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Jill Ratkevic
Founder @ Black Swans | Silicon Valley's Top Strategist | Leader of Open Source Software Movement
Jill Ratkevic is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in moving people and companies forward. With a keen eye for simplifying complexities, she serves as a trusted advisor to executives and excels in crisis management. Jill has a track record of building award-winning communications teams that consistently surpass expectations. She is recognized in the industry for her strategic counsel, leadership, and brand-building expertise.
As an 'angel' who shapes brands, Jill has played a pivotal role in scaling Y Combinator from Boston to California, working with over 200 companies in various sectors such as VCs, SaaS, Developer, Robotics, Space, and Silicon. Her background includes contributions to notable publications like ZDNet, LinuxDevices, and Forbes, showcasing her profound insights and thought leadership. Additionally, she has been instrumental in taking several tech giants from inception to success, including GitLab, Heroku (Salesforce), New Relic, Meteor, Cloudant (IBM), and pioneering the launch of early DevOps companies like CircleCI.
Throughout her career, Jill has held prominent communication roles at leading organizations such as Salesforce, MuleSoft (Salesforce), FACEBOOK's Wit.ai, LogLogic (TIBCO), Sun Microsystems, AMD, BEA (Oracle), Heavybit, Zencoder (Brightcove), LexisNexis, and more. Her expertise in cultivating brands and fostering innovation has earned her the reputation of being the 'startup whisperer' in Silicon Valley, guiding companies from securing funding to scaling operations effectively.
Jill Ratkevic's educational background includes studies in Business/Corporate Communications at Boston University and Rutgers University. She has also been actively involved in various organizations, having served on the Board of Directors at the Linux Professional Institute (LPI), founded Black Swans at Black Swans, and held key positions at renowned companies like LogLogic, Bite Communications, Ziff Davis, MontaVista Software, and Abbott.
For more information, you can reach out to Jill Ratkevic via Twitter (@blackswansmedia.com) or visit her website at www.blackswansmedia.com. Contact via email can be made to [email protected].
Highlights
Sunrise. Sunset?
A few years ago no one would go on record on the kickback schemes CIOs/CISOs had going for a decade+. The venerable security analyst Brian Krebs helped put an eye on the details amid growing investigation, tagging CTech by Calcalist's expose from Sophie Shulman and Meir Orbach.
The Calcalist כלכליסט's story (below) came on the heels of Cyberstarts own interview in Bloomberg from Marissa Newman in May where Cyberstarts founders bragged on $1.5 billion in acquisitions, touted their portfolio companies had raised $1.8 billion in past three months and boasted a 170% annual return on their first fund.
From the story: "Four Cyberstarts companies were bought since the beginning of 2023 for a combined $1.5 billion, including cloud security company Axis, which was bought by Hewlett Packard Enterprise last March and app security platform Bionic, acquired by Crowdstrike, Inc. last September." (via Bloomberg)
Looks like it's sunset on the 'Sunrise' program and other schemes as regulators investigating the names and firms engaging in some quid pro quo. To be fair, all funds talk with expert CIOs/CISOs but the link to the sale is no surprise where the trouble lies and it is unravelling. It is not just security either. Tip offs to these player? They launch their own ecosystem play, share customers, "farm" ecosystems by allowing startups to use their product "free" (if they have funding from someone they have on their target list), funded their seed round from their very own VC fund and then boast boast away.
I haven't worked one of the Ra'anan companies in a long time as VCs have been steering clear. When he was at Sequoia Capital I did a few companies they took us out, we ran up the sales logos and two were acquired. Ra'anan always had the good questions and challenged us (in a good way) back then. The quote below sums up why the security execs taking the money are the same ones we should not have securing our data.
"We have reached a situation where #CISOs who receive requests for consulting immediately ask what reward mechanism the fund provides," says a senior official in the Israeli cyber industry.
From where I sit knowing we were warned again TODAY on an Open Source maintainer and two security consultants who are not real and - not a shocker - state sponsored hackers. Expect lots of changes coming.
Our software supply chain is heinously broken and more of these stories are on the way.
(CC image rights 20017) #SBOM #security #OpenSource #vc
"Just as a heart surgeon should not be hired to perform brain surgery, the head of cybersecurity for the largest health care company in the world should not be someone’s first cybersecurity job." ( https://lnkd.in/gMRFt4Zu )
The SEC found the United Healthcare cyberattack could have been prevented had the company employed a skilled CISO and followed industry best practices and standards.
The rules for starting a security company and providing cybersecurity services to U.S. companies are clearer as the SEC is enforcing compliance in the face of a record number of cybersecurity attacks.
The "2023 Global CISO Survey" from Heidrick & Struggles lays bare the risk to CISOs, finding 38% of CISOs are not covered by their organizations' D&O insurance, and another 18% do not know whether they are covered. Additionally, 55% of respondents said they are not covered by a severance package."
Enforcement is up. Following last year's SolarWinds breach, the #SEC noted "stark inconsistencies between SolarWinds' public cybersecurity statements and its internal risk assessments, with [CISO] Brown at the center of these discrepancies. Evidence suggests that Brown was aware of these security weaknesses but did not take sufficient measures to rectify them. This led to a distorted portrayal of the company's cybersecurity stance to investors SolarWinds Corporation’s #CISO, underscore how seriously the SEC takes timely and accurate disclosure of cybersecurity incidents." This was the first time that the SEC has launched an enforcement action against an information security executive over their role in a company’s allegedly inadequate disclosures.
The pattern we have seen with the SEC dating back to the aughts has been more compliance and scrutiny. Back then CFOs were at the center of the firestorm as financial disclosures and breaches and held them personally liable. By 2022 the SEC tightened rules further and publicly traded companies had to establish policies to claw-back executive compensation.
The rule? Companies must include a 'look-back window' to encompass any incentive-based compensation awarded for 3 years before the restatement. Failure to do this means risking "criminal penalties, civil penalties and de-listing from the exchange on which they trade."
The SEC reported that they have increased accounting and auditing enforcement actions by 22% in 2023. The size of monetary fines declined 7% from the prior fiscal year and were 47% lower than the average of total monetary settlements in the prior 5 fiscal years. At the same time the SEC issued non-monetary sanctions against "50% of individual respondents who settled in FY 2023 including he percentage of initiated actions referring to an announced restatement and material weakness in internal control (31%) reached its highest level in recent years according to Cornerstone Research. (https://lnkd.in/gBWKZYUH )
Cybersecurity is finally at the top of the agenda - and with teeth.
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
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Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.