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Stephen Wilcock
CTO, Bloom & Wild
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Talk Title
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Pivoting to profitability
Talk Abstract
A huge correction is underway in startups across the tech ecosystem. As interest rate increases bite, the cost of capital increases and valuation multiples correct, many startups are pivoting away from ‘growth at any cost’ to balance this with a drive to profitability sooner than planned by reducing cash burn, extending runways and improving unit economics.
In this talk, we will look at how to lead a technology team through this tricky cultural adjustment while continuing to build for scale. We will cover how to adjust organisational designs, manage employee engagement, retain talented engineers, prioritise platform investment and drive product development momentum while maintaining the confidence of the exec team and the board.
Bio
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Steve has been working in the London startup scene for over 20 years, either as CTO or VP of Engineering, across a mixture of B2B and B2C e-commerce companies.
His experience extends across early-stage startups, from pitching to investors to raise funding to leading engineering organisations through funding rounds, IPO and private equity buyouts.
Today Steve is the CTO at Bloom & Wild, Europe’s leading direct-to-consumer online florist. Before that, he ran engineering at Cazoo, which was the fastest-growing startup in the UK. Earlier in his career, Steve spent ten years at OpenBet, leading the engineering teams behind the platform that today powers most of the world’s biggest online sports betting sites.
