.png){kind=icon}
Richard Graves, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder at Sorcero, interviews Senior Director of Marketing, Elizabeth Venafro, for our Employee Spotlight Series.
Richard Graves (RG): I was hoping you'd tell us about your background and experience before joining Sorcero.
Elizabeth Venafro (EV): I spent about nine years at a medical device company, and I was with them from startup through IPO in the marketing function. I was their first marketing hire and built that function out as the company grew, especially leading up to the IPO. After that, I co-founded a social engagement platform with my CEO from that company and, after a couple years of working in the startup world, decided to join two AI software companies heading up marketing for them. I really enjoyed being in the tech space. Now, I'm head of marketing at Sorcero and what I'm loving about it is that it combines my background on both the medical side, as well as AI and tech. It just seems like it's the best of both worlds.
RG: I'm curious, after having that experience and background, what was it that attracted you to Sorcero?
EV: While I enjoy working for companies of all different sizes, because I had that experience from startup through growth through IPO, I got a feel for where I really fit in best and where I really can make the biggest impact and that's in the growth phase. I got super excited when I heard about Sorcero and how well the organization was doing, and it just seemed like a good fit from that perspective.
RG: Life science companies are often ranked on both their invention and innovation. Invention usually means when they're building a new product, like medical devices, and innovation often means how they're applying new technology like AI. What's it been like moving from taking a medical device startup marketing role and now working in advanced technologies -- what's that transition been like for you?
EV: That's really an interesting question because back when I was with the medical device organization it was more about invention, but I found that as the company matured and as the industry matured there was a transition in the space where it wasn't all about just invention anymore, but also innovation. They were applying some of the technologies that you see at tech companies to the medical device space. I personally enjoy being more on the innovation side, but I think it's important that I also have background on the invention side.
RG: You handle a tremendous number of things as the Senior Director of Marketing -- it's sometimes amazing watching the juggle. Tell us what your day-to-day looks like.
EV: Obviously, being at a high growth startup we wear many hats, so it is different than working at a public organization where you have a huge team and very defined roles and responsibilities, but that's what I thrive on. Like I said before, that's really the stage I like to come into an organization. Juggling all those things, while it can be difficult at times, it's the challenge that gets me excited. I have to say I am the type of person that wakes up every morning excited to go to work and that's certainly a great thing. One project I'm excited about right now is, because we are growing so fast, we are also growing our messaging and our positioning. I feel like I can have a real impact on structuring that and making sure it grows alongside us.
RG: Besides the day-to-day, what's the impact you're hoping Sorcero will have on people's lives?
EV: That's another thing that really attracted me to Sorcero, because it's not just about business, it's about the ultimate impact of what we do and that is improving patient lives. By augmenting the expertise of subject matter experts in life science organizations, they're going to relay that information to the health care providers to enable them to make better decisions and improve patient outcomes. In any job I pursue, I always try to find a greater purpose and, if it's not something I can get passionate about, then it's not an opportunity I take.
