Michael J. Shafran
Sales & Revenue Leadership
Proven enterprise technology sales leader with 20+ years driving exponential revenue growth across emerging technology sectors including AI/ML, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data platforms. Track record of building high-performing sales organizations from the ground up, with demonstrated expertise scaling businesses from zero to $500M+ in annual revenue while consistently delivering 100-280%+ of sales targets.
Revenue Leadership & Scale
Enterprise Sales Performance
Consistently delivered $20M-$513M in annual revenue across various leadership roles
Generated $3.2M in first half at Lookout, leading enterprise team company wide
Grew Dell's Florida territory to $513M managing 19 direct reports
Built Cloudera's Midwest operation from zero to $38M+ (282% to plan) with 33 net new enterprise logos in first year
Currently growing Absolute Security’s USA Enterprise Business for Secure Access and Secure Endpoint-to-Market Excellence
Established repeatable sales methodologies (MEDDIC, Challenger) across organizations
Developed and executed Channel, OEM, GSI, MSSP, and Carrier partnership strategies
Three-time President's Club winner and multiple AE of the Year awards
Strategic Market Development
Enterprise Customer Acquisition
Successfully penetrated and closed Fortune 500 and Global 2000 accounts including Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Home Depot, Ford Motor Company, FIS, Raymond James, and TD SYNNEX across financial services, healthcare, technology, government, and retail sectors.
Team Building & Leadership
Built and scaled sales teams from 2 to 19 direct reports
Created Cloudera's first regional sales organization (6 AEs) with new local sales model.
Mentored cross-functional teams including sales engineers and inside sales representatives.
Cultivated diverse, high-performing teams through global pandemic challenges.
Emerging Technology Expertise
Deep domain knowledge across next-generation technology platforms critical to quantum computing commercialization.
Cloud & Infrastructure: Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, data center solutions, HPC
Security & Compliance: Mobile threat defense, SSE, threat intelligence, cybersecurity
Data & Analytics: Big Data platforms (Hadoop, Snowflake), AI/ML solutions
Enterprise SaaS: Multi-year strategic enterprise licensing and support agreements
C-Suite Relationship Management
Established trusted advisor relationships with C-level executives across commercial, public sector, and global enterprises.
Consistently engaged CIOs, CTOs, and executive leadership to structure complex, multi-million dollar deals and long-term strategic partnerships.
Value Proposition for Quantum Startup
Brings critical capabilities to successfully commercialize quantum technology.
1. Market Entry Execution: Proven ability to establish new markets from zero (Cloudera Midwest: 0 to $38M)
2. Complex Solution Selling: Experience positioning emerging, highly technical solutions to enterprise buyers
3. Revenue Predictability: Consistent overperformance (100-282% to quota) demonstrates disciplined pipeline management and forecasting
4. Partnership Ecosystem: Established relationships with major technology vendors, channel partners, and enterprise customers
5. Team Scalability: Track record building sales organizations that scale with business growth
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Michigan State University, 2013
Bachelor of Arts – Michigan State University
