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Julie Locke
Leadership Advisory Coaching and Assessment (Venture Partners, Founders & C-Suite)
Julie Locke is a partner at RHR International with two decades of experience partnering with leaders in high-performance environments. She advises and coaches venture and private equity partners, board members, CEOs, and C-suite executives in their portfolio companies. Her clients often appreciate her multicultural experience and thought partnership as their organizations bridge markets and international funding.1
Julie is passionate about working with clients committed to integrity, transparency, and accountability. She has a deep understanding of complex business strategies and operating models. Her expertise spans multiple industries and technologies, including enterprise, vertical SaaS, consumer technology, and biotech.1
Julie's educational background is extensive. She holds a master's degree in psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies, a master's degree and PhD ABD in international relations from the University of South Carolina, and a bachelor's degree in political science from Furman University, where she was awarded Phi Beta Kappa. She has completed advanced training in treating trauma from Somatic Experiencing International, holds an advanced certification in personal and executive coaching from the College of Executive Coaching, and is certified in several Level B psychometric assessments.1
Originally from Ireland, Julie has worked in both the EU and the U.S. and considers herself a global citizen. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two children on the soccer field or traveling to other continents. Throughout her adult life, Julie has been an active advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and climate justice.1
According to professional recommendations, Julie is highly regarded as an executive recruiter, known for her ability to quickly calibrate throughout the search process and create effective solutions.2
Highlights
Let's be clear - it's not "faking it". It's fraud. Innovation requires a certain leap of faith. For founders and investors, it requires operating in a space of uncertainty for extended periods of time. But from it, paths become clearer, products take shape, customer bases evolve, revolutionary companies are built, and investments yield returns. Sometimes with lightness we might say it's "faking it until you make it". But what we are referring to in that case is leaning into faith in oneself and one's team and the incredible amount of due diligence and work it takes to get there. I am not a huge fan of the word “faking” to be honest. It’s not precise enough for me. It’s more, or less, conscious, and the actions and outcomes vary from innocuous to fatal. But there is another "faking it" cropping up in conversation these days, that from a distance appears to cast a long shadow in the venture community that I call my professional home. Let’s be clear though. It is not based on a measure of doubt in oneself, or one’s team, company, or investment. It’s not based on leaning into the space of "not knowing" where innovation lies. What we are referring to goes well beyond “faking it”. So, let’s call it what it is. It is outright lying and conscious, calculated, deception and FRAUD. While it is true that certain economic conditions of late have created environments more conducive for fraud. At the end of the day, people commit fraud, and not all people…some people with certain traits. In psychology we refer to them as the “Machiavellians”. It surprises some to know we have the tools to identify these traits. Increasingly here at RHR International, we are partnering with investors and founders in due diligence to identify the “tell-tale signs” of fraud, deepen analysis in human capital risk and create robust assessment protocols. The few engaging in this behavior won't castigate all. That shadow is much shorter than it might at first appear.
#investment #venturecapital #founders #venture #privateequity #technology #leadershipdevelopment #humancapital #assessment #ceos #organizationaldevelopment #humanressources https://lnkd.in/gJrCMZxB
It's hard to believe that this is the 3rd time in 20 years of working in technology that I have seen a market that looks like this - instability, inflation, and increased costs associated with debt. These are times of uncertainty, and they are times of transition. They can lead to failure or equally so to phenomenal growth and innovation. Recently I have been thinking about what I learned about great leadership during the last 2 (dare I say) "recessions". Sharing some thoughts below. 1. The strongest leaders know that uncertainty makes people nervous. Especially as downsizing occurs, they anticipate the need to double down on the team they have in place. It may seem counter-intuitive, but these are the times to invest heavily in development, belonging and engagement. It is far more cost effective to invest in the great individuals you already have than to risk churn and recruit in a down market. 2. They know the importance of driving to outcomes and attaching metrics to success. Even when the objective shifts from growth to profitability, they understand how critical it is to never lose sight of results. 3. They keep their cash and debt front and center. They know what their runway looks like. They manage their burn rate exceptionally well and even in a downturn they invest in value creation. 4. They over communicate about everything - the vision, the strategy, the roadmap, the timelines and especially the values and culture. They inspire people to stay in the boat rowing with them, because they create a sense of safety. Their organizations and teams know where the edges of the boat are, where the boat is going and what to expect of troubling waters that lie ahead. 5. They are especially resilient, not in an armored, brittle sort of way, but instead fluidly working with change, allowing for expansion and contraction as 2 sides of the same coin.
The thing is that while many can recognize the need and desirability of the above (broadly speaking, the WHAT), despite great effort, not all leaders and teams can achieve them. It is the art and science of leadership - the interplay and the dynamic between WHO the leader is at his / her / their core and HOW they accomplish these WHATs that is key to actually achieving them. Great companies are built by leaders who are courageous enough to look deeply at WHO they are. In that place of vulnerability is the seed for the greatest innovation and accomplishment. With 2022 almost in the rear-view mirror and 2023 straight ahead, what are you thinking about? DM me if you are ready to do a deeper dive on individual, team, company and portfolio strengths, gaps, and growth / profitability paths forward. At RHR International we are shaping leaders who shape the world. #founders #leadershipdevelopment #venture #technology #executivecoaching #organizationaleffectiveness #hypergrowth #privateequity #changemanagement #womeninleadership #diversityequityandinclusion #growthmindset #venturecapital
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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:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
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.