John L.

Experience

• 

  Lumen

  VP of Sales & Partnerships

  Sep 2024 - Present

  Lumen is a health and wellness company on a mission to make people metabolically healthier. Our groundbreaking technology analyzes a person’s breath to provide real-time insights about their metabolism, then turns that into personalized daily nutrition and activity guidance.

  • Built and led Lumen's AI-enterprise B2B commercial function from a cold start.
  • Founded the GTM org and scaled it to a team of 7 at peak.
  • Today lead a lean, cross-functional group, including the co-founder and marketing, across sales, account management, and support.
  • Set strategy and led execution across five distinct go-to-market motions spanning pharma, telehealth, US healthcare providers, international distribution, and retail.
  • Closed a landmark 7-figure strategic partnership with a leading pharmaceutical company that manufactures GLP-1 — the pharma leader's first collaboration with a wearable metabolic health device.
  • Signed three of the top 20 USA-based telehealth platforms to seven-figure distribution contracts.
  • Secured enterprise B2B partnerships with 100 clinics, several large health systems, and key employers/corporate wellness programs.
  • Opened retail distribution channels with major partners, including Best Buy and Sam's Club, validating broad market demand.
  • Directed enterprise and commercial go-to-market strategy for Lumen's breath-analysis platform (world's largest metabolic dataset with 64M+ measurements).
  • Negotiated high-value contracts and built trusted relationships with health systems, wellness providers, and corporate partners.
  • Led strategic AI product direction by driving development of the AI-powered metabolic health coach delivering personalized guidance for weight loss, nutrition, exercise, and metabolic flexibility.
  • Positioned products for integrations with major tech ecosystems (e.g., Apple Health, Google Fit).
• 

  Lumen

  VP of Sales

  Sep 2024 - Present

  • Lead sales operations and enterprise partnerships to grow Lumen's commercial footprint.
  • Manage key accounts and enterprise deals while coordinating cross-functional sales enablement and onboarding.
  • Drive go-to-market execution and collaborate with marketing and product to align commercial priorities.

• Startup Compass Consulting

  Fractional CRO / CBO / Growth Advisor

  Sep 2022 - Present

  • Provided fractional CRO/CBO and growth advisory services in sales, commercial strategy, GTM execution, partnerships, budgeting, change management, and hiring plans.
  • Created a proprietary method for analyzing repeatable sales progress against staffing and hiring plans to correct or enhance growth trajectories.
  • Specialized in helping founders achieve product-market fit with fiscal responsibility and efficiency across enterprise sales, B2B SaaS, generative AI, and two-sided marketplaces.
  • Worked across sectors including ad-tech, med-tech, mar-tech, fin-tech, marine-tech, crypto, content marketing, and retail food to identify root causes of growth challenges.

• Snack Revolution, LLC

  Owner-Operator

  Jan 2023 - Dec 2025

  Snack Revolution, LLC is a company.

  • Acquired a micro-market retail business serving enterprise healthcare offices for $130K.
  • Grew annual revenue 75% ($40K to $70K) over two years and sold in 2025 for $200K (~54% ROIC).

• Startup Compass Consulting

  AI Strategy & GTM Consultant

  Sep 2022 - Aug 2024

  Startup Compass Consulting is a company.

  • Advised VC-backed startups and health systems on generative AI business models, enterprise B2B sales strategies, and GTM optimization.
  • Provided high-level AI strategy consulting, including product-market fit assessment, regulatory navigation guidance (building on prior FDA successes), and commercial roadmap development for early- to mid-stage companies.
  • Guided cross-vertical teams in building scalable partner ecosystems and enterprise sales motions.
  • Delivered revenue modeling, trigger-based hiring recommendations, and strategic enablement programs that enhanced ARR growth and long-term customer success.
  • Specialized in bridging consumer-facing AI innovations to enterprise adoption, advising on high-value partnerships and channel development.
  • Maintained an active advisory role while transitioning to full-time executive leadership.
  • Created a proprietary GTM analysis framework to evaluate repeatable sales progress against staffing/hiring plans.
• 

  Emergent Connect

  Head of Growth

  Jul 2020 - Aug 2022

  Founded in 2011, Emergent Connect provides 100% cloud-based software solutions for the Healthcare Industry. We specialize in Radiology solutions that are designed and built to support a small, single urgent care business through a large regional hospital chain.

