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Maria Hess

Head of Venture Platform at Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Greater Seattle Area

Overview 

Maria Hess is currently the Head of Venture Platform at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she leads startup programs and supports ventures in various sectors, including logistics and e-commerce. With a background at Google, Madrona Venture Labs, and various other tech companies, Maria has excelled in roles such as Partner and Head of Growth, Vice President of Marketing, and Senior Product Manager, showcasing a strong track record in product management and business development.

Work Experience 

  • Head of Platform

    2023 - Current

    With deep experience in early-stage company building and the startup ecosystem, we provide business and technical acumen, GTM playbooks, AWS and Amazon connectivity, and peer-centered communities to support leaders on their journey to building enduring companies.

  • Head of Startup Programs

    2022 - 2023

    I lead the team that builds AWS Startup Programs for venture-backed (and venture-scale) founders/CxOs.

Amazon Web Services provides information technology infrastructure services to businesses in the form of web services.

  • Partner

    2019 - 2022

    I led the validation, customer discovery, zero-to-1 product traction, investment analysis/memo, and development of playbooks for early-stage startups, including product-market fit (PMF), product-led growth (PLG), and go-to-market (GTM). In partnership with founders, I build and invest in companies in areas such as AI/ML, future of work, low/no code, and process automation.

Madrona Venture Labs is a startup studio that builds companies from scratch.

Raised $30,300,000.00 from Elie Seidman, Madrona, Ralph Pascualy, Mike McSherry, Chad Cohen, Jon Gelsey, Elissa Fink, Court Lorenzini, Erik Blachford and WestRiver Group.

  • Vice President, Marketing

    2017 - 2018

    I joined Likewise in its early stages to drive the successful launch of this Bill Gates-funded startup, focused on delivering trusted entertainment, dining, and travel recommendations. As the leader the GTM team, I drove all aspects of earned, owned, and paid media including PR, positioning, app store optimization (ASO), social media, influencer outreach, email, and paid acquisition. Media/PR trained to participate in a live on-camera interview inside NYSE with Cheddar TV.

Likewise Software provides identity management solutions to achieve security compliances of businesses in mixed network environments.

Raised $32,500,000.00 from Ignition Partners, Trinity Ventures, Intel Capital, Intel Capital and Trinity Ventures.

  • Chief Revenue Officer

    2012 - 2017

    (Acquired by Shutterstock) I joined PicMonkey, a design and photo-editing platform, as the Director of Monetization and earned a series of promotions, from Head of Growth and Marketing, and ultimately to Chief Revenue Officer. I led the team accountable for revenue growth, channel marketing and business development opportunities to drive revenue and customer acquisition. I also implemented a unique (at the time) form of ad revenue monetization--the original revenue source before subscriptions.

PicMonkey is a visual communications platform that enables both non-designers and designers alike to quickly create stunning visuals.

Raised $41,000,000.00 from Spectrum Equity.

  • Product Management & Marketing

    2010 - 2011

    I delivered key insights to Google Photos and Google Plus products through the successful leadership of product management and marketing efforts. I also drove all monetization initiatives within SaaS subscription photo editor and Picnik.

Google is a multinational corporation that specializes in Internet-related services and organizes the world’s information.

Raised $26,100,000.00 from Angel Investors LP, Kleiner Perkins, Signatures Capital, Sequoia Capital, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shaquille O'Neal, Henry Kissinger, Google and Tiger Woods.

  • Director, Monetization

    2009 - 2010

    Picnik, acquired by Google, was a photo-editing platform for consumers and SMBs. I designed and execute its ad monetization, creating a secondary source of revenue to subscriptions, prior to its acquisition.

  • Director, Strategy & Development

    2003 - 2008

    Director, Strategy & Product Development, Media Solutions, Jan 2005-2008 Senior Manager, Hotels, Destinations Services & Destination Management, 2004-2005 Account Executive, Hotels, Cruise, Destination Services, Tourism Boards, 2003-2004

Expedia Group is a internet providing company they help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections.

  • Senior Product Manager

    1999 - 2003

    Senior Product Manager, Site Experience, Hardlines Businesses Senior Product Manager, Software & Video Games Category Manager, Multiple Categories, Marketplace Third-Party Merchants

Amazon is a tech firm with a focus on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence.

Raised $8,108,000,000.00 from DBS Bank and Mizuho Bank.

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