: Strengthened YellowPages.ca and Canada411.ca as leading two-sided marketplaces in the Canadian digital advertising landscape

As Product Manager reporting to the Director of eCommerce Solutions, I was tasked with overseeing our portfolio of eCommerce SaaS products targeted at small businesses. My primary focus was on optimizing the product suite for scalability and repeatability through streamlining both the portfolio and associated processes. After thorough analysis, I made the strategic recommendation to discontinue the product line due to its inability to achieve product-market fit. This decisive action and demonstrated leadership led to my promotion to Senior Manager of Product Management.

Honor Board of the Faculty of Business Administration (Top 7%)