14 | Forty under 40 2015 published by Business in VAncouver
Katherine Berry Age
38
Chief product officer and cofounder, Allocadia Software
I
n Katherine Berry’s books, there is no better school than the one of hard knocks. She and her twin sister, fellow Forty under 40 winner Kristine Steuart, made enough mistakes in the area of marketing in their past business experiences to learn a great deal about what works and what doesn’t. “We experienced the pain first-hand,” Berry said in an interview. “That’s always a good thing when you are building a company. When you have experienced it, you can speak to it. You are passionate about it.” One day, in their quest for better tools, the sisters walked into a little coffee shop and mapped out a plan for a new tech company that would sell marketing management sofware. And so Allocadia was born in 2009. With Berry as chief product officer, the company has grown to a point where it has more than 130 global customers, thousands of users, more than 60 employees across North America and triple-digit growth. The pair bootstrapped the tech company to $1 million before taking on investors. Today, Allocadia has projected revenues of $4.5 million for 2015. Berry said she and her sister complement each other. “I’m the more technical twin and Kristine is the more sa les a nd ma rketi ng tw i n.” Berry focuses on developing the product while her sister, who is CEO, is more involved with investor relations. Trying to measure the performance of marketing campaigns, which drive company revenues, can often lead to a jungle of spreadsheets and tangled systems that a re error-prone a nd don’t foster collaboration. But Berry said Allocadia software has blazing
Birthplace: Hull, Quebec Where you live now: Vancouver, B.C. Highest level of education: Master’s in media, development and democracy
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accuracy and takes care of the tracking, freeing marketing teams to focus on creative campaigns, which is what they do best. Describing the software, Berry said, “It basically allows marketers to manage their plans and their budget in a nice streamlined application with a user-friendly kind of interface.” Both sisters have young families that make their lives a juggling act, but Berry said they seem to be managing well. Berry’s partners say that even in the maelstrom of company and family demands, she is able to be warm, open and humble about herself – and at the same time is confident and assured about her company and product.
Currently reading: Voyager (Outlander series), Diana Gabaldon Currently listening to: A wide mix of all types of music When you were a kid, what you wanted to be when you grew up: It changed all the time
We experienced the pain first-hand. That’s always a good thing when you are building a company. When you have experienced it, you can speak to it. You are passionate about it
Profession you would most like to try: None; I’m doing what I love! (I did, though, get my fill in the past with a variety of professions from teacher to flight attendant) Toughest business or professional decision: To jump in 100% and take the risk to build Allocadia
Advice you would give the younger you: Everything is easy once you know how What’s left to do: Continue to enjoy building a growing company and spending time with my family
2015-11-18 11:53 AM