Hello
Stephanie Pereira
I'm a strategic operator who helps visionary companies scale without losing their soul. I specialize in translating between product, community, and business objectives to help purpose-driven organizations grow sustainably.
My experience spans building transformative programs across AI, Web3, and creative technology — from managing Rally's $12M ecosystem fund to leading creator engagement programs during Kickstarter's rapid growth from thousands to over 100K creators.Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford d.School, and Christie's Art+Tech Summit have invited me to share insights on scaling creative communities, while the National Endowment for the Arts commissioned my expertise for their Art & Technology Field Scan.Whether you're experiencing growing pains or preparing for your next expansion, I build the systems and strategies that turn bold visions into operational reality, finding the sweet spot between automation and authenticity.
"Stephanie's extensive experience provides insights into startup growth, product and community building, and organizational alignment that short-cut learning time. Her work with us resulted in strategic decisions on staffing, experiments, and focus that have been critical to navigating a shifting environment effectively and efficiently."— CEO, Social Impact Platform
Here's how I solve 3 critical business problems that growing companies face:
01
I bring alignment to cross-functional chaos. When teams are working in silos and the organization is struggling with communication breakdowns, I build the systems and processes that get everyone moving in the same direction. At Kickstarter, I transformed how our product, marketing, and support teams collaborated, creating frameworks that scaled with our growth from tens to hundreds of thousands of users.
02
I turn customer friction into growth opportunities. I'm obsessive about understanding user experience and translating insights into actionable improvements. At Astral, I implemented feedback loops that directly connected customer pain points to product development, resulting in higher retention and word-of-mouth growth.
03
I transform operational debt into scalable infrastructure. I excel at identifying the bottlenecks preventing scale and building the right mix of processes, tools, and team structures to break through them. When Rally needed to shift from early adopters to mainstream users, I rebuilt our onboarding and support systems to handle 10x the volume without adding headcount.
Testimonials
"Stephanie brings a rare combination of strategic insight and genuine empathy to leadership.During our time at Rally, I watched her consistently identify the heart of complex challenges while building coalitions to solve them. She has an exceptional talent for developing trust across all levels - fostering an environment where teammates feel safe to innovate, customers feel heard, and leadership receives clear insights for action.Her ability to navigate multiple contexts while maintaining focus on both business growth and team development makes her an invaluable partner in any organization's evolution."— Bremner Morris, CEO, Rally
"As a leader, Stephanie stands out for her exceptional capacity-building skills.She not only identifies and nurtures individual talents but also creates an environment where everyone can thrive, contributing to a culture of continuous growth."— Beth Viner, Managing Director and Partner X.Ventures (BCG DV), former GM/COO Kickstarter
“Stephanie's leadership style is a perfect blend of strategic acumen and a people-centric approach. She navigates challenges with grace, utilizing her strategic thinking to guide a team while fostering a collaborative atmosphere that breeds success.”— Karen Wong, Co-Founder NEW INC and Onassis ONX Studio; Chief Brand Officer, New Museum
"Stephanie is an incredible partner for the product and engineering disciplines.When I worked closely with her at Rally, I was incredibly impressed by her technical expertise and willingness to understand the nuances of the product. This creates a powerful flywheel - her eagerness to be a partner on the product makes her a more effective customer advocate which increases trust in the community and improves the quality of feedback and engagement coming back to the technical teams.In short, she rocks. I can't wait for our paths to cross again."— Chris Fortier, VP Product, Rally
"I had the opportunity to work with Stephanie while she was VP of Creator Success at Rally, where I was an advisor and also a partner.I continuously found her leadership to be steady and even handed, even when situations became complex. When she came aboard, she immediately organized one-on-one calls with top customers, successfully building trusting personal relationships with each. She was able to take customer feedback and effectively translate it into various programs and product features. It was a pleasure to work with Stephanie."— Jeremiah Owyang, General Partner, AI Fund, Blitzscaling Ventures
Case Study
Social Impact Platform:Creating Exceptional Customer Experiences
Client Overview
My client is a high-growth tech platform in the social impact space that connects donors with charitable causes. With tens of thousands of users and over $30M in facilitated donations, the platform serves multiple customer segments: individual donors, community organizers, nonprofit organizations, and corporate partners.
