Who We Are

JTBD is a boutique business studio that mentors, advises, and consults organizations of all stages on a mission to help prototype, architect, build, and scale disruptive businesses with the world’s most influential companies.

We are a collective mind of experts across functions and industries to provide you the outside-in voice you so desperately need. Incorporating real-world business experience, creative thinking and a global perspective, we focus on understanding your business to collaborate on solutions just for you.

We also love quotes, and here’s our favorite one:

“You Can’t Depend on Your Eyes When Your Imagination is Out of Focus” - Mark Twain

Core Values

  • HUMANITY

    HUMANITY

    We always keep the human impact in mind with any project or recommendation

  • HONESTY

    HONESTY

    You will always receive nothing but honest feedback from our advisors and team members

  • CREATIVITY

    CREATIVITY

    There are always many paths to success, we strive to help you find the path that fits your organization’s culture the best

  • RANGE

    RANGE

    We make sure we bring the core skills your project needs to maximize effectiveness

 

Meet the Team

  • Miglena Georgieva

    Miglena Georgieva

    PRINCIPAL

    I ensure scaling companies stay synchronized by de-risking their path to profitability and growth

    Board Member, Advisor and Investor to pre-seed and non-profit organizations, working together to reimagine who they are, what they do and how they do it.

    Superpowers: Ability to thrive in ambiguity and operate under uncertainty

    My Secret Sauce: Founders love teaming up with me because I bring seasoned expertise to the table.

    Favorite Quote: “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” - Albert Einstein

    LinkedIn

  • Paul O'Leary

    Paul O'Leary

    PARTNER

    Founder, Advisor and Product Leader developing and leading teams in Product Management, Product Development, and Business Development.

    Superpowers: Identifying parallel strategies from across industries to spark new approaches to problem-solving

    My Secret Sauce: Agile Software Development, Product Management, Web Marketing, Customer Acquisition

    Favorite Quotes: “You can’t knock on opportunity’s door and not be ready.” - Bruno Mars

    “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”
    - Frank Zappa

    LinkedIn

  • Michael Queralt

    Michael Queralt

    PARTNER

    Founder, Advisor Inventor and Investor working with multicultural entrepreneurs to help them gain clarity to start and scale their business

    Superpowers: Ability to understand and connect different areas of expertise, providing clarity and direction

    My Secret Sauce: Business Model Design, Business Development and Go To Market Strategy

    Favorite Quote: “Listen, the customer is speaking” – David Taber

    LinkedIn

 

Community Members

  • Regina Zafonte

    Regina Zafonte

    Executive, Leadership, and Team Coach and Facilitator partnering with leaders to build high-value teams and excellent cultures for better business results.

    Superpowers: Connecting leaders with their purpose to multiply other’s efforts and create transformational impact.

    My Secret Sauce: Executive & Leadership Coaching; Group & Team Coaching; Career Strategist; Culture Builder; Transition Navigator; Facilitator

    Favorite Quote: “What one can be, they must” – Abraham Maslow

    LinkedIn

  • Jonathan Erickson

    Jonathan Erickson

    Research, User, and Insights Advisor forever curious how to better lead and drive people to where they want to be. 7 years of advising pre-seed to Fortune 500 and non-profit organizations on each of their market dynamics, competitor strategies, and end user specifications.

    Superpowers: Helping maintain perspective and keep moving forward. Brainstorming, testing, and organizing a team’s needs and next steps.

    My Secret Sauce: Market, Competitive, and End User Intelligence; Vendor, Stakeholder, and Partner Management

    Favorite Quote: “Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.” – Sigmund Freud

    LinkedIn

  • Michaela Kosmelova

    Michaela Kosmelova

    AcademyWEE, Founder & CEO

    Conscious Visionary building network of new founders driven by aware human connection, purpose and wellbeing.

    Superpowers: Pragmatic empath focused on win-win solution

    My Secret Sauce: Inspire people to transform for positive change. Counselling psychologist. +15 years of corporate Compliance and Analyst.

    Favorite Quote: Make it simple not basic.

    LinkedIn

  • Brad Tessler

    Brad Tessler

    Consultant and Advisor helping companies achieve their strategic goals through Acquisition and Divestiture activities

    Superpowers: Ability to quickly establish trust and lead large teams towards a common goal

    My Secret Sauce: Integrations, Divestitures, Financial Planning & Analysis

    Favorite Quote: “There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

    - George Bernard Shaw

    LinkedIn

  • Diane Bailey

    Diane Bailey

    Transforming early-stage startups into venture - backable companies. Pitch Deck strategist. Deep experience getting companies from 0 to 1.

    Superpowers: Blending pragmatism with empathy. This creates alignment between all stakeholders, including the founder's ultimate vision.

