Business strategy and marketing – especially related to cutting-edge technologies that have the potential to improve the world – get me energized.

You could say I’m a techno-optimist. I’ve always been excited about robotics, flying machines, space, and science in general.

I have more than a decade of experience as a marketing leader at various startups bringing cutting-edge tech products to new markets related to drones, aerospace, AI, and more.

A lot of the customers I’ve worked with are leaders in industries that are essential to our way of life: from utilities and transportation, to public safety and defense, to construction and telecom, and more.

 

How It Started

I grew up in the Bay Area, went to college in San Diego to study Business Management and Psychology, and currently reside in the Los Angeles area. I have been working at early- to mid-stage tech startups for most of my career.

notable skills I’ve developed:

  • Leading strategy and execution of go-to-market plans for cutting-edge technology companies

  • Crafting simple, impactful messaging about complex products for enterprise, government, and consumer audiences

  • Building trust with large, risk-averse enterprise customers with new technology (crossing the chasm)

  • Creating marketing programs from little or nothing at the seed stage of a company and scaling to later, larger phases of business growth

  • Building, training, mentoring, and leading teams that are effective, autonomous, and well-rounded

  • Molding brands and company founders into industry thought leaders that punch well above their weight class

How It’s Going

I’m currently devoting my time and energy to my role as Head of Marketing at Natilus. When I’m not doing that, I’m spending time with people that I can learn from and on projects that energize me.

 

Recent Experience


Here’s what people I’ve worked with have said about me

Erik is an exceptional leader who knows how to make an impact and get things done. I had the pleasure of working with him on our executive team and directly, launching multiple products. Erik’s approach and execution implemented tactics that transformed the presence and captured the attention of the industry. He’s passionate about any task given to him - you can tell it shows when his work exceeds expectations time after time! If given another opportunity to work and collaborate together again, there is no doubt whatsoever that I would seize it.
— Joshua Lederman, VP Product at Slingshot Aerospace
I have had the pleasure of working with Erik extensively over the past 2 years at DroneBase. I have seen him thrive in the many phases that an early stage startup goes through. Erik is very professional, he has gracefully championed marketing DroneBase with our Clients, Pilots, and Investors at times with little resources. He is not only very skilled at using those limited resources but also stretching them so that DroneBase gets the most benefit we can. This is the part that makes me proud to work with an individual like Erik - trust. I can always trust him to crush on delivering value for the business, acquiring leads, converting pilots, building our reputation, and allocating funding appropriately....that is hard to find, all with a smile! I would recommend, and enjoy working with Erik any day.
— Suman Nichani, VP Product at DroneBase
  • Erik is a highly skilled and experienced cross-functional leader with a relentless pursuit of excellence. He is always willing to go the extra mile to help others, and he has a proven track record of success in delivering results.

    I had the pleasure of working with Erik at Skydio, where he played a key role in the marketing team. He was responsible for developing and executing marketing campaigns that resulted in immediate ROI and positive reception from my customers. He also worked closely with other teams to ensure that our marketing efforts were aligned with our overall business goals.

    Erik is a highly effective communicator and collaborator. He is able to build relationships with people from different departments and get things done. He is also a great problem solver and is always willing to go the extra mile to help his team succeed.

    I highly recommend Erik for any leadership role in an organization. He is a valuable asset to any team, and he would be a great addition to your company.

  • Throughout our years working together across marketing teams at DroneBase and Skydio, Erik consistently showcased remarkable leadership qualities that inspired everyone around him. His strategic insights, clear communication, and ability to steer projects in the right direction were instrumental in achieving our marketing goals. His guidance and mentorship not only elevated our team's performance but also fostered an environment of growth and collaboration.

    Erik is an exceptional individual whose dedication to his work is second to none. His strong work ethic and attention to detail were evident in every project he took on. Despite managing multiple projects simultaneously, he consistently delivered high-quality results within deadlines, demonstrating an unparalleled ability to balance priorities and maintain a standard of excellence.

    What truly sets Erik apart is his exceptional teamwork and collaborative spirit. He acted as a leader, contributing to a positive and inclusive work atmosphere in both organizations, fostering a sense of unity that greatly benefited our team dynamics. His willingness to go the extra mile to support colleagues, share insights, and lend a helping hand truly exemplified the qualities of a leader. I highly recommend Erik and would jump at the opportunity to work with him again.

  • I had the pleasure of working with Erik during his time at Skydio after I transitioned to supporting the Marketing team as a Marketing Design Producer. Erik has always been incredibly proactive, positive, insightful, and all-around fantastic teammate. As a producer, I highly valued that every time we met to review design needs for upcoming products and launches he came prepared with key items needed and prioritized to make it easier for discussion. Erik's insight into messaging strategy and empathizing with customers was incredibly helpful to me as a producer to communicate to our design team on what was needed to have the most impact. Erik is incredibly determined, driven, empathetic, insightful, and any team would be stronger with him on it.

