About Kurt

Kurt Leafstrand is a entrepreneurial, 0->1 product management executive, advisor, and investor with a deep network across Silicon Valley and beyond.

He invests and advises primarily on where AI intersects with next-generation enterprise SaaS applications and platforms.

He has been involved with enterprise software in various forms since the age of 14, when he developed the first PC-based accounting application designed for the scrap metal industry.

After graduating from MIT with a degree in aeronautics and astronautics, he founded one of the first web-based ERP application companies tailored to the needs of engineer-to-order manufacturers which was acquired by Visibility Corporation in 2000.

Following a return to MIT for his MBA from Sloan, Kurt was a consultant at McKinsey and Company before returning to his software roots, rising to lead product management for Emptoris, a leading strategic sourcing platform, during a period of rapid growth.

In 2005 he had the opportunity to come to Silicon Valley as the first dedicated product manager at Clearwell Systems, and saw it rise from no revenue to an $80M run rate prior to its acquisition by Symantec for $390M in 2011.

In 2012, he was the founding product leader of Clari, shepherding the product from initial ideation to its position as the industry’s leading revenue platform. Today Clari runs revenue execution at over 1,000 of the world’s most successful and highest-growth companies (like Adobe, Palo Alto Networks, HP, Workday, and Cisco). He oversaw the growth of the PM team from 0 to 50, revenue from 0 to $100M++, and participated in the fundraising journey from the initial Sequoia Series A pitch through to Clari’s $225M Series F at a $2.6B valuation in 2022, led by Blackstone.

In addition to his role at Clari, in 2024 he began formally advising and investing in AI-focused enterprise application companies on product strategy, innovation, culture, and scaling.