    My Secret Sauce: Pitch deck strategy; go-to-market; landing first customers; securing first checks.

    Favorite Quote: “Those at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there.” – Marcus Washling

    LinkedIn

  • Brian Hough

    Brian H. Hough

    AWS DevTools Hero, YouTuber, and Founder of the Tech Stack Playbook® helping developers, engineers, and enterprises build cutting-edge technology, utilize the latest tools, and apply innovation across their lives: https://brianhhough.com

    Superpowers: Empowering builders to build and innovate, figuring out solutions to complicated problems, building scalable software architectures and full-stack applications from design to code, and mentoring folks to grow, scale, and transform.

    My Secret Sauce: Laser-focused consistency, high ambition to succeed, tireless work ethic, and a passion for overdelivering on results and outcomes.

    Favorite Quote: "It doesn't matter where you start. It matters where you finish." - Gary Vaynerchuk

    LinkedIn

  • Angelina Yang

    Angelina Yang

    Executive Leader specializing in guiding companies to embrace the ongoing AI evolution by seamlessly integrating cutting-edge solutions into their business operations and products.

    My Secret Sauce: Empowering organizations to stay at the forefront of innovation by strategically incorporating AI technologies for enhanced business efficiency and product development.

    Specialties: AI Integration with Business Operations and Products; Executive Leadership; Business Transformation through AI; Strategic Innovation.

    Favorite Quote: "If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars." - Rabindranath Tagore

    LinkedIn

  • Guenter Schmittberger

    Guenter Schmittberger

    Eco-System Enabler and Senior Fundraiser for Startups and Venture Funds

    Superpowers: Experience in networking with investors, corporates, and startups around the globe with a special focus on the big picture exploring synergies

    My Secret Sauce: My background in both mathematics and psychology, seniority and my deep alignment with impact on the SDGs of the UNs, and my wife, who is a Psychoanalyst.

    Favorite Quote: “Diversity is a Driver of Innovation”

    LinkedIn

  • Britt Lifsay, CPA

    Britt Lifsay, CPA

    Life to Sey Advisors, Founder

    Finance & Accounting Advisor helping business owners maximize cash flow and build sustainable businesses.

    Superpowers: Turning numbers into stories, finding cost effective efficiencies, automating everything, thinking creatively to overcome financial obstacles

    My Secret Sauce: Finance, Accounting, GAAP, Budgeting, Forecasting, Financial Analysis, Projective Modeling, Automation, AI

    Favorite Quote: “The only constant in life is change” - Heraclitus

    LinkedIn

  • Angelina Yang

    Atif A. Khan

    Product Designer, Tech Writer, Film Maker. CXO: https://www.u2go.app/

    Converting Ideas into Products.

    Superpowers: Connecting User Logic with User Interface. Process enthusiast with a knack for design.

    My Secret Sauce: Tracking Go-To Markets, Igniting Business Partnerships, Traction Driver.

    Favorite Quote: Time is an illusion. Passion shrinks it.

    LinkedIn

  • Steven Max Patterson

    Steven Max Patterson

    Advisor, MedVR Lead Organizer

    An organizer of technical communities, seeking to precipitate original applied engineering work that launches new prototypes or sends researchers back to their labs.

    Superpowers: Finding people better at solving the immediate problem. Unrelentless advocate of diversity, inclusion and equity.

    My Secret Sauce: Building communities.

    Favorite quote: “Like most astronauts, I'm pretty sure that I can deal with what life throws at me because I've thought about what to do if things go wrong, as well as right. That's the power of negative thinking.” Chris Hadfield - astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot

    LinkedIn

  • Ignacio Castro

    Ignacio Castro

    Fintech Executive, Founder, Advisor to pre-seed companies. Former MD for Founder Institute Boston and supporting AI B2B startups as Managing Partner at 128vc.

    Superpowers: Ability to make sense of the entrepreneurial chaos during idea and pre-seed stages, and guide founders during the beginning of their journey.

    My Secret Sauce: Zero-to-One Strategy and Operations, Corporate IT and Software Development, Project Management, Fundraising.

    Favorite Quote: “Trust comes on foot, but leaves on horseback.” – Dutch proverb

    LinkedIn

  • Manuel Tanco

    Manuel Tanco

    Co-founder of Pixelab Digital Creative Studio

    Art Director, Graphic Designer, with more than 16 years of creative experience, a specialist in the creation and development of brand identities. Extensive experience in branding, advertising and campaign development in a digital and traditional media for national and international brands in the retail and services market.

    Superpowers: Adaptability, flexibility and creativity and design

    My Secret Sauce: Branding, problem solving, graphic design

    Favorite Quote: “Good design, is good business”

    LinkedIn