Before we announce the inaugural recipients of our new Golden Armadillo Awards, we’d like to explain why we selected this seemingly unlikely symbol.
As Strattam is an Austin-based company, we’re particularly partial to all things Texas, and the nine-banded armadillo—which is Spanish for “small armored one”—is one of the state’s official mammals. Anyone who has ever crossed paths with one of these tough guys knows they are determined and resilient creatures. Sure, they sometimes use that resilience to tear up your lawn, but armadillos are also distinctive animals that have evolved for millions of years. They’re born with built-in instincts for survival and an innate ability to dig deeply. In Texas, when you spot one, you know you’re looking at something special.
That’s why, when we decided to create an awards program to recognize significant achievement and sustained excellence among the Strattam portfolio companies, we instinctively thought of a Golden Armadillo. We wanted a unique award that honors leaders who are tough and determined, who keep things moving and who get things done.
So, without further ado, we introduce you to the 2019 winners of the Strattam Capital first annual Golden Armadillo Awards. These deserving champions were carefully selected, and their names will be engraved on a trophy displayed at our offices in Austin. We hope you’ll join us in congratulating these outstanding executives.
JAY GRAVES
Chief Product Officer, SSB
Jay is an incredibly focused worker. As a co-founder of SSB, Jay has played a critical role in SSB exceeding expectations with extremely rapid recurring revenue growth.
Jay has proven to be expert at product leadership and integration. Along with his team, Jay successfully fused three separate companies into the SSB family, adding technologies ranging from data warehousing to CRM and offices spanning Denver to Nashville. With a keen understanding of how to utilize these combined advantages, he has continued to lead SSB through its evolution from consulting firm to advanced software company. Today, SSB products and services are in play at more than 80 professional sports organizations across NASCAR, NFL, NBA, MLB, and professional soccer, and at more than 30 colleges, including Arizona State, Notre Dame, and the University of Texas.
Jay is a go-getter with boundless commitment to his work. He serves on the company’s Board of Directors and remains a significant investor in SSB. Moreover, he retains a wonderful sense of humor and humility. Congratulations, Jay.
RAVI AKELLA
CTO, Trax Technologies
Ravi is an innovator with exemplary parallel processing capabilities. Under his guidance, Trax successfully merged product operations between two companies of roughly equal size. This meant tackling two obstacles simultaneously: the integration of complex freight payment technologies with a host of other tech-enabled services, and the integration of the teams that developed these technologies, which were scattered around the globe. Unfazed by the task, Ravi led Trax through the merger and achieved the company’s goal of building new, scalable products with twice the revenue.
Ravi didn’t stop there, of course. His team also successfully released a news software platform and coordinated the first implementation—not with a small business conversion for an easy win, but with Trax’s largest volume new customer. Clearly, Ravi believes in his team’s capabilities and won’t back down from a challenge.
With much credit to Ravi’s leadership, Trax is rapidly emerging as a far more valuable software company. Well done, Ravi.
GILBERTO FRAGUADA JIMENEZ
Vice President of Sales, LAC, Rock Solid
Gilberto comes from a long line of fishermen, which tells you right away that he has unwavering patience and dedication. When he has his eye on a goal, you better believe he will reach it.
Case in point: Under Gilberto’s direction, Rock Solid achieved over 100% of its ARR and NRR yearly target in just three quarters in Latin America. These sales numbers speak to the company’s overarching growth, as Gilberto and his team have successfully expanded Rock Solid’s LAC reach beyond Puerto Rico into the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Mexico.
Personally, Gilberto is one of the most driven individuals we know, and his sunny disposition makes working with him a great pleasure. Thank you for all you do, Gilberto.
JENNIFER SCHIFFMAN
Vice President of Marketing, Blacksmith
When Strattam first started working with Blacksmith, we knew there was a strong product-market fit. The application was impressive, and customers were happy. What was missing was a mechanism to share their amazing work in a much broader way.
Jennifer joined the Blacksmith team in November of 2016 and got to work immediately. She stood up an entirely new website, marketing automation system, CRM integration and a full SEO / SEM strategy in six months. Soon after, leads started funneling in, and Blacksmith was enjoying opportunities that never would have surfaced otherwise.
Jennifer is a valuable member of the Blacksmith senior leadership team with seemingly unlimited energy to deliver impactful marketing programs. Kudos on your accomplishments, Jennifer.
For their incredible efforts and successes over the past year, we congratulate these four Golden Armadillos and thank them for exemplifying the Strattam Capital standard of excellence.
