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Steven Popper
Partner & Head of Financial Officers Practice at SPMB
Professional Background
Steven Popper is a renowned executive search professional with an impressive 29 years of experience in retained search, establishing himself as a leader in the industry. Throughout his career, he has successfully managed over 350 executive search projects, earning excellent references and a stellar reputation for identifying and recruiting accomplished financial executives. Steven has specialized in working with private equity (PE) funded, venture capital (VC) backed, and public companies across a spectrum of progressive sectors including software, fintech, biotech, consumer tech, and renewables.
His functional focus includes crucial positions such as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis (VP FP&A), Investor Relations, and Chief Accounting Officer. Steven has consistently demonstrated that he is passionate about the recruitment of C-level executives, believing that the need for fresh and diverse CFO talent is more critical than ever. He understands that the right CFO can provide consistent guidance and act as a catalyst for growth, underscoring the importance of placing the right leaders in pivotal roles.
Education and Achievements
Steven's educational background is equally impressive, laying a strong foundation for his career in executive recruitment. He began his academic journey at the prestigious Bronx High School of Science, which is renowned for its rigorous curriculum and a high concentration of students who go on to achieve excellence in STEM fields. After high school, Steven furthered his scientific education by studying Field Biology, Mammalogy, and Botany at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado. This experience not only deepened his understanding of biological sciences but also honed his analytical and problem-solving skills.
He completed his higher education at the State University of New York at Albany, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors (BA) in Biology/Humanities. This diverse educational background has equipped Steven with a unique perspective and critical thinking skills that he applies to his work as a recruitment leader.
Client Experience
Steven's extensive client experience is a testament to his capabilities as an executive recruiter. He has collaborated with a diverse range of clients, from private equity and venture capital-backed companies to multi-billion-dollar public organizations. Some notable past and present clients include well-known names such as Anaplan, Jumio, Chime, GitLab, Affirm, Survey Monkey, NerdWallet, Illumio, Fortive, Smartsheet, Guardant Health, Cloudera, Impossible Foods, Rothy’s, Turo, Compass, and Bowery Farming. This wide array of clientele showcases Steven's versatility and adaptability in various sectors and industries.
Additionally, his solid relationships with private equity and venture capital firms such as Accel Partners, TA Associates, Great Hill, H&F, Andreessen Horowitz, Spectrum Equity, Warburg Pincus, Greylock, NEA, FTV Capital, OrbiMed, Goldman Sachs, General Catalyst, and IVP further highlight his comprehensive network and expertise in financial executive recruitment. His ability to connect high-performing candidates with the right companies has significantly contributed to the growth and stability of numerous firms across the nation.
Achievements at SPMB
As a partner and head of the Financial Officers Practice at SPMB Executive Search, Steven plays a vital role in guiding the firm to become the number one executive search firm serving the technology ecosystem. SPMB is recognized as one of the largest independent retained search firms in the country and was ranked #5 among “America’s Top 99 Retained Executive Search Firms” in 2022. Under his leadership, SPMB specializes in recruiting C-level executives and board members for disruptive, growth-oriented startups and Fortune 500 companies operating in technology, consumer, media, financial, health, and sustainability industries.
The firm is renowned for its ability to close hundreds of C-level searches annually, having successfully recruited key leadership roles that have generated over $1 trillion in market value through initial public offerings (IPOs) and mergers and acquisitions (M&As). With his deep industry knowledge combined with the personalized service characteristic of a boutique firm, Steven effectively connects top executive talent with the fastest-growing innovators, driving their success stories forward.
Overall, Steven Popper's extensive experience in retained executive search, client relationship management, and deep industry insights collectively position him as a leading expert in the financial executive recruiting sector. His proven track record, combined with his educational background and commitment to diversity in leadership, exemplify why he remains a trusted partner for top-tier organizations seeking to strengthen their executive teams.
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Clay 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.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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Clay 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.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay 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. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay 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 Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay 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, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay 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. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay 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.
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