  • Working with Erik at Skydio has been an absolute pleasure. His constant professionalism, leadership, and deep marketing expertise are tremendous assets that could help improve any team. Erik's guidance and mentorship have been invaluable to me, helping me navigate complex projects for the first time, while building solid Product Marketing fundamentals. His ability to lead cross functional teams towards a common goal is very apparent when you see the quality of work he delivers on a consistent basis. Would love the opportunity to work with Erik again in the future.

  • What I admire about Erik is his ability to take big ideas and break them down into actionable steps. In our time working together he was a beast at launching new products, mapping out strategies with well thought out positioning and strong messaging to back up his plans. This made life insanely easy for me. In terms of collaboration, Erik has a gift of digging into the data to help guide direction and lead. He is a well-versed marketer and a secret weapon to any GTM strategy.

  • I had the pleasure of working with Erik during his time at Skydio. His ability to craft compelling messaging that effectively translates complex bleeding-edge technology into tangible business value is truly impressive.

    Erik's extensive experience in marketing to enterprise, state, and local as well as federal government customers made him a great fit for Skydio's focus on the enterprise and public sector segments. His deep understanding of cloud services and subscription business models further enhanced his ability to drive successful go-to-market strategies and campaigns.

    One of Erik's greatest strengths lies in his leadership skills. He excels at leading cross-functional efforts, ensuring collaboration and execution across teams. His self-motivation and adaptability enable him to thrive in fast-paced environments, making him an invaluable asset to any organization.

    Throughout our time working together, Erik consistently delivered high-quality sales and marketing content that resonated with target audiences. He conducted thorough market research, assessed market opportunities, and developed pricing and packaging strategies that aligned with business objectives. Moreover, he played a pivotal role in successful product launches, ensuring that all go-to-market stakeholders were properly enabled.

  • Erik managed me directly in 2017-2018 as the Head of Marketing at DroneBase, and I can say without hesitation that he was the best manager I've ever had. Thoughtful, attentive, creative, and precise, he has an innate ability to oversee and execute on cross-functional marketing campaigns without missing a beat. As a manager, he was an absolute joy to work with - I was always offered freedom to own projects, while he was always at the ready to offer insight, direction, and encouragement when needed. Erik's passion for his work extended far beyond the marketing team itself, too: whether it was facilitating team-building exercises or offering a second opinion on another department's efforts, Erik is always at the ready to show up and support the organization as a while. Anyone who has the opportunity to be managed and advised by Erik is truly lucky - not only will you will grow as a professional, but you'll likely have a lot of fun along the way.

  • Erik is an all star with a combination of work ethic, dedication, and drive that is rare to see in the workplace. I had the pleasure of working with Erik for over 3 years at DroneBase, collaborating on several different projects. He was full of game-changing ideas that helped DroneBase grow year over year, and was ridiculously efficient with the limited marketing resources he had to work with. Other than being a marketing guru, his extensive knowledge of health, wellness, and fitness has helped me and others colleague grow tremendously outside of the workplace. I'd love the opportunity to work with Erik again, he's an A+ addition to any team.

I have had the pleasure of working with Erik on several startups, and I could not speak more highly of him. He is very professional to work with, has lots of great ideas and is extremely dedicated. He goes above and beyond to help the business succeed. He is a very valuable asset to have on your team and I could not have imagined growing my companies without his help. I learned many things from Erik and will always value everything he has ever done for me. I don’t doubt that I will work with him again in the future.
— Travis Lubinsky, Entrepreneur & eComm Expert
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Erik in several capacities for nearly a decade, and I can’t say enough good things about him. He is incredibly intelligent, creative, entrepreneurial-minded, hardworking, and a natural-born leader. Sky’s the limit for Erik. I can only hope to continue to be able to work alongside him.
— Jordan Bowditch, Entrepreneur & Coach

Accomplishments

  • Organized cross-functional launches of cutting-edge, category-defining products

  • Executed marketing plans with budgets ranging from Seed stage startups to later-stage, highly-funded companies.

  • Collaborated with sales leaders to launch effective enablement programs for worldwide sales force

  • Represented companies many times on stage and online for speaking engagements

  • Assisted founders with fundraising efforts amounting to many millions of dollars

  • Secured recognition for companies in top-tier publications via articles and awards

  • Rebranded multiple companies from the ground up

  • Launched inbound and content marketing programs, securing many high-value customers

Details and names have been omitted for public viewing due to confidentiality and respect.