Starbridge

Helping businesses that sell to government & education identify and take action on industry-specific buying signals: new RFP opportunities, relevant strategic plans, board meeting mentions, competitor contract expiration dates, and more.

Chief Revenue Officer

Inspirewell

Founder and CEO

Pavilion

Executive Member

Parchment, An Instructure Company

-Led team of 30+ responsible for driving new sales efforts across Higher Education, K12, and Workforce.
-Scaled topline ARR from ~$20M to over $100M
-Achieved or exceeded quota targets in 15 of 17 quarters with fiscal year performance of 117%, 125%, 91%, and 107% in '20, '21, '22, and '23 respectively
-Grew new bookings by 20-30% per year to a total topline of over $100M in ARR
-Implemented a formal coaching program that helped drive a 3x increase in percentage of reps attaining annual quota (from 25% to 75%). 
-Orchestrated culture overhaul that increased rep tenure from 14 months to 36 months

Vice President of Sales

Blackboard

-Sold $1M +services and technology deals to University Presidents, Provosts, and VP of Enrollment
-Collaborated with 7 Account Executives across the Southeast to help identify targets and close deals
-Achieved quota attainment of 111% in first and only year in role

Director, Student Services

Parchment Inc.

-Managed new bookings for Higher Education vertical in Western US; target buyers included CIOs, VPs of Enrollment, Provosts, Registrars, and Deans at colleges and universities in Western US states (ACV $50k)
-Achieved or exceeded quota every year: 
2014 - 184% to goal
2015 - 122% to goal - Awarded Salesperson of the Year
2016 - 100% to goal
2017 - 114% to goal

Regional Sales Manager, Higher Education

-Responsible for generating interest and qualifying leads for national higher education sales organization
-Achieved or exceeded monthly meeting targets in 11 of 11 months in position and subsequently promoted to Regional Sales Manager.
-Named 2013 Rookie of the Year

Sales Development Representative

Crowell & Moring LLP

-Began my post college career on the law school path before pivoting into sales

Paralegal

Project Assistant

Currently building Starbridge, the GTM Intelligence Platform for businesses selling to government & education. We help our partners leverage industry-specific buying signals - such as RFPs, strategic plans, board meeting notes, competitor contract expiration dates, and more - to build a tailored, outbound strategy that drives pipeline.

Before Starbridge, I led sales at Parchment on a journey to $100M in ARR selling to K12 districts, Higher Ed, and state governments before being acquired by Instructure. While at Parchment, I lived the challenge of selling to government and education entities. With the proliferation of spray-and-pray outbound, that challenge has only gotten harder.

I’m helping build Starbridge to simplify selling to government and education. We’re making it easier for businesses to access public contracts and compete on the merits of the product. Our goal? To catalyze a new era of public-private partnerships that change the world for the better.

At Starbridge, we gave 5 employees each 3 raises in 6 months. Not one of them asked. 
 
Giving raises before people ask is one of my favorite things to do as a leader.
 
I had to get burned myself as a sales rep to understand why this matters so much.
 
At Parchment by Instructure, I was the top-performing rep on my team. But since I'd started as an SDR with modest annual increases, I was making $30-40k less than my peers. For the same role. While outperforming them.
 
It wasn't just about money. I also wanted to know the team valued me as much as I valued my work. 
 
So I asked for a raise. They said wait for the annual review cycle.
 
I worked harder. Asked again. "We'll get you there slowly."
 
The message was pretty clear to me: my production didn't matter as much as their process.
 
So I did what any frustrated millennial would do - got an offer from another company. $50k more per year.
 
When I brought it to leadership, they matched it immediately. But it was too late. The momentum was already carrying me out the door.
 
What I wish they'd understood at the time was this:
 
When you proactively give someone a raise, you're saying "I see you."
When they have to ask, you're saying "prove it."
 
That's a completely different conversation.
 
At Starbridge, we don't make people beg for what they've already earned. If you're crushing it, we notice. And we act on it.
 
Because waiting for some arbitrary review cycle to recognize excellence? That's how you lose your best people.
 
BTW - We're hiring overperformers who appreciate being valued proactively. I'll leave the links in the comments!

Matt Stinson💫

CRO @ Starbridge; former Parchment and Blackboard

In the last 6 months, we’ve grown Starbridge from 10 to 130 customers, I’ve lost 50lbs, and my wife and I welcomed our second son to the world. How do I do it all? The truth is, I don't.
 
I've been failing in plenty of areas. Most notably, my friendships are suffering.
 
