Peter Cohan

Peter Cohan is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the software and technology industry. He is currently serving as an Advisor at Alchemist Accelerator, a role he has held since June 2018.1 In this capacity, he provides mentoring and coaching to early-stage startups in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Career Highlights

Founder and Principal: Peter is the founder and principal of The Second Derivative - Great Demo!, a position he has held since May 2003.1 In this role, he and his partners worldwide offer workshops, webinars, seminars, training, and coaching on discovery and demonstration skills for software organizations.

Board Member and Advisor: Cohan has been serving as a Director on the Board of Directors for Collaborative Drug Discovery - CDD VAULT since March 2006.1 He provides sales and marketing guidance to the team at CDD.

Previous Roles:

• Vice President and President of Discovery Tools at Symyx Technologies, Inc. (1998-2003)
• Vice President of Marketing and Customer Marketing at MDL Information Systems (1985-1998)
• Senior Chemist at Calbiochem (1979-1985)

Expertise and Methodologies

Peter Cohan is known for developing two key methodologies:

1. Great Demo!
2. Doing Discovery

These methodologies focus on improving discovery and demonstration skills for software organizations.1

Educational Background

• BA in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Computer Science from UC San Diego (1974-1978)
• Attended Palo Alto High School (1971-1974)

Peter Cohan's career trajectory shows a fascinating evolution from a chemist to a renowned figure in software sales and marketing, with a particular focus on helping companies improve their demonstration and discovery processes.12