  • Elevated the brand within the medical imaging industry through enterprise sales, AI solutions, branding, partnerships, and social media presence.
  • Led the generative AI strategy and execution collaborating extensively with product, engineering, FDA, and regulatory consultancy firm.
  • Closed a multi-million-dollar contract with Advent Health that vaulted the company into the highest tier of enterprise sales in medical imaging and SaaS.
  • Drove the full integration and enterprise partnership of a cloud-based medical imaging software system onto the AWS Marketplace, a first of its kind on Amazon's platform.

• Zebra Medical Vision

  Chief Commercial Officer

  Jul 2017 - Jul 2020

  Zebra Medical Vision is a company.

  • Drove revenue and partnerships that attracted $30MM in funding and propelled the company to a $200MM exit to Nanox Imaging.
  • Led global business development, sales, and customer success teams which pioneered the use of AI in the medical imaging sector.
  • Established commercial presence in 5 countries and signed multi-year partnerships with leading health systems to deploy AI solutions in clinical settings.
  • Executed commercial contracts and nurtured relationships to advance AI solutions from test to production in population health, specifically bone health and cardiovascular disciplines.
  • Signed partnership agreements with NVIDIA, Google, Philips, Carestream, CHANGE Healthcare, Fujifilm, and Intelerad to create sales channels.
  • Led cross-team collaboration and client coordination to obtain 6 FDA approvals and other international marks.
  • Pioneered legacy PACS as distribution partners, generating 8-figure revenue through AI integration.

• Phrasetech

  Chief Commercial Officer

  Jun 2016 - Jun 2017

  Phrasetech is a company.

  • Founding executive; launched North American operations for an NLP-driven content-generation startup, closing clients including Home Depot, eBay, and Site One.
  • Served as the senior US commercial bridge to the Tel Aviv headquarters.
• 

  Outbrain

  Executive Vice President - Head of Global Business

  Jan 2013 - May 2016

  Outbrain develops the recommendation technology that makes the act of exploring and discovering new things on the open web possible.

  • Joined as employee #1 in the New York office and built the commercial organization from inception into a global team of 200+ FTEs.
  • Pioneered content marketing sales to advertising agencies and publishers in New York, creating and dominating a new media category.
  • Scaled revenue from pre-revenue to $125MM ARR (with $250MM run rate) while balancing both sides of the two-sided marketplace.
  • Achieved 80% U.S. household reach by closing high-impact deals that captured 70% of premium U.S. publishers and top advertisers.
  • Held full global P&L responsibility and led international expansion, opening 17 offices worldwide.
  • Drove strategic funding and M&A initiatives securing $150MM+ in capital and overseeing acquisitions including Visual Revenue.
  • Laid the commercial and international foundation that positioned Outbrain for its NASDAQ IPO in 2021.
• 

  Outbrain

  SVP & GM, Americas

  Jun 2012 - Jan 2013

  • Assumed full P&L responsibility for the Americas region, driving revenue scaling to a $5MM monthly run rate.
  • Led international expansion in the region, opening the Brazil office and extending best practices into Europe including the UK office.
  • Signed the company's keystone account and negotiated structured multi-year seven-figure commitments.
  • Collaborated with product and R&D on agile development and market-driven customizations to meet enterprise demands.
  • Founded and led "Active Listening" workshops across the organization to unlock deeper client insights and value creation.
• 

  Outbrain

  Vice President of Business Development

  Jul 2007 - May 2012

  • Shaped early product MVPs into strong product-market fit collaborating with CEO, CTO, VP R&D, and product leads.
  • Led national business development expansion, securing premiere publishers and driving distribution from zero to 1 billion monthly page views.
  • Pioneered content marketing sales as one of the first dedicated salespeople in the category and founded the brand and agency sales teams.
  • Grew revenue from test budgets to a $2MM monthly run rate through high-impact deals with premium publishers and advertisers.
• 

  Time Inc.