A former boss once told me, “It’s impossible to burn on high: your friends, family, health, and career. Inevitably, one suffers if you’re going deep on the others.” 
 
In my experience, that’s true.
 
I've left my friends on read, chosen work over weekend hangs, and lost track of what's going on with them.
 
Being a bad friend sucks for someone who usually prides myself on being dependable.
 
But right now, the reality of the situation is that work, health, and family have to be my top priorities. And I'm extremely happy and grateful about how well those areas are going.
 
To anyone whose friendships are also suffering, remember that seasons change. Just be intentional about which season you're in.
 
Your friends will understand. Trust they'll be there when you have more to give.
 
P.S. - Throwback pic with two of my oldest and closest friends Shaun Schachner and Alexander Pagan

Me in 2022: Leading 50 reps at a $500M company
Me in 2024: Googling "How to set up commission plans"
 
Building from zero changes you.
 
Parchment was a well-oiled machine. I had infrastructure. Clear roles. Established playbooks. Plenty of hands to help.
 
Starbridge started as a blank page. For 6 months, it was just me. Every call. Every contract. Every invoice.
 
But now we're scaling. Hiring our 5th and 6th reps this week.
 
Which means I'm becoming a "real" manager again. And I'm realizing I've forgotten how.
 
At Parchment, team meetings had agendas. Structure. Professional distance.
 
Our Starbridge calls feel like hanging out. People jump in with ideas with no fear.
 
Part of me knows this won't scale to 20 people. But part of me wants to protect it anyway.
 
The truth nobody tells you about building from zero is that you don't just build a company, you rebuild yourself.
 
Every process you create, every person you hire, every cultural norm you set all flows from who you're becoming in real-time.
 
Some days I miss having the answers. Most days, I'm grateful to be figuring them out.
 
Even if it means Googling commission plans at midnight.

We're betting Starbridge will be a unicorn in 6 months, but as the CRO, I don't focus on results. Because focusing on outcomes is stupid, it's the process that matters.
 
Think about it: Millions of people set a goal to become an Olympian. Only a few dozen make it.
 
The difference isn't the goal. Everyone has the same goal. The difference is process.
 
Michael Phelps didn't win 23 gold medals by staring at a scoreboard. He won by swimming 80,000 meters per week. Every week. For years.
 
And I think a lot of sales leaders have this backwards.
 
Yes, you should set goals, of course. But your focus should be the deliberate steps you take along the way.
 
So rather than leading with outcomes:
• Hit 120% of quota
• Close 3 enterprise deals
• Generate $2M pipeline
 
Lead with process:
• Make 50 quality touchpoints daily
• Run discovery using MEDDIC on every call
• Send personalized follow-ups within 24 hours
 
Think of chasing results like steroids and focusing on the process like going to the gym. Steroids might get you the same result, but if you’re not putting in the reps, failing, and learning, then you’re not really growing and refining your skills. 
 
TLDR: Don't be outcome-obsessed, be process-obsessed. The outcomes will follow naturally.

My former boss constantly messed up during our role-plays. And she became one of the best sales leaders I've ever worked with.
 
Because she taught me that real learning comes from our mistakes. Every time she'd mess up, she'd admit it. Laugh about it. Learn from it.
 
She set the tone for how our whole team responded to failure.
 
Unfortunately, most sales leaders don't get this.
 
One sales leader I used to work with would drop these little comments, like when I'd leave for a doctor's appointment: "I see you're working banker hours, eh?" When I asked if it was actually a problem, he'd backpedal. "Just kidding!" But sarcasm in leadership destroys trust.
 
Another CRO would publicly shame people when deals weren't coming in on forecast. So what did I do? I'd act overconfident about deals to avoid the scrutiny. Even when I knew exactly where the risks were.
 
Both of them failed to create an environment where I felt safe being honest about those risks. And if I did, we could've adjusted our approach. Maybe saved some of those deals.
 
The point is when your team doesn't feel safe, they stop telling you the truth.
 
And then you lose the feedback loop that actually drives growth.
 
We've been very intentional at Starbridge. We have a Slack channel called "Closed Lost" where we share deals we didn't win and what we learned.
 
And I stay deeply tuned to my team's emotional state. I call them just to say thanks—not after big wins, just because.
 
I truly believe the best wins happen when people feel safe enough to lose.

Public sector deals get closed 50% faster when sales reps get on the road. 
 
But you can't visit everyone. That's where Starbridge comes in.
 