Challenge
Despite strong mission alignment and product-market fit, the organization faced operational challenges common to early stage companies that were hindering growth:
Fragmented customer operations across community management, marketing, support, and success functions
Predominantly reactive approach to customer engagement and problem-solving
Inconsistent service experience across different customer segments
Limited capacity for expanding strategic partnerships while maintaining quality service
Unclear role boundaries between support and community functions
Leadership distraction with CEO spending too much time on escalated customer issues
The leadership team recognized the impact of these these operational disconnects and needed a strategic framework to align their customer experience efforts.
Solution
Our engagement followed a structured, collaborative approach:
Discovery Phase
Conducted in-depth interviews with key stakeholders to understand current workflows, pain points, and aspirations
Mapped existing customer journeys across different segments
Identified "momentum slowers" and "momentum boosters" within current operations
Analyzed team structure and role definitions to identify gaps and opportunities
Alignment Workshop
Facilitated a cross-functional workshop inspired by world-class customer experience principles
Guided the team to define what "exceptional customer experience" means in their context
Collaborated to establish a compelling unified vision statement for customer experience
Developed a "Four Keys" framework customized to their mission and culture
Framework Development
I delivered a comprehensive "Unified Customer Operations Framework" that included:
Shared mission statement to align all customer-facing functions
Clear role accountabilities for each team member
Key metrics that matter for each function
Streamlined processes for handoffs between teams
Weekly meeting structure to maintain alignment
Immediate opportunities for cross-team collaboration
Results
The new framework transformed the organization's approach to customer experience:
Unified vision: The team rallied around a clear, shared understanding of exceptional customer experience
Role clarity: Redefined responsibilities between support and community teams
Proactive engagement: Shifted from reactive support to proactive community enablement
Operational efficiency: Created processes that allowed the team to focus on high-impact activities
Strategic growth: Developed capacity to support expansion in corporate partnerships
Team empowerment: Staff reported greater clarity, purpose, and cross-functional collaboration
Leadership focus: CEO freed from routine escalations to focus on strategic initiatives
Key Framework Elements
The "Four Keys" framework we developed has become the organization's north star for customer operations:
Community First
Every user feels welcomed and empowered
Everyone receives personalized attention
Build genuine connections and belonging
Foster active participation and advocacy
Empowered Leadership
Support community leaders proactively
Provide comprehensive resources and tools
Build confidence through education
Create sustainable growth paths
Impact Focus
Make meaningful differences for beneficiaries
Create clear paths for success
Show tangible results and outcomes
Enable effective collective action
Service Excellence
Deliver responsive, personalized support
Pay attention to details that matter
Turn challenges into opportunities
Maintain consistent communication
Client Testimonial
"Stephanie quickly and deeply understands a situation through interviews and research to reveal key insights and make customized recommendations. Her extensive experience provides insights into startup growth, product and community building, and organizational alignment that short-cut learning time. Her work has resulted in strategic decisions on staffing, experiments, and focus that have been critical to navigating a shifting environment effectively and efficiently."— CEO, Social Impact Platform
About My Approach
This case study of a customer experience transformation process follows a proven methodology:
Discovery: Deep understanding of your current state, challenges, and aspirations
Alignment: Cross-functional workshops to create shared vision and principles
Framework Development: Custom operational frameworks that reflect your unique needs
Implementation Support: Guidance to turn concepts into daily practices
Whether you're scaling a community platform, expanding enterprise services, or aligning disconnected customer operations, we can help you create exceptional experiences that turn customers into advocates.