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Chris Andronaco
CEO at Sublynk.com
Chris Andronaco is the Founder and CEO of Sublynk, a vertical SaaS company aimed at creating growth opportunities for trade professionals in the restoration industry. He has over 13 years of experience in technology and leadership roles, specializing in transforming technology strategies into competitive advantages.
Professional Background
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Founder, CEO at Sublynk (2023 - Present): Chris established Sublynk to support trade professionals in the restoration sector.
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Director of Information Technology, Engineering & Product at Otter Products (June 2021 - August 2023): He led enterprise-wide technology transformation efforts and modernized legacy technologies.
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Group Director, Technology at The Integer Group (2019 - June 2021): Chris oversaw technology operations and engineering, focusing on product roadmapping and internal platform engineering.
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Technology Director at Toyota Racing Development (2012 - 2018): He was instrumental in building a Platform as a Service (PaaS) and led technology functions that contributed to Toyota's success in NASCAR.
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Systems Engineer at Sidepath (2010 - 2012): He played a key role in delivering engineering and technical project management solutions.
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Police Officer at Muscatine Police Department (2005 - 2009): Early in his career, Chris served as a police officer before transitioning to technology roles.
Education
Chris holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor's degree from Ashford University.
His extensive background in technology and leadership reflects a commitment to innovation and strategic growth in various industries.1
Highlights
The last 8 months have been a whirlwind for us and our pre-seed company Sublynk. In that time my co-founder Jesse McClure and I have:
- Secured more than $600k in ACV, including an enterprise customer
- Raised more than $1.4MM almost entirely from within our vertical, and no VC
- Built strategic partnerships with incredible ROI
- Built a beta and now a version 1 product
- Hired our first employees
- Voluntarily returned to the office together, at least hybrid
- Become experts in our customers' business operations and pain points All while maintaining stealth mode, that we will continue for at least another quarter. We are bullish about what we are doing and the market we are doing it in, bolstered by our initial successes without spending a dollar on marketing. Heck, we haven't updated our website and continue to break many of the traditional "rules" out there, at least for now.
A long way to go and a huge mountain left to climb, but this initial chapter has already been one of, it not the, most rewarding periods of my career.
I recently helped a customer business run a hiring process for a key technology leadership role that was completed end to end in 3 weeks. How did we move so fast? Out of 10 wonderfully qualified and well-referenced candidates 50% self-selected out of the process after our first conversation. Why? We didn't waste each other's time. Instead of a typical first interview, our first conversation was a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities the role and the company had. The candidate was treated like they were a member of the team, getting a transparent view of the position and organization that would normally take them months to figure out as a new leader.
Half opted out because they were not a great fit for the role, or because they were not interested in the specific challenges they would face. What a time savings for everyone involved! We also had transparency in the compensation, selection process, and everyone involved internally prioritized the interviews. We completed "rounds" within days of each other. After a career of hiring, being hired, and watching the average hiring process from internal and external perspectives, leading this process was a balm to the soul. Candidates deserve speed, focus, and honesty. After all they are giving up their valuable time and effort to apply and go through your process.
In fact, most of them are considering life altering decisions about joining your company. It can be agonizing for them, made all the worse if it takes a long time or the position has unexpected challenges, only to arrive at a conclusion that could have been figured out in your first conversation. If you don't have the ability to be transparent and prioritize the role, you are probably wasting the time and effort of everyone involved.
