MH

Maria Hess

Startups @ AWS | Venture Capital | 3x startups, ex-Google, Madrona Venture Group's studio | Startup Advisor

Greater Seattle Area

Invests in

Stages:

  • Min Investment:

    $100,000.00
  • Max Investment:

    $10,000,000.00
  • Target Investment:

    $1,000,000.00

Work Experience

  • Head of Platform

    2023

    With deep experience in early-stage company building and the startup ecosystem, we provide business and technical acumen, GTM playbooks, AWS and Amazon connectivity, and peer-centered communities to support leaders on their journey to building enduring companies.

  • Head of Startup Programs

    2022 - 2023

    I lead the team that builds AWS Startup Programs for venture-backed (and venture-scale) founders/CxOs.

2019 - 2022

  • Partner

    2019 - 2022

    I led the validation, customer discovery, zero-to-1 product traction, investment analysis/memo, and development of playbooks for early-stage startups, including product-market fit (PMF), product-led growth (PLG), and go-to-market (GTM). In partnership with founders, I build and invest in companies in areas such as AI/ML, future of work, low/no code, and process automation.

2017 - 2018

  • Vice President, Marketing

    2017 - 2018

    I joined Likewise in its early stages to drive the successful launch of this Bill Gates-funded startup, focused on delivering trusted entertainment, dining, and travel recommendations. As the leader the GTM team, I drove all aspects of earned, owned, and paid media including PR, positioning, app store optimization (ASO), social media, influencer outreach, email, and paid acquisition. Media/PR trained to participate in a live on-camera interview inside NYSE with Cheddar TV.

2012 - 2017

  • Chief Revenue Officer

    2012 - 2017

    (Acquired by Shutterstock) I joined PicMonkey, a design and photo-editing platform, as the Director of Monetization and earned a series of promotions, from Head of Growth and Marketing, and ultimately to Chief Revenue Officer. I led the team accountable for revenue growth, channel marketing and business development opportunities to drive revenue and customer acquisition. I also implemented a unique (at the time) form of ad revenue monetization--the original revenue source before subscriptions.

2010 - 2011

  • Product Management & Marketing

    2010 - 2011

    I delivered key insights to Google Photos and Google Plus products through the successful leadership of product management and marketing efforts. I also drove all monetization initiatives within SaaS subscription photo editor and Picnik.

  • Director, Monetization

    2009 - 2010

    Picnik, acquired by Google, was a photo-editing platform for consumers and SMBs. I designed and execute its ad monetization, creating a secondary source of revenue to subscriptions, prior to its acquisition.

2003 - 2008

  • Director, Strategy & Development

    2003 - 2008

    Director, Strategy & Product Development, Media Solutions, Jan 2005-2008 Senior Manager, Hotels, Destinations Services & Destination Management, 2004-2005 Account Executive, Hotels, Cruise, Destination Services, Tourism Boards, 2003-2004

1999 - 2003

  • Senior Product Manager

    1999 - 2003

    Senior Product Manager, Site Experience, Hardlines Businesses Senior Product Manager, Software & Video Games Category Manager, Multiple Categories, Marketplace Third-Party Merchants