Exploring Careers in Innovation: Start-Ups to Larger Enterprises

This is a collaborative series developed by the Center for Careers and Internships and Middlebury in DC with content contribution from members of the Middlebury Professional Network and Middlebury students. This series is made possible by the enthusiastic efforts of Marco Casas ’07 who conceptualized the series and recruited several other alumni to contribute their time and experiences to the content of each episode throughout the series.

For the full playlist, visit our YouTube channel, where you will find all episodes and more series in our MIDDVantage collection.

Episode 12: Google@Middlebury: Roles in Product Commercialization

A discussion of the various functional roles involved in the product development life cycle, presented by five Googleburys (Midd alums working at Google), including: 

• Sam Temes ’07, Managing Director, Global Products & Sales Strategy 
• John Sterling ’96, Software Engineer, Google Wallet 
• William Starkoff ’15, Strategy & Insights Lead 
• Jamie Crepps ’10 Culture Transformation Leader, Google Cloud 
• Dom Jimenez ’18, Associate Contracts Manager 

Jamie Crepps ‘10, Culture Transformation Leader at Google

As the head of Cross-Cloud People Programs and Culture, Jamie leads a team to deliver Google’s people strategy (think: hiring, performance management, leadership development, inclusion/belonging and more). As part of her role, she partners extensively with senior leaders to shape the culture, behaviors and mindsets needed to keep pace with the rapidly growing Cloud business.

Jamie was an Economics major and some of her favorite courses were Competitive Strategy and MiddCore. She joined Google directly from Midd in 2010 and has chartered a unique path from starting as an Account Manager in advertising sales, to leading teams for YouTube product strategy, and most recently pivoting from the business to People Operations. She is passionate about developing people and now runs a small private leadership coaching practice in addition to her work at Google.

Dominick ‘Dom’ Jimenez ‘18, Associate Contracts Manager at Google

Dom reviews and negotiates commercial inbound agreements for Brand Marketing, Events, Creative Labs, and Government Affairs and Public Policy teams. Dom is a legal lead of Google’s Career Certificate program, a Grow with Google initiative that offers training, tools, and other resources for job seekers, students, teachers, and local business owners across the US. Originally from Harlem, NY, Dom attended Middlebury College where he studied Political Science and was an active member of the Residential Life team.

John Sterling ‘96, Software Engineer

John, a Computer Science major, started his career working at a series of early stage startups in San Francisco, at the beginning of the initial internet boom. After that he worked for Visa launching a tech hub office in Portland, Maine that worked on a variety of payments solutions. Through the years John has worked for both established companies and startups in a variety of SWE roles, often managing people as well. Currently John runs a SWE team for Google Wallet in San Francisco.

Sam Temes ‘07, Managing Director, Global Product & Sales Strategy

Sam leads a global strategy and commercialization team for the Google Marketing Platform and various other products for Google’s advertising customers. He joined Google through an advertising technology acquisition and has had roles in business development and sales, in addition to his current role. When not at work, he loves spending time in Vermont, exploring the trails of the Mad River Valley and north central Vermont. Sam graduated from Middlebury College in 2007 with a BA in Geography.

Episode 11: Google@Middlebury: Life of a Feature

A discussion of the product development life cycle and the interaction of various functional roles during this life cycle, presented by five Googleburys (Midd alums working at Google), including: 

• Sam Temes ’07, Managing Director, Global Products & Sales Strategy 
• John Sterling ’96, Software Engineer, Google Wallet 
• William Starkoff ’15, Strategy & Insights Lead 
• Jamie Crepps ’10 Culture Transformation Leader, Google Cloud 
• Dom Jimenez ’18, Associate Contracts Manager 

Jamie Crepps ‘10, Culture Transformation Leader at Google

As the head of Cross-Cloud People Programs and Culture, Jamie leads a team to deliver Google’s people strategy (think: hiring, performance management, leadership development, inclusion/belonging and more). As part of her role, she partners extensively with senior leaders to shape the culture, behaviors and mindsets needed to keep pace with the rapidly growing Cloud business.

