# Kelly Watkins > Startup Grownup Location: San Rafael, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/kellywatkins As an advisor and board member, I like to think of my work as making space for all kinds of tough questions to be explored. It takes courage for founders and startup leaders to face the unknown, invite thornier conversations, and open themselves up to answers they might not expect. I've held a number of leadership roles in fast-growing tech companies (and the nonprofit sector before that), helping me build my operational chops across go-to-market and other key functional areas. Some of my past roles include: 1) Leading Abstract as Chief Executive Officer, culminating in an acquisition by Adobe. This role was my real-life MBA, as our first product was rapidly losing ground to Figma and I took the position just two weeks before COVID-19 shut down the world. With an all-new executive team at the helm, we pioneered a four-day workweek that gave employees flexibility in their schedules, while also increasing our shipping velocity across departments. In less than a year we took a second product to market, which helped drive Adobe’s interest. 2) Working as the VP of Global Marketing at Slack, where I created Slack’s “Where Work Happens” brand strategy, helping the business grow to more than 10 million users globally, and leading expansion efforts internationally and into the enterprise, among other things. 3) Getting in early as one of the first marketing hires at GitHub, with a focus on brand and product marketing. In addition to helping build marketing from scratch, I worked to relaunch GitHub Enterprise, driving growth for GitHub inside of large companies, and helped introduce GitHub to new language and framework communities and to developers outside the US. Beyond advising, I’m currently on the Board of Directors at Honeycomb (previously on the boards of Abstract and Docket), and I invest in early-stage startups building developer tools, sales and marketing software, and products for niche industries through Curmudgeon Ventures. Outside of work, I’m a big fan of spicy food, sunny weather, and the Oxford comma. ## Work Experience ### Advisor & Board Member @ Watkins Advisory Jan 2019 – Present ### Head of Operations @ Postman Jan 2025 – Present ### Member, Board of Directors @ Honeycomb.io Jan 2022 – Present ### Reforge Partner @ Reforge Jan 2022 – Present Created the new product-led growth course. ### Founding Partner @ Curmudgeon Ventures Jan 2020 – Jan 2025 Angel investing across developer tools, sales and marketing tech, and niche industries. More at ### Co-Founder @ All Hands Club Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | San Rafael, California, United States All Hands Club is a new space in North Marin where you can find the social scene that's been missing from your work-at-home, hybrid-remote, post-pandemic life. Book a tour: www.allhands.club ### COO @ Unblocked Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 ### Advisor @ MadKudu Jan 2020 – Jan 2025 ### Executive Advisor @ Stripes Group Jan 2018 – Jan 2023 ### Member, Board of Directors @ Docket Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 Acquired by Zoom ### Chief Executive Officer @ Abstract Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 Acquired by Adobe ### Member, Board of Directors @ Abstract Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 Acquired by Adobe and Tiny Capital ### Advisor @ Bonusly Jan 2019 – Jan 2022 ### Fast Track Mentor @ First Round Capital Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 ### Advisor @ Bennu Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 ### Vice President, Global Marketing @ Slack Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 ### Head of Product Marketing @ Slack Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 ### Senior Product Manager @ Slack Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 ### Advisor @ Greenhouse Software Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 ### VP, Marketing @ Bugsnag Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Head of Product and Brand Marketing @ GitHub Jan 2013 – Jan 2015 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Web Designer and Developer @ Freelance Jan 2006 – Jan 2013 ### Director of Creative Development @ Quicksilver Foundry Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 Brand and product strategist to Intel, U.S. government agencies, Surfline.com, UNCF, Pro Mujer, and the Society of American Foresters, among others. ### Director of Communications @ New Profit Inc. Jan 2010 – Jan 2011 | Cambridge, MA ### Online Communications Manager @ New Profit Inc. Jan 2008 – Jan 2010 | Cambridge, MA ### Public Relations Officer @ Invisible Children Inc. Jan 2007 – Jan 2008 | Gulu, Uganda ### Graduate Research Assistant @ Abilene Christian University Jan 2004 – Jan 2006 | Abilene, Texas Co-authored “Ruth,” in The Transforming Word: A One Volume Commentary on the Bible (Abilene Christian University Press, 2009). ### Communications Manager @ Big Brothers Big Sisters of Abilene Jan 2003 – Jan 2004 ## Education ### Theology/Theological Studies Abilene Christian University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kcwatkins - Website: https://www.kellywatkins.me/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/kellywatkins JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/kellywatkins/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-05