A V Raghavendra Rao

Rippling – Bengaluru, India

Senior IT Account Executive – IT SMB (Promoted: Feb 2025)
Founding Account Executive – IT SMB (Feb 2024)

Key Highlights:

• Founding member of Rippling’s IT SMB business in India, responsible for building the function from scratch (zero-to-one), including GTM strategy, ICP definition, sales motion design, and early customer acquisition.
• Built and scaled the IT SMB segment into a ~$300K MRR business, establishing Rippling as a credible, global IT platform for SMBs through a mix of outbound and inbound motions.
• Owner of the IT SMB campaign, driving early traction across pipeline creation, deal closures, and repeatable sales processes in one of Rippling’s most complex and competitive verticals.
• Recognized internally as a subject-matter expert for Rippling IT; consistently navigated deep technical discovery, security reviews, and multi-stakeholder buying committees.
• Led full-cycle sales motions across SMB accounts, including discovery, technical validation, security discussions, pricing, negotiation, and close.
• Sold and evangelized the complete Rippling IT stack:
  Identity Provider (IdP / SSO): Access management, lifecycle automation, and compliance
  MDM: Endpoint security and device lifecycle management
  Inventory Management: Hardware provisioning, tracking, and recovery
  Endpoint Security (SentinelOne): Advanced threat protection and EDR integrations
  API Access & Integrations: Custom workflows and ecosystem integrations for IT and Security teams
• Partnered closely with Product, Engineering, and Leadership teams to deliver early-stage market feedback, influence roadmap priorities, and refine positioning for IT buyers.
• Played a critical role in establishing the IT SMB sales playbook, enabling onboarding of future hires and laying the foundation for scalable growth.

• Spearheaded the Outbound function for global Enterprise and SMB sales, focusing on key verticals including Food and Grocery Delivery, Travel and Logistics, Hospitality, and Publishing.
• Successfully closed deals with prominent Enterprise clients, such as Tata Digital (Tata Neu) and Metro Brands.
• Led the 'Closed Dropped Opportunities' campaign for the US and EU regions, contributing to improved sales performance.
• Achieved recognition as the 'Rookie Sales Rockstar' for outstanding contributions within the first quarter at ImageKit.
• Represented ImageKit at Shop Talk 2023 in Las Vegas, generating a pipeline of 300K USD within a remarkable 4-day period.
• Responsible for achieving the highest Outbound (OB) pipeline in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 across Publishing, Food and Grocery Delivery, Travel and Logistics, and Hospitality industries.
• Introduced and optimized sales processes for internal lead routing and management.
• Collaborated with Marketing teams to conceptualize and execute various social media campaigns and plan successful events in India.

• Successfully closed Total Contract Value deals exceeding $1.3 million USD with esteemed companies such as CHUBB Insurance, COX Enterprises, Shaw Industries, and Evoqua Water Technologies.
• Pioneered the 'Closed Dropped Opp' strategy for the US region, effectively revitalizing opportunities from previous interactions and conversations.
• Orchestrated the Enterprise Sales strategy for the New York and New Jersey territory, overseeing 100 Named Accounts and ensuring strategic growth.
• Led purely Outbound functions, devising comprehensive marketing-related activities and outreach sequences tailored for demand generation.
• Specialized in industries including BFSI, Technology, and Manufacturing, adapting strategies to align with sector-specific needs.
• Successfully built and managed a robust sales pipeline, surpassing $3 million USD in 2020 and 2021.

• Spearheaded the Sales Development function for all Inbound requests from the Americas, demonstrating a keen ability to navigate diverse market landscapes.
• Achieved remarkable success by generating a robust pipeline, surpassing $3 million USD within a span of 6 months and exceeding targets by 250% in both Q3 and Q4 of 2019.
• Expertly managed a diverse portfolio of companies, ranging from SMBs to Large Enterprises, demonstrating versatility in adapting strategies to meet varying business needs.
• Solely established and cultivated the Inbound and Outbound Business Development functions for the Americas, showcasing leadership and mentorship skills to guide industry freshers.
• Represented Whatfix at Dreamforce in San Francisco in November 2019, actively contributing to the event's success by generating 130 qualified leads and enhancing brand visibility.

• Pioneered the establishment of the inaugural Outbound Business Development function at Whatfix for the Americas, contributing to the company's strategic expansion.
• Achieved substantial results by contributing to a pipeline exceeding $1.5 million USD through dedicated and purely Outbound efforts, with a primary focus on HCM, CRM, and ERP categories.

• Led the Business Development function for the Media & Entertainment vertical, establishing and nurturing relationships as the initial point of contact for nearly 600 SMBs and startups at Akamai.
• Orchestrated diverse marketing initiatives and campaigns, driving opportunities through active participation in media conferences and webinars across North America, Canada, and LatAm.
• Instrumental in generating and facilitating the closure of Akamai's largest Video Streaming customer as part of the Media Inside Sales Team.
• 2015: Achieved 70% of the annual target.
• 2016: Exceeded expectations with an outstanding 400% of the annual target.

• Managed relationships with 70 of the world's largest Retail, CPG, and Food Manufacturing companies, ensuring high-level account satisfaction and strategic partnership development.
• Spearheaded the qualification of opportunities with renowned entities such as WalMart, Walgreens, Time Warner, Colgate-Palmolive, Apple, Facebook, and Walt Disney, among others.
• Led a dedicated team overseeing the entire North American and South American operations for the vertical, generating a consistent stream of qualified opportunities.
• Prepared comprehensive business cases for Directors and VPs within large Retail and CPG enterprises, facilitating presentations to leadership for project approvals.

• Successfully expanded a 2-person team to a highly effective 10-member unit, establishing it as one of the top revenue-generating streams for FG Middle East.
• Set an industry benchmark by orchestrating the sale of numerous events, including 'The LatAm Rail Opportunities,' and independently generating substantial sponsorship revenue.
• Achieved a significant milestone by surpassing the 100K USD mark for the inaugural event in Brazil, showcasing excellence in event management and revenue generation.
• Demonstrated global reach by qualifying and closing opportunities from prospects on all 6 continents, contributing to the company's international success.