Jamie was an Economics major and some of her favorite courses were Competitive Strategy and MiddCore. She joined Google directly from Midd in 2010 and has chartered a unique path from starting as an Account Manager in advertising sales, to leading teams for YouTube product strategy, and most recently pivoting from the business to People Operations. She is passionate about developing people and now runs a small private leadership coaching practice in addition to her work at Google.

Dominick ‘Dom’ Jimenez ‘18, Associate Contracts Manager at Google

Dom reviews and negotiates commercial inbound agreements for Brand Marketing, Events, Creative Labs, and Government Affairs and Public Policy teams. Dom is a legal lead of Google’s Career Certificate program, a Grow with Google initiative that offers training, tools, and other resources for job seekers, students, teachers, and local business owners across the US. Originally from Harlem, NY, Dom attended Middlebury College where he studied Political Science and was an active member of the Residential Life team.

William Starkoff ‘15, Strategy & Insights Lead at Google

John Sterling ‘96, Software Engineer

John, a Computer Science major, started his career working at a series of early stage startups in San Francisco, at the beginning of the initial internet boom. After that he worked for Visa launching a tech hub office in Portland, Maine that worked on a variety of payments solutions. Through the years John has worked for both established companies and startups in a variety of SWE roles, often managing people as well. Currently John runs a SWE team for Google Wallet in San Francisco.

Sam Temes ‘07, Managing Director, Global Product & Sales Strategy

Sam leads a global strategy and commercialization team for the Google Marketing Platform and various other products for Google’s advertising customers. He joined Google through an advertising technology acquisition and has had roles in business development and sales, in addition to his current role. When not at work, he loves spending time in Vermont, exploring the trails of the Mad River Valley and north central Vermont. Sam graduated from Middlebury College in 2007 with a BA in Geography.

Episode 10: Google’s Culture of Innovation

Guest Speaker: Jamie Crepps ’10, Culture Transformation Leader at Google
Video: 7 minutes

Jamie describes the behaviors and mindsets that create a culture of innovation with Google’s six innovation principles:

1. Psychological safety
2. Focus on the User
3. Think 10x
4. Launch & Iterate
5. Default to Open
6. Innovation comes from anywhere

As the head of Cross-Cloud People Programs and Culture, Jamie Crepps ‘10 leads a team to deliver Google’s people strategy (think: hiring, performance management, leadership development, inclusion/belonging and more). As part of her role, she partners extensively with senior leaders to shape the culture, behaviors and mindsets needed to keep pace with the rapidly growing Cloud business.

Jamie was an Economics major and some of her favorite courses were Competitive Strategy and MiddCore. She joined Google directly from Midd in 2010 and has chartered a unique path from starting as an Account Manager in advertising sales, to leading teams for YouTube product strategy, and most recently pivoting from the business to People Operations. She is passionate about developing people and now runs a small private leadership coaching practice in addition to her work at Google.
 

Episode 9: A Poet’s Journey from Crabbing Boat Crew to Head of AI and Robotics Consulting

• Guest: Bryan Rich ‘86, Partner AI & Robotics, Accenture Federal Services
• Interviewer: Charlotte Gray ‘21
• Overview: Bryan Rich’s journey is unique, spanning from poetry and the crabbing boat industry to becoming a leader in AI and robotics. Hear how his liberal arts background shaped his career and led him to scale teams and AI innovations at Accenture.
• Watch Time: 26 minutes

Episode 8: Starting Your Own Company - Ideation, Lean Launchpad, Product-Market Fit, Go-To-Market Strategies, and Early Financing

• Guest: Craig Wilson ’07.5, Managing Director at Data Future Lab
• Interviewer: Madeleine Riordan ‘22
• Overview: Craig Wilson shares his insight into starting a company, from brainstorming ideas to navigating early funding. Hear his advice on the journey from ideation to building a sustainable business.
• Watch Time: 25 minutes

Episode 7: Opportunities in Fintech: Crossroads of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Financial Services Industry

