“Our rapidly evolving Presales team at Incorta is filled with top tier talent coming from a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences. The Presales charter is a simple one—We bring Life to the Incorta Value Prop—and our daily activities are centered around this mantra. We aren’t shy about how kickass our tech is, and we seize any opportunity to show it off to the world through platform demonstrations, architecture sessions, proof of concepts, and other activities with our future customers. The pace is fast, fun, and we occasionally “break things” (as expected) when working with leading-edge technology that disrupts the status quo.
When we engage in the Incorta Proof of Concept (POC) stage of the sales cycle, we have one of the highest win rates I’ve seen in the industry. This win rate is, without a doubt, the result of pairing truly disruptive technology with top tier Presales talent.
Patrick is the epitome of a modern technologist. When it comes to bridging the gap between technical and business audiences, there is no one better than Patrick Rafferty. Patrick can spend 10 minutes discussing the intricate philosophies behind Big Data technologies with your technical team and then flip on a dime to up-level the conversation to the executives to explain WHY the conversation matters to their business. This balance is precisely what builds trust and credibility in the sales cycle, and Patrick establishes it early and often. Patrick is not only a huge asset to the Sales organization, but is also a key voice for Incorta’s product roadmap and strategy.”
— John Pelz, Head of Presales
What do you do at Incorta?
I am the Director of Technical Sales at Incorta. With a company growing as fast as we are, that means wearing a lot of hats. In a given week, I might be hitting the conference circuit to talk to a room full of CFOs about how Incorta enables companies to make faster, more accurate decisions or building and demonstrating solutions that show the tremendous value that the Incorta platform brings to companies of all sizes, all the while managing a multi-phase technical evaluation and proof of value at a large investment bank. Essentially, my job and the job of my team is to turn Incorta skeptics into Incorta fanatics.
What did you do before Incorta?
Prior to joining Incorta, I ran the Big Data Analytics consulting practice for Alithya. I came to Alithya when they purchased Branchbird, the analytics consulting company I co-founded and bootstrapped back in 2012 and sold to them in 2015.
When did you start at Incorta?
I started at Incorta in August of 2017 after a two-year stint at Alithya. Though it’s barely been two years, the rapid growth we’ve experienced practically makes me an old hand (I prefer elder statesman) here!
Why did you join Incorta?
When I was responsible for my own company, I became deeply familiar with all kinds of companies and technology claiming to be the next big thing, many of which are no longer around. Over that time, the one technology that I found truly remarkable and that delivered true disruption was the Incorta platform. Not only is it blazingly fast and a joy to use, it’s the one product I’ve found that goes beyond the high performance and scale that every young company touts in their presentations. Beyond the numbers, the key benefit that Incorta provides is that it revolutionizes the process of driving game-changing insights from a company’s data capital. It enables a change in organizational mindset at our customers and allows them to deliver on their analytics initiatives in days, where previously it would’ve taken months.
What have you learned so far at Incorta?
I’ve found it immensely instructive to spend time with the founders of Incorta and to have the opportunity to see how they make the day-to-day decisions that have driven and continue to drive this company forward. I’m someone who is always looking to improve, get better, and learn from every experience. So, seeing how we learn from our successes and failures with an eye towards scaling the business has been very instructive. Having walked in those shoes as a co-founder, I appreciate the stress that goes along with the success, and the tough decision-making required to push forward. Getting to experience that success up-close and see the way they employ their skills and values has been extremely valuable.
What is your favorite thing about Incorta?
I have two favorite things about working at Incorta. First is the variety of industries that Incorta is impacting. I spent the first several years of my career working in the telecom industry where it was “all telecom, all the time.” Getting that deep into a single industry was appealing, but ultimately, limiting. Since then, I’ve gravitated towards software and technology that can have a dramatic impact on a company’s business, no matter if they’re a hospital network specializing in cancer research, a restaurant conglomerate, or a high-tech manufacturer creating components that power half of the hand-held devices on Earth. Any company that has data and wants to make better use of it needs Incorta.
Second is the flexibility to perform my role at a high-level while still maintaining a work-life balance. Being based out of New York City, I’m primarily talking to prospects up and down the East Coast and serving as the face of Incorta to a wide variety of teams during the sales process. Since my role requires a frequent amount of travel, it’s hugely helpful to have flexibility when I’m not on the road to either go into our office in midtown Manhattan or work from home in Brooklyn. And anytime I feel the need to visit the home office in San Mateo or if my input is required at HQ, I can get on a plane and make it happen.
Hometown?
I was born and raised in Queens, New York.
Fun Fact?
I was formerly the co-founder of a wine label with production of 100 cases/year of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, so…if you know anyone who’s interested in a few hundred cases of Pinot, let me know!
We celebrate diversity and inclusion and believe in the power of freedom to try, fail, and learn! Come and be a part of one of the most exciting and promising companies in Silicon Valley!
If you’re interested in joining the Incorta team, see the opening positions here.