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Now, onto today’s article!
It’s a cheat code in investing to give a company more resources AND help them use them to greater effect. One of the reasons I started learning RevOps was to help the companies I was investing in build powerful, reliable and efficient GTM motions.
As a tech investor, I’ve reviewed thousands of pitches and peered under the hoods of hundreds of companies. The patterns become undeniable. More often than not, promising technology companies with brilliant products don't falter because of their innovation; they stumble, or worse, collapse, due to a misfiring, disconnected, or altogether absent revenue engine. It's the operational Achilles' heel that prevents truly scalable and predictable growth.
My journey to the world of private technology investing wasn't linear. I started on Wall Street, deep in the trenches of investment banking, where financial rigor, deal structuring, and an obsessive focus on value creation were paramount.
Then, I pivoted into the heart of modern value creation: data engineering. There, I learned to build the very systems that unlock insights and drive intelligent action at scale. This combination worked wonders. The strategic, analytical lens of a banker and the architectural, systems-thinking mind of an engineer has become the cornerstone of how I help our portfolio companies build truly formidable revenue engines.
The truth is, "Revenue Operations" or RevOps, when implemented thoughtfully, isn't just another buzzword. It's the central nervous system of a company's go-to-market strategy, the discipline that transforms ambition into predictable financial results. And by layering in advanced concepts from data engineering and the strategic mindset of investment banking, we can elevate RevOps from a support function to a powerful, proactive growth driver.
In the age of AI agents, automation and incredible tooling… you could argue Revenue Operations is the most important function in the entire company.
Besides sales, of course. All respect to the pipeline builders and closers.
The Bedrock: Pillars of Modern Revenue Operations
Before we dive into the advanced tactics that can supercharge a revenue engine, it’s crucial to ensure the foundations are rock-solid. In my experience, truly effective RevOps, the kind that underpins sustainable hyper-growth, rests on four interconnected pillars. Skipping these is like trying to build a skyscraper on sand.
Operations Management (Strategy, Process, & Enablement) aka The "How": This is the strategic blueprint and the operational playbook for your entire revenue organization. It starts with a clearly defined Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy – which markets to target, with what value proposition, through which channels. From there, RevOps must meticulously map the end-to-end customer lifecycle, from initial awareness through to advocacy and renewal. This map becomes the basis for standardizing key processes: lead management, opportunity progression, quoting, contracting, onboarding, and customer success engagement. This pillar also encompasses enablement: equipping your sales, marketing, and customer success teams with the playbooks, training, content, and tools they need to execute flawlessly. Enablement is often ignored or under-developed, a costly mistake. Operations is vital yet I see companies fail to make investments in Ops time after time. Think of this as the meticulously planned operational strategy for a new product launch or market entry, ensuring every team knows its role and how to perform it optimally. Without this, you have chaos and wasted effort.
Data & Analytics aka The "Insight": If Operations Management is the playbook, Data & Analytics is the intelligence directorate, providing the critical feedback loop. This pillar is about establishing robust data governance to ensure data quality and consistency. It’s about building a single source of truth (SSOT) for all revenue-related data, eliminating the departmental silos that breed conflicting numbers and mistrust. This SSOT feeds Business Intelligence (BI) platforms, generating actionable reports and dashboards that track performance against key metrics across the entire funnel. It enables accurate forecasting, not based on gut feel, but on historical trends, pipeline dynamics, and leading indicators. This function allows leadership to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where to allocate resources effectively. It’s akin to the market intelligence and financial reporting arm of a well-run institution, providing clarity and foresight.
Technology & Systems aka The "Engine Room": This pillar represents the integrated technology stack that powers the revenue engine. Your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is the heart, but it must seamlessly connect with Marketing Automation Platforms (MAP), Sales Engagement tools, CPQ (Configure, Price,Quote) software, customer success platforms, and BI tools. The focus here is on integration and automation. Technology should serve and enhance the processes defined by Operations Management, not dictate them. Automation of repetitive tasks frees up human talent for higher-value activities. A well-architected tech stack reduces friction, improves data flow, and provides the horsepower needed to scale operations efficiently. It’s the sophisticated infrastructure and machinery that, when well-maintained and properly configured, runs smoothly and powerfully.
People & Alignment aka The "Synergy": Ultimately, RevOps is about people. This pillar focuses on breaking down the all-too-common silos between Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, and even Finance and Product. It’s about fostering a culture of collaboration, shared ownership, and collective responsibility for revenue generation. This means establishing shared Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that transcend departmental boundaries – think pipeline velocity, customer lifetime value (LTV), and net revenue retention, rather than just MQLs or sales quotas in isolation. Regular, structured communication rhythms (e.g., weekly GTM meetings, quarterly business reviews) are vital to ensure everyone is working from the same data, understands interdependencies, and can proactively address challenges. This is the equivalent of a high-performing, cross-functional deal team in banking, where specialists from different areas unite seamlessly to achieve a common objective.
Getting these four pillars right is non-negotiable. They provide the stability and operational leverage required before layering on more advanced techniques. Trying to implement sophisticated data models or complex financial strategies on a shaky RevOps foundation is a recipe for frustration and failure.
Leveling Up RevOps: Insights from the Trenches of Data Engineering
With a solid RevOps foundation in place we can begin to inject more sophisticated capabilities.
My years architecting and implementing large-scale data systems revealed the transformative power of thinking like an engineer when it comes to revenue generation. It’s about building for scale, resilience, and intelligent automation.
Here are three advanced data engineering concepts that I’ve seen deliver exceptional results when applied to RevOps.
Technique One: Data Mesh for Scalable Revenue Intelligence