• Guest: Andres Fontao ‘96, Partner at Rainmaking for Spain and Latin America and Co-founder of Finnovista
• Interviewer: Michael Calvey ‘21
• Overview: Explore the rapidly evolving fintech industry with Andres Fontao, as he shares his experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, and the challenges and opportunities in the financial services sector.
• Watch Time: 49 minutes

Episode 6: Quantum Computing and Innovation in Large Organizations

• Guest: Nikitas Stamatopoulos ’07, Vice President Quantum Computing R&D at Goldman Sachs
• Interviewer: Graham Rainsby ‘21
• Overview: Nikitas discusses the groundbreaking potential of quantum computing in finance and explains how his work at Goldman Sachs is advancing this technology to solve complex financial problems.
• Watch Time: 20 minutes

Episode 5: People: Attracting and Retaining the Best Possible Talent

• Guest: Peter Steinle ‘92, Partner, Lightspeed Ventures
• Interviewer: Lucas Cappelletti ‘23
• Overview: Peter, Partner and Executive Talent at Lightspeed Ventures, discusses his role in helping startups attract and retain top talent, a key factor for success in the venture capital ecosystem. With 25+ years of experience in the industry, including time at Salesforce and Kindred Partners, Peter shares insights on identifying high-potential talent, building effective teams, and navigating the dynamic startup environment. This episode covers essential strategies for recruiting and talent management that are crucial in the tech and venture capital fields.
• Watch Time: 20 minutes

Episode 4: Product Manager Role - Ideal for Liberal Arts Students

• Guest: Caroline Goodwin ’14, Senior Product Manager, PlacePass
• Interviewer: Adam Wisco ‘22
• Overview: Caroline, a Senior Product Manager at the travel tech startup PlacePass, explains why a liberal arts background is a great fit for product management roles. She highlights the key responsibilities of her role, from strategic planning and software development coordination to user engagement measurement. Caroline also shares her career journey, which began at Peek in customer success and product marketing, and her insights on using a liberal arts education to thrive in the tech industry.
• Watch Time: 33 minutes

Episode 3: Marketing and Customer Success: Growth Hacking, Brand and Customer-Centric Innovation

• Guest: Olivia Lew ’07.5, Chief Commercial Officer, Heart Health Intelligence
• Interviewer: Serrin Kim ‘22
• Overview: Olivia shares her unique journey from the nonprofit sector to consulting and ultimately to a leadership role at Heart Health Intelligence. In this episode, she discusses her experiences with growth hacking, brand-building, and customer-centric innovation. Olivia’s career has included transformative roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, Capgemini, and General Catalyst, where she focused on health-tech investments. Now, as CCO at Heart Health Intelligence, she works to enable healthcare in the home, offering valuable insights into combining corporate strategies with customer-centered values.
• Watch Time: 21 minutes

Episode 2: The Technical Side: Building a Digital Product, Managing a Product/Engineering Team

• Guests: Brian Sirkia ’12.5, Co-Founder & CTO at Lately and Nima Alidoust ‘09, VP of Strategy and Head of Product at Rigetti Computing
• Interviewer: Jason Schneiderman ‘23
• Overview: In this episode, Brian and Nima discuss the technical side of managing and building digital products. Brian, Co-Founder & CTO at Lately, talks about using AI for marketing content creation, while Nima, VP of Strategy and Head of Product at Rigetti Computing, shares his journey in quantum computing and strategy. They delve into the challenges of product development, team management, and innovations that help drive company success in both AI and quantum computing.
• Watch Time: 28 minutes

Episode 1: Venture Investing: Discussion About the Job and About Raising a Fund

• Guests: Lacey Johnson ‘08, Partner, Alumni Ventures Group and Marco Casas ’07, Venture Investor, Basecamp
• Interviewer: Adrienne Coslick ‘21
• Overview: Lacey and Marco provide a deep dive into the world of venture investing. They share the responsibilities, challenges, and rewards of their roles, discussing investment evaluation, fund-raising strategies, and how to support early-stage companies. With extensive backgrounds in financial institutions and venture capital, both Lacey and Marco offer a look into what it takes to succeed in venture investing and the exciting prospects of working with emerging startups.
• Watch Time: 29 minutes