Leading Startup Growth Strategy Consulting Experts 2025

If you’re here, you’re probably curious about who I am and what we do at spectup. Let me fill you in. I started my career with a banking apprenticeship, thinking I’d spend my life crunching numbers. But then I discovered startups—and everything changed. At N26, the fintech unicorn, I got my first taste of the fast-paced world of innovation. I fell in love with the chaos, creativity, and energy. After that, I joined Civey, where I dove into digital market research, business models, and marketing strategies. Then came Deutsche Bahn, where I worked on international expansion, competitor analysis, and market strategies. I learned how to make sense of complex industries (global transport markets, anyone?) and drive growth. At diffferent (yes, that’s how it’s spelled), I helped brands like Audi and Zalando identify growth opportunities and design innovative business strategies. And at Deloitte’s Innovation & Ventures team, I worked on building future-proof businesses with cutting-edge tech. One highlight? Leading 30+ projects at the BMW Startup Garage, helping startups find their place in the world of mobility. That’s where I saw the real power of connecting startups with the right partners. Now, I’m building spectup. We work with growth-stage companies and select early-stage startups, helping them raise capital, connect with the right investors, and position themselves for long-term success. We also work with investors—PEs, VCs, angels, and family offices—helping them find promising, vetted companies to invest in without spending countless hours on due diligence. Why? Because startups fail too often, and investors waste too much time looking for the right opportunities. We’re here to bridge that gap. Whether you’re a founder looking for investors or an investor seeking quality opportunities, spectup is about making those connections—and making them work.

I’m Cristy Verdeja Zaldívar—a strategic communications and marketing leader with over 15 years of experience transforming how brands connect, grow, and lead. As CEO of Pointe Connect, I consult for companies across industries—from nimble startups to global Fortune 500s—offering high-level strategy rooted in clarity, creativity, and results. I specialize in diagnosing challenges, crafting messaging that resonates, and building marketing and communications frameworks that drive real business impact. Known for my sharp instincts and innovative thinking, I’m the person teams call when they need to elevate their brand, reset their approach, or navigate complexity with confidence. My expertise spans corporate communications, PR, digital strategy, crisis and issues management, and multicultural marketing. I’ve advised industry giants, led global campaigns, and built cross-functional teams that deliver. I’m a bilingual storyteller (English/Spanish + conversational French) with a global mindset and a deep belief in the power of connection. Whether I’m guiding an executive team or rolling up my sleeves with a small business owner, I bring vision, structure, and momentum to every engagement.

Shantanu is a young strategic maverick who turns digital complexity into business poetry. As CEO & founder of Tenet, he's the architect behind transformative experiences for fortune 500 companies such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and IQVIA; and also global powerhouses like Americana Group, Gartner, G42, SLB, and Mubadala Group. With a global footprint spanning offices in UAE, UK, India, and USA, Shantanu leads a razor-sharp team of 40+ in-house experts and a curated network of 250+ elite talent partners. His approach isn't about building technology—it's about engineering digital ecosystems that redefine how brands connect, convert, and conquer. Having crafted growth strategies for 400+ industry giants across technology, finance, consumer sectors, and 15+ other industries, Shantanu doesn't just understand digital transformation—he architects it. His methodology bridges UI/UX, growth marketing, software engineering, and strategic design, delivering solutions that impact the future.

Hi, my name is Dennis Shirshikov. My comments on real estate, finance, investing, startups and other topics have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, NY Post, TIME Magazine, Daily Herald, Huffington Post, Money, Business Insider, Yahoo, Washington Post, Bankrate, Realtor, MoneyGeek, MSN, The Street, Nasdaq, Forbes, and USA Today. I’m the Head of Growth and Engineering for growthlimit.com, where I work with companies across over 20 industries to build, optimize and monetize their online presence and grow their business. I am also a professor at the City University of New York where I teach finance, economics, and accounting and we cover the basics of insurance, personal finance, financial institutions, investing, and other related topics. My educational background is in Financial Risk Modeling.

Anu Sood is a senior marketing leader who supports start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises with their go-to-market strategies, digital and content marketing, product marketing, and brand messaging.

CEO at launchOptions. With 10+ years of practical experience in leading and delivering software projects, I help companies scale through automation, IT outsourcing, and digital transformation. I work with clients across Europe and the Middle East, building long-term partnerships through dedicated development teams and process-oriented delivery. My approach is hands-on, business-driven, and grounded in understanding what actually creates value, both for companies and their customers.

I am the founder of BeastBI GmbH, a digital consultancy specializing in digital marketing. Whether it's marketing analysis, restructuring, or migration. We focus on optimize marketing budgets and improve ROIs. HubSpot and Google Ads certified and partner. With over a decade of experience across CRM, Paid Ads, SEO, (B2B) leadgen and marketing analysis, I combine technical know-how with a deep understanding of marketing & business strategy. I work and lead a remote team, scaled international campaigns. I also support companies as interim head of marketing and similar positions.

My name is Kimberley Tyler-Smith and I’m an executive at the career tech platform, Resume Worded, where we help 1m+ job seekers every month advance their careers. I've largely been an independent consultant throughout my career and I've helped over 20 companies, ranging from medium-sized businesses to F500 enterprises, increase their bottom lines. I'm also an active investor and have been one for the last five years. I've left the corporate world to pursue something with more impact in the education/career space; now, I’m a VP at Resume Worded running a myriad of things.

