The SPARK GROUP

What we do |

Ignite
the spark

First of all

After identifying your core challenges and ambitions, we put together the optimal team to collaborate closely with your executive management team and investors. The aim is to quickly transform your company into a high-performing enterprise that accelerates growth and valuations. We have worked with the best-of-the-best in all areas of tech companies and know it takes a synchronized, dedicated team to produce amazing results. 

Expansion Capital

We work with investors who are interested in investing in a wide variety of technologies and companies at different phases of development. They bring potent, relevant experience to your business case to assist with achieving impressive results. Our job is to match you with an investor with the most applicable background and industry knowledge to support your next growth phase.

What we do |

Sparks fly
with
a great team
and
fresh ideas

Operational Excellence

• Together, we can create the optimal development processes for your product and industry
• Eliminate inefficiencies and release products in a timely and consistent manner with measurable follow-up
• Increase profitability through a deep understanding of your costs, release cycles, and by mastering your business model
• Spend analysis
• Company culture transformation

Capital Raise

• Pitch planning and slide deck strategy
• Capital requirement 
• Investor meetings

Product Development

• Product strategy development
• Product launch strategies and checklists
• Product management expertise: Best practices in prioritizing features, releases, and customer requirements
• Customer validation and market alignment
• Product management organization design and coaching

Marketing, Marcom, Branding

• Brand strategy development to define a brand’s higher purpose and translate this into a consistent experience across all touch points
• Product marketing for both consumer and B2B products
• Content marketing & native advertising: develop customer acquisition, engagement and retention strategy aligning relevant textual, graphical and video content to company offerings to achieve greater sales and brand affinity
• Build digital and app marketing success metrics that leverage audience targeting data to personalize a customer’s owned, paid and earned media experience
• Enterprise sales marketing strategy and enablement
• Go-to-market strategies, planning and execution

Production and Logistics

• Assessment and due diligence of production line and logistics
• Second source strategies for production plants
• Outsourcing/Insourcing analysis, lead-time reduction, greenfield establishments, securing production readiness for on-time releases
• Optimization of the total cost of ownership though the entire supply chain

Sales

• Sales pipeline development: Establish a blueprint that identifies key target accounts and tactical execution plans to achieve sales by coaching internal team or through direct outreach
• Sales strategies and implementation
• Sales deployment in the US and Sweden
• Development of international B2B sales networks

How it works |

Explore map Ignite
Capital Raise

There’s no one-size-fits all approach. Each project is different and has its own unique set of challenges. But experience shows that the best results come from working closely as an extended part of your team.

Generally, our process can be divided into four phases. The first step is always to explore your vision and see if Spark’s talent pool matches your needs and ambitions. If we both feel it’s a good fit, let’s get started?

4 steps to transform

Step 1: Explore

Our starting point is you and your ambitions. You decide the pace and level of involvement. So let’s take some time to get to know your company, your history and ambitions. We tend to work best with ambitious companies who are keen to tap into fast growth tech ecosystems. Here we take on the role of a ready-made, operative team, so it’s important to align early on to your expectations.

Step 2: Map

The second phase involves agreeing on a strategic roadmap that supports your company’s vision and higher purpose. Together we can set realistic short- and long-term goals and milestones, mapping out your journey for the next phase of development.
We’ll match your project with a Spark team that best leverages our skillsets and backgrounds. You may need only one or two key people, or maybe you need a larger group of experts.

Step 3: Ignite

Executing on a strategy is the fun part – and arguably one of the most critical. Having put together a team and a strategic plan, it’s time to shift into high gear to ensure a seamless implementation that sparks the kind of change and results you want. Here is where our experience with change management can also be valuable.

Step 4: Capital Raise

In parallel to implementation, we’ll build a strong business case for an infusion of capital, and meet with the Spark network of investors to explore the best investment fit.

Who we are |

Our specialist and your team

The Spark team has decades of combined experience in igniting business transformation and growth around the globe. Over the past 5-7 years, for example, our consultants have delivered 28 new-product launches, led 4 mergers, implemented 8 sizable corporate transformations, directed 36 product transfers in manufacturing, 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.

Naturally, many of our customers already have committed management teams in place. So why Spark? Often the owners or a team itself realize that they’re lacking a particular area of expertise to fully execute on an ambitious growth strategy. With Spark, they can quickly tap into the brains, experience and networks of the best business leaders, developers, producers, marketers and investors on an as-needed basis.

No project is too big or small. So let’s sit down together, figure out your needs and then put together just the right team to realize your vision.

Beth Topolovsky
Operations

beth@sparkgroup.se

Sherry Thomas-Zon
Marketing and Product Strategy

sherry@sparkgroup.se

Rich Mironov
Product Management and developement

rich@sparkgroup.se

Carol Hargrave
Brand Strategy and Product Marketing

carol@sparkgroup.se

Michael Aronowitz
B2B Sales and Managed Media

michael@sparkgroup.se

Thomas JOhansson
Product Strategy

thomas@sparkgroup.se

Tord Johnsson
Production and Logistics

tord@sparkgroup.se

Per-Ola Andersson
Product Management

per-ola@sparkgroup.se

Breaux Norris
Sales and Operations

breaux@sparkgroup.se

Christian Meincke
Sales and Marketing

christian@sparkgroup.se

Charles Lafage
Market and competitive analysis

charles@sparkgroup.se

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