  Sales Representative

  Jun 2004 - Jul 2007

  On February 1, 2018, Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP; meredith.com) acquired Time Inc. We now reach 200 million consumers who come to us for today’s biggest stories and innovative experiences from the most trusted, iconic brands.

  • Sold print and digital media solutions to endemic and non-endemic clients across the West Coast and Southeast for Yachting, Motor Boating, and Salt Water Sportsman magazines.
  • Consistently ranked as a top sales leader in both endemic and non-endemic categories, closing high-value deals.
  • Signed Yachting's largest advertiser and broke into several new non-endemic categories using creative sales approaches with agencies and analytics.
  • Became the first Time Inc. employee globally to attend the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) trade event.
• 

  ITA - Italian Trade Agency

  Consultant/Partner

  Jan 2001 - May 2004

  ITA - Italian Trade Agency promotes Made in Italy throughout the world, supporting the growth of Italian companies and contributing to the attraction of foreign investments in Italy.

  • Developed and executed comprehensive digital/online strategy plans for the Italian Government's trade promotion arm targeting jewelry, marble, bicycles, and motorcycles.
  • Conducted on-site assessments across leading Italian companies, drafting site specifications, technical requirements, and code standards for custom B2B portals.
  • Managed end-to-end development and launch of multiple sector-specific websites, including the jewelry portal "Jewels of Italy."
  • Bridged international trade gaps through innovative online platforms that promoted "Made in Italy" excellence and enhanced visibility and lead generation.
• 

  Reuters

  Sales Director

  Jan 1996 - Jan 2000

  Find latest news from every corner of the globe at Reuters.com, your online source for breaking international news coverage.

  • Managed expanded Mid-West and Western territories post-acquisition, overseeing sales, account management, and technical account management for Reuters' media and advertising solutions.
  • Led post-acquisition integration efforts across product, data systems, and staffing following Reuters' $20MM acquisition of AdValue Media Technologies.
  • Drove revenue and client relationships in key markets, supporting Reuters' expansion in digital and advertising information services.
  • Applied consultative sales expertise to navigate complex client needs in media buying and transaction platforms.

• AdValue Media Technologies (acquired by Reuters)

  Western Regional Manager

  Jan 1994 - Jan 1996

  AdValue Media Technologies (acquired by Reuters) is a company.

  • Opened and established the Los Angeles office from the ground up, transforming the Western territory into the company's leading revenue-generating region.
  • Led sales, account management, and technical account management teams in the region, driving consistent growth and client satisfaction.
  • Instituted company-wide processes for product development and national account management, creating scalable frameworks.
  • Signed the company's keystone account, a pivotal deal that shaped AdValue's business model and accelerated acquisition by Reuters.

• AdValue Media Technologies, Inc.

  Customer Service Representative

  Jan 1993 - Jan 1994

  AdValue Media Technologies, Inc. is a company.

  • Provided frontline customer service and troubleshooting for AdValue's innovative media transaction platform connecting TV stations with ad agencies.
  • Executed on-site technical installations and configurations of network and workstation systems at client locations.
  • Trained media buyers, sales managers, and sales reps at agencies, TV stations, and rep firms to maximize platform adoption.
  • Created the company's first comprehensive training guides for IT departments and end users, improving onboarding and reducing support tickets.

• Ammirati Puris Lintas

  Assistant Media Buyer

  Jan 1992 - Jan 1993

  Ammirati Puris Lintas is a full-service advertising agency.

  • Supported spot broadcast media buying in the New York office across major U.S. markets including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.
  • Handled high-profile client accounts including BMW, UPS, and Four Seasons Hotels with accurate scheduling and budget adherence.
  • Gained foundational experience in media planning, negotiation, and client coordination during the early 1990s broadcast era.
  • Built early expertise in market-specific buying strategies and client service, setting the stage for later sales leadership roles.