I have been in marketing for nearly two decades after watching the movie "What Women Want" and telling myself I wanted to work in marketing. Starting at the age of 16 as a telemarketer, I managed to work up the different levels and now specialize in demand generation, content marketing, and marketing automation, working with a variety of tools such as HubSpot, Wistia, PartnerStack, Pendo, Riverside, StoryLane, Google Adwords, and WebFlow. Over the years, I have been fascinated by all things marketing and technology. Even though my career started with telemarketing, trade show demonstrations, and graphic design, it quickly transitioned into web design, digital marketing, and content marketing in 2009. The reason I love digital marketing is that it is always changing. Although businesses should stay true to their brand, values, and strengths, they always have new ways of sharing their stories, values, and advice through different channels. I am continuously excited to discover and implement these new strategies in the companies I work for. Having experience with small businesses and startups as well as working for marketing agencies and Fortune 500 companies, I understand the benefits of creating processes and structure so that all members of the team can engage and collaborate and create a positive experience for customers. I truly believe that if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together. By working together and building off the strengths of everyone on the team, the sky truly is the limit.

LinkedIn's Top Voice in Entrepreneurship ► I help (Paralyzed) Entrepreneurs find meaning & clarity ► Business Coach ► Founded 4 startups & 4 successful exits ► Health & Wellness Blogger ► Dad x 3 👇 Growing a portfolio of online businesses → Coaching → E-Book (Cooking up) → Digital Course ( On the way) → Blog: Healthy Work Habits → Newsletter (Taking shape) 💡 I'm on a mission to build a portfolio of digital businesses to make the lives of Overachievers, Mid-Career Professionals & Entrepreneurs more purposeful. 👥Building an audience online to thrive together. 📩 Posts & articles about the process. 🧠 Mental Health Advocate ⚡ Co-founder of Albert Solino Consulting (Exit in 2023) 🏆 Proudly hired, developed, and led an in-house team of 65 consultants. ( Many of them are still colleague-turned friends) ✅ Consulting Portfolio → Management Consultancy → Strategic Planning → OKR → Human Resources → Performance Management → Employee Engagement → Remote Work → Digitalization 👉🏼 Acted as CMO and managed all omnichannel marketing efforts including → Website Development → Google Ads Management → SEO → Blog Management → Youtube Content Marketing → E-mail Marketing → Newsletter Marketing → Referral Partnerships → Business Development ✅ Blue-chip client list including: → Ford (Dearborn, MI) → Cigna Group (Bloomfield, Connecticut) → Concentrix - Webhelp (Fremont -CA & France) → JotForm (SF - CA) → Barsan Global Logistics, Inc. (Chicago - IL) → Novartis / Sandoz (Switzerland) → BEKO Global (Switzerland) → Carrefour (France) → Saint-Gobain (France) → Legrand (France) → Faber-Castell (Germany) → MAHLE (Germany) → Aegon (The Netherlands) → Energy Exchange Istanbul (EXIST) (Turkey) → ENKA Construction (Turkey) → Trendyol.com / Alibaba Group (China - Turkey) → Daiichi Sankyo (Japan) → Elleair International (Japan) → QNB - Qatar National Bank (Qatar) → Metair (South Africa) ⚡ Co-Founder of Corvisio HR Management & OKR Platform (Exit in 2023) ⚡ Co-founded Prosoftly (Exit in 2023) ⚡️ Co-Founder of Mailsoftly (Exit in 2023)

I build successful, scalable content operations for high-growth startups and enterprise B2B SaaS teams. Proven experience working remotely for global organizations.

Most organizations don’t fail because of bad strategy. They fail because they can’t follow through. That’s where I come in. I work with executive teams to close the gap between vision and execution, building the structure, accountability, and focus needed to deliver measurable results. My expertise spans SEO, direct primary care strategy, and business consulting, with a proven record of scaling healthcare membership by 170 percent and generating $82 million in federal economic impact. Whether leading complex initiatives or rebuilding underperforming systems, I drive clarity, align operations, and create momentum that lasts.

An impassioned Career Transition Coach who spent more than 20 years working in the recruitment industry and now dedicates my focus on helping my clients navigate important career decisions. When it comes to a person’s career, everyone has a unique need or challenge, therefore, I design a bespoke solution around my clients need, applying an approach that maybe a blend of advisor, consultant, coach, and or mentor. I have collaborated with clients across all industries and job levels, from youth to graduates to executive level, providing 1:1 Career Coaching, Outplacement Support and Career Skills Development workshops. My focus is to collaborate with my clients across the following key areas: Discover, develop a plan and guide on how to execute one’s plan, imparting knowledge, providing practical advice and the necessary tools to assist in aligning to the market expectations, making the individual aware of what to expect and how to prepare for the necessary career transition. “Helping one person might not change the world, but it can change the world for one person”. This quote resonates firmly within my values, where I strive to make a positive difference everywhere possible. In addition to running Career Management Consultancy, in January 2024 I was appointed as an International Career and Transition Coach for Africa, for IMPACT Group a global coaching firm providing relocation, outplacement and leadership development programmes, where I provide career consulting to relocating spouses as well as cross-cultural and integration/transition coaching for employees and their families.

Mark MacDonald is a seasoned strategist and creative with 4 decades of expertise in powerful Branding and Marketing Communication based on reliable research. He's the go-to guide for effective church communication, branding, and logos. As a bestselling author, engaging speaker, and founder of BeKnownforSomething.com, Mark empowers church leaders to communicate with impact.