Jager McConnell — CEO of Crunchbase | Innovation and Adaptability at Crunchbase
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About The Guest
Jager McConnell is the CEO of Crunchbase, a leading platform for discovering and connecting with the companies, people, and resources driving innovation. He has a proven track record of building and scaling high-growth technology businesses, with over 20 years of experience in the tech industry.
Jager McConnell is the CEO of Crunchbase, the leading platform used by millions of entrepreneurs and investors looking to discover innovative companies and the people behind them. Jager joined Crunchbase after it spun out from AOL, a move that was announced at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2015.
Prior to joining Crunchbase, Jager spent 11 years at Salesforce in various roles across sales, marketing, and product development. In his last role at Salesforce, Jager was VP of Product in the Sales Cloud, where he oversaw the core salesforce automation product line.
Under Jager’s leadership, Crunchbase has continued to grow and expand, with a strong focus on data quality and customer success. He is dedicated to helping startups and enterprises alike discover the most innovative and promising businesses and technologies in the market.
Talking Points
00:00 — Intro
01:32 — Jager McConnell’s origin story
03:10 — Creativity’s role in Jager’s career
04:01 — Some startups Jager was involved in
07:01 — The reality of working in a startup
08:34 — Where did Jager have the biggest growth in his life?
11:34 — What is Jager doing at Crunchbase now?
16:55 — Building up the business model for Crunchbase
19:35 — Getting your first hundred customers
21:26 — Was the data at Crunchbase valuable enough for people to pay for at the beginning?
29:00 — Becoming the platform everyone wants to be represented on
35:13 — Keeping your data protected
38:24 — Choosing a business model around partnerships
41:22 — How to choose what to focus on next?
44:15 — Building a feedback loop
47:01 — Not believing in growth at all costs and building Crunchbase with that mindset?
50:40 — How does Jager McConnell manage investor expectations?
51:32 — Using your platform for good
57:31 — Where does Jager want to see Crunchbase in the future?
59:54 — Can a company that is a front-end system have no data in the back-end system?
1:01:24 — Jager’s advice for success
Show Links
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What is the Success Story Podcast?
Success Story Podcast Welcome to the Success Story Podcast, hosted by entrepreneur, business executive, author, educator & speaker, Scott D. Clary. On this podcast, you’ll find interviews, Q&A, keynote presentations & conversations on sales, marketing, business, startups, and entrepreneurship.
Scott will discuss some of the lessons he’s learned over his own career, as well as have candid interviews with execs, celebrities, notable figures, and politicians. All who have achieved success through both wins and losses, to learn more about their life, their ideas, and insights. He sits down with leaders and mentors and unpacks their stories to help pass those lessons on to others through both experiences and tactical strategies for business professionals, entrepreneurs, and everyone in between.
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