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.
Services
AI-Powered Operational Excellence
Strategic Operations & AI Implementation Services
I help mission-driven organizations harness the power of AI and operational excellence to scale without losing their soul.My focus is on building systems that align with your values while driving sustainable growth.
When you work with me, you get a partner who understands both the technical aspects of AI implementation and the human elements of organizational transformation.I don't just build frameworks—I create operational cultures that thrive.
How I Can Help Your Organization
1. Strategic AI Implementation
I help organizations leverage artificial intelligence to transform their operations while staying aligned with their mission and values.Organizations often struggle with AI implementation because they focus solely on the technology without considering the operational and cultural changes needed to support it. My approach bridges this gap.What this looks like:
Understanding your organization's unique needs and challenges
Identifying the right AI tools and approaches for your specific context
Designing workflows that integrate AI in ways that enhance human work
Building team capabilities to work effectively with new technologies
Creating measurement frameworks that track meaningful impact
The Outcome: Your organization doesn't just adopt AI—it integrates it in ways that strengthen your mission, empower your team, and create sustainable growth.
2. Operational Systems Design
I build cohesive operational frameworks that enable mission-driven organizations to scale efficiently without losing their purpose.Many organizations experience growing pains as they scale, with fragmented operations, unclear roles, and misaligned teams. My systems design work creates operational clarity and alignment.What this looks like:
Holistic assessment of your current operational landscape
Collaborative workshops to align on vision and principles
Custom frameworks that define roles, processes, and communication flows
Team development to build capabilities and shared understanding
Implementation support to ensure successful adoption
The Outcome: Your organization operates with a unified vision, clear roles, and efficient processes that enable you to focus on impact rather than internal friction.
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
How We'll Work Together
1. Discovery & Understanding
I start by deeply understanding your organization—its mission, challenges, aspirations, and current operational state. This phase typically involves stakeholder interviews, process mapping, and operational assessment.
2. Collaborative Design
Next, we work together to design solutions that fit your unique context. Through workshops and collaborative sessions, we develop shared principles, identify key metrics, and design frameworks that work for your specific needs.
3. Implementation & Enablement
I don't just deliver recommendations—I support implementation. This includes developing documentation, training teams, setting up measurement systems, and providing hands-on guidance through the transition.
4. Refinement & Sustainability
Finally, we refine the approach based on real-world feedback and ensure the changes stick. I help build internal capabilities so your team can continue evolving the systems long after our engagement ends.
Engagement Options
I offer flexible ways to work together based on your organization's needs:
Discovery Assessment
A 2-3 week intensive process to understand your current operations and develop strategic recommendations.
Implementation Support
Ongoing support (typically 3-6 months) to guide your organization through operational transformation.
Framework Development
A 1-2 month engagement to create custom operational frameworks and implementation plans.
Strategic Advisory
Regular sessions to provide guidance and perspective as you navigate operational challenges.
About Me
My approach has been shaped by over a decade of building operational systems at the intersection of technology, community, and impact, with a more recent focus on AI implementation and transformation.
As Co-Founder and COO at Astral, a venture-backed tech startup, I led our transformation into an AI-first organization, implementing cutting-edge technologies while maintaining our focus on user needs and community values. I created systems that leverage AI to enhance our products without sacrificing the human element that makes our community special.At NEW INC, the New Museum's cultural incubator, I guided our 500+ member ecosystem through digital transformation, creating systems that used emerging technologies to enhance rather than replace human connection during Covid-19.During my 6+ years at Kickstarter, I developed scalable frameworks for community operations that were early examples of using data and automation to deliver personalized experiences at scale—principles that are now fundamental to AI-enhanced operations.Throughout my career, I've developed expertise in how to implement technology in ways that strengthen human capabilities and organizational values rather than undermining them.
Let's Connect!
I'm passionate about helping mission-driven organizations operate more effectively while staying true to their values. If you're facing operational challenges as you scale, or looking to implement AI in ways that enhance your mission, I'd love to explore how we might work together.