⭐️ About Ralph

I'm the VP of Revenue Growth at Kahua, an advisor, and an investor.

My career began in February 1994 as an account executive at UPS, where I learned Jim Casey's leadership philosophies from his four-part series, Our Partnership Legacy.

Casey championed the belief that no matter how well an organization performs, there is always room for improvement; that strong culture is built on mutual respect and partnership; that delivering quality service is essential; and that giving back to the community is vital to improving the lives of others.

Those formative years and lessons shaped the arc of my career, which now spans more than three decades - the first half as an individual contributor "carrying a bag," and the latter half building and leading sales, sales development, and revenue operations teams.

Kahua (2023 to present)

• Leading the newly formed Revenue Growth organization - a cross-functional team spanning Revenue Operations, Sales Development, Solutions Consulting, Market Awareness, and Employee Growth.

• Previously led Sales for two years, during which the company averaged 50% annual revenue growth and reached over 50% team quota attainment. Launched company-wide 'Prospecting Days,' generating more than 5x the annual revenue target in new, qualified pipeline.

Tray (2019-2023)

• Led the Global Sales Development team - doubling headcount, hiring the first UK-based SDRs, and transitioning from a 100% inbound model to a 60/40 inbound–outbound motion.

ServiceNow (2015-2019)

• Served as a third-line leader, where I scaled and led the Global Sales Development organization - including SDRs, Operations, and Enablement. Expanded the team from 75 to 230 and our footprint from 8 to 15 global offices.

• Increased quarterly pipeline production per rep from under $500K to over $1.3M. During my tenure, the company grew from under $1B to over $4B in revenue under Frank Slootman and John Donahoe.

Achievers (2013-2015)

• Led Field Operations and Sales Development, overseeing a ~30-person team across pipeline, compensation, enablement, BI, and solutions consulting. Scaled the SDR org in North America (San Francisco, Toronto) and the UK (London), growing headcount by 125% in under two years.

• Recognized by AA-ISP (American Association of Inside Sales Professionals, now called Emblaze) in 2014 and 2015 as one of the industry’s Most Influential Inside Sales Professionals. Supported the company through its acquisition by Blackhawk Network.

InsideView (2011-2013)

• Built and scaled the Sales Development function, establishing teams and processes in San Francisco and Austin. Grew headcount by 350% (from 4 to 18) over three years while consistently exceeding pipeline targets.

• Authored the company’s sales playbook and launched foundational onboarding and mentorship programs. Served as VP of the AA-ISP Silicon Valley Chapter, earning Chapter of the Year honors in 2011 and 2012.

The Barsi Group

My advisory work is complementary to my full-time role and centers on go-to-market strategy across the revenue organization, with a focus on pipeline generation, leadership development, and operational excellence.

I also provide mentorship and coaching, and participate in speaking engagements - including keynotes, panel discussions, podcasts, and webinars.

Companies that have benefited from my services include Marriott International, Snowflake, Liaison, Nudge Rewards, Milestone Systems, Uplift Family Services, and others.

Investing

In 2021, I became a limited partner of the GTMfund and began investing in early stage B2B SaaS companies. The fund is an exclusive network of revenue leaders who also consult and guide the next wave of SaaS leaders.

Besides this blog, you'll find my work…

• on LinkedIn: in/ralphbarsi
• on X: @rbarsi
• on YouTube
• on Medium
• on SlideShare

I also invest time as…

• a coach for Dream Team
• an advisor at Scale
• a former advisor to Aircover (2023-2024), Loopio (2019-2021), Hubilo (2021-2022), Emitwise (2021-2023), and TopHap (2022-2023)
• a former mentor at #GirlsClub and WISA (2016-2021)
• an investor at Latchkey Brewing and GTMfund
• the drummer for the rock band Segue

Roles and companies I've represented...

• VP, Global Sales Development at Tray.io (2019-2023)
• Sr. Director, Global Sales Development at ServiceNow (2015-2019)
• VP, Field Operations at Achievers (2013-2015)
• Manager, Sales Development at InsideView (2011-2013)
• Sales leader and account executive at several companies (1994-2011):
→ Elsevier
→ Compliance 360
→ Gaffey & Associates
→ Vertical Networks
→ Citysearch
→ UPS

And for education...

I'm a proud alumnus of Saint Mary's College of California (Moraga, California) and St. Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco, California).

I also completed a certification course on executive decision making at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business (Berkeley, California).

If you'd like to contact me...

The best way is to send a kind, concise email to ralph@ralphbarsi.com.