What we do |

We believe successful corporate transformations use the product as the catalysis for renewal and growth. “Without a profitable, customer value-driven product, you can’t have a profitable, valuable company”, we say. Spark transforms tech companies by focusing on the product throughout a company and by implementing a process we have trademarked called Product-Led Transformation™.

Spark is a group of senior turnaround managers with deep domain experience across technology landscapes and geographic regions. As in Silicon Valley, we place Product Management as a key, leading role in tech companies and guide our clients to work with a similar product-focused mindset as they grow their companies.

Spark is about thinking competitively, communicating your product’s value, and working with speed.

How it works |

Explore map Ignite
Capital Raise

Corporate Transformations are never simple nor straight forward. There are always unexpected challenges and unforeseen problems to solve and require more than one person to lead change throughout the company. The most sustainable transformations engage an experienced team, representing the core functions in a company, who have domain knowledge of which levers to pull to the get the desired results.

Spark Group brings you that team with energy, enthusiasm and speed.

Spark recipe for successful transformations:

  • Ambitions, opportunities, and challenges shared between board, CEO and Spark.
  • A thorough assessment of current state as the starting point.
  • Strong emphasis on getting buy in and sponsorship from CEO and management team.
  • A transformation project including all functions in the company.
  • Product success in focus during entire project.
  • Recognizing that the PM-function has a key role in the transformation.
  • A co-creative shoulder to shoulder approach.

4 steps to transform

Spark Group Step 1 - explore

Step 1: Explore

Our starting point is you and your ambitions. Where do you want to take the company? How fast is your industry growing, what is your ambition level? Spark takes on the role of a ready-made, operative team, so it is important to align early on to your expectations for the company’s growth.

Spark Group Step 2 - Map

Step 2: Assess

The second phase involves a short assessment and analysis of the issues holding back the company from operating at its peak. We perform a quick due diligence within Sales and Marketing, Product Management, Development/Engineering, Services and Support to gain insights into the measures needed and funding required to transform the company.

Spark’s Product-led Assessment:

  • A value-creating activity giving key insights into the challenges holding back your company.
  • An independent analysis of the inner workings, product performance and the company’s position in the market.
  • A proven and over time developed methodology that discovers key areas to target for performance improvement.
  • An assessment performed by experienced functions specialists.
  • A report describing key areas to target for performance improvement and helping in decision-making.

All it takes is one spark

Spark Group Step 3 - Ignite

Step 3: Transformation

We start the Product-Led Transformation™by working with the management team to determine the goals, strategies, and implementation plans for the execution phase. We design targets and develop workstreams for each functional area in the company, all focused on making the product more successful.

As we build the values for the product, the value messaging, segmentation, and strategies for each of the functional groups, the company is determined to become more valuable. This is the phase where the company’s teams and Spark shift into high gear to ensure a seamless implementation of the strategic plans.

Key benefits of Spark’s Product-Led Transformation™:

  • Key factors for product success discovered
  • Product success implemented in everyday work
  • Better leverage from investments in R&D
  • Well targeted Marketing and Sales deliver higher hit rates
  • Delivery and Support increases customers satisfaction and loyalty
  • Motivated and driven personnel contributing to a common goal
Spark Group Step 4 - Rais eCapital

Capital Raise

In parallel to the Transformation, Spark will work with our network of informed investors, who are interested in investing in a wide variety of technologies companies at different phases of development.  Spark will build a strong business case for raising growth capital with a solid, structured plan for growth. Our job is to match you with an investor with the most applicable background and industry knowledge and assist you with raising capital.

When Spark |

“A mighty flame Followeth a tiny spark”

– Dante

You as an investor

You as an investor want to support your portfolio company with an infusion of get-it-done resources and energy. Maybe you’re looking for new ideas and strategies and an outside influence to bring your company to the next level. Are you looking for new working capital to help on this journey? Have you tried a few directions and are just not getting the results you want?

You as a CEO

You as a CEO are looking for a team to quickly assist you to build a product-minded, driven organization. We have tech-relevant backgrounds, work deep within the organizations, and make lasting change while you are driving the business.

Who we are |

Our specialist and your team

Spark Group is a consulting company specializing in corporate turnarounds and assessments of small and medium sized hardware/software tech-companies.

Achieving ambitious goals in sales, product strategy and profitability, our clients’ stock value and shareholder’s positions have developed exceptionally well – doubling and tripling the values.

Spark transforms tech companies by implementing a proven, trademarked process called Product-Led Transformation™, embedding the product’s success in all functions throughout a company. The approach is practical and hands-on, leveraging our decades of working in successful tech companies operating in Silicon Valley, Europe, and the Nordics.

The Spark team has decades of combined experience igniting change and transforming small and mediums sized companies around the globe. Our consultants have more than 50 new-product launches, led 4 mergers, implemented 12 sizable corporate transformations, directed 36 product transfers in manufacturing and increased production efficiency on European level, and created 6 leading-edge, digital B2B customer acquisition programs.

Several Spark consultants have previously held executive management positions at major technology companies in Palo Alto, New York, San Francisco and Stockholm as well as CEO positions at Silicon Valley venture-backed start-ups.

Our mindset is competitive, product-oriented and we move with speed.

Beth Topolovsky at the Spark Group

Beth Topolovsky
Operations

beth@sparkgroup.se

Sherry Thomas Zon at the Spark Group

Sherry Thomas-Zon
Marketing and Product Strategy

sherry@sparkgroup.se

Rich Miranov at the Spark Group

Rich Mironov
Product Management and developement

rich@sparkgroup.se

Spark Group - Christian Meincke

Christian Meincke
Sales and Marketing

christian@sparkgroup.se

Per-Ola Andersson at the Spark Group

Per-Ola Andersson
Product Management

per-ola@sparkgroup.se

Thomas JOhansson
Product Strategy

thomas@sparkgroup.se

Breaux Norris at the Spark Group

Breaux Norris
Sales and Operations

breaux@sparkgroup.se

Tord Johnsson at the Spark GroupTord JohBeth Topolovsky at the Spark Group

Tord Johnsson
Production and Logistics

tord@sparkgroup.se

Michael Aronwitz at the Spark Group

Michael Aronowitz
B2B Sales and Managed Media

michael@sparkgroup.se

Charles Lafage at the Spark Group

Charles Lafage
Market and competitive analysis

charles@sparkgroup.se

Carol Hargrave at the Spark Group

Carol Hargrave
Brand Strategy and Product Marketing

carol@sparkgroup.se

Thomas Nordén at the Spark Group

Thomas Nordén
Marketing Communications

norden@sparkgroup.se

Where we are |

In modern times we are where you are

Stockholm, Sweden

Beth Topolovsky
Torbjörn Klockares Gata #23
113 30 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 70 563 4315
beth@sparkgroup.se

San Francisco, CA

Sherry Thomas Zon
49 Missouri Street
San Francisco, CA
Tel: 415-845-4330
sherry@sparkgroup.se