Old school B2G sellers say Starbridge is useless because school and government buyers are all about real-life relationships. Get on the road and shake some hands! 
 
They're not wrong. They're just not completely right either.
 
The reality is that relationships are essential, AND AI helps you target the right relationships so you aren't driving into the abyss, praying highway signs lead you to closed deals. 
 
When I was a salesperson at Parchment, there were entire states where I couldn't get a single meeting. Zero responses to calls, emails, LinkedIn messages. Complete radio silence.
 
Finally decided to show up at MACRAO (Registrar and Admissions conference) at Lake of the Ozarks.
 
When I got there, all the buyers wanted to drink and hang out. I was amazed - they weren’t cold to me or weird about sales.
 
I was young at the time, and one of the older reps pulled me aside and said, “Yeah, just buy them drinks, have a good conversation, eventually they’ll ask you about your product.”  
 
By year three of showing up, I knew buyers at almost every major institution.
 
But here was the painful part - I had all these relationships but no idea which ones to prioritize.
 
I was scheduling quarterly check-ins with schools that were locked into 5-year contracts. Meanwhile, I completely missed that Southeast Missouri State had just announced new transfer articulation goals in their board meeting.
 
I was treating every relationship equally because I had no visibility into what was actually happening at these schools.
 
If I'd had Starbridge, I would've known exactly where to focus:
• Which schools were discussing student mobility challenges in board meetings
• Who had expiring contracts with competitors
• Where new strategic initiatives aligned with our solution
• Which institutions had actually allocated budget for new systems
 
Instead, I spent months nurturing relationships at schools that wouldn't buy for years, while missing the ones with immediate needs.
 
The relationship part hasn't changed. You still need to show up, build trust, and be genuinely helpful.
 
What's changed is you don't have to work blind anymore. When you have 50 relationships across a territory, Starbridge tells you which 5 need your attention RIGHT NOW.
 
In public sector sales, relationships are everything. AI just helps you build the right ones.
 
So yes, get on the road. And use Starbridge as your GPS.

Thank one of your employees today - completely unprompted. 
 
Let me tell you a story about a time Bob Colleti, my CFO at Parchment by Instructure taught me that expressing gratitude is the highest ROI activity for any leader.
 
I remember one night at 8 PM, my phone lights up with "Bob Colleti - CFO" and my stomach dropped.
 
I was scrambling through my mental checklist - what deadline did I miss? Which forecast was off? Where did I screw up?
 
I answer, bracing for impact.
 
Him: "Hey Matt, you crushed it this quarter. I'm so glad you're on the team. Thanks for all that you do to build Parchment. Keep it up."
Me: “Uhh thank you…is that all?”
Him: “Yep, goodnight!”
 
I hung up feeling ready to run through a wall for Bob. That 30-second call skyrocketed my confidence and made me more motivated to perform. 
 
In hypergrowth startups, it’s easy to forget how far a simple 'thank you' goes. I’ve definitely caught myself thinking, “Well, I pay you, that’s good enough!”
 
It’s not. 
 
I talk to 10+ sales reps daily who feel invisible despite crushing their numbers. They're not asking for participation trophies, they're asking to be seen.
 
Gallup research shows well-recognized employees are 45% less likely to have turned over after two years. And 66% say they'd leave their job if they didn't feel appreciated.
 
That's why at Starbridge, we have a #-gratitude channel with one rule: No generic praise allowed.
 
❌ "Nicole crushed it today!"
✅ "Nicole jumped on a customer call with 2 minutes notice when I was stuck in another meeting - saved the deal and made us look like pros."
 
Look, I get it. I played football at Wesleyan. I've built sales orgs from 8M to 100M+ ARR. I know the grind. But expressing gratitude isn't soft, it's actually very strategic.
 
Before you close your laptop today, thank someone.
 
Take 20 minutes to write a handwritten letter. Give someone a call unprompted. Shout out a team member who doesn’t directly report to you. 
 
And be specific.

A week in my life as CRO of Starbridge raising 2 boys under 3...
 
→ Monday
Second full week of pre-school for my 3-year-old. Searching for creative ways to motivate him to get to school on time. The latest solution: scooter to school!
 
→ Tuesday 
Loaded day with back-to-backs: customer calls and recruiting for Starbridge. Tuesdays I'm working late, catching up on all that needs to happen when you were the first non-technical hire in October and now you're shooting for unicorn status by February.
 
→ Wednesday
Last week, the nanny called in sick. Operational hazard with little ones.
My wife has meetings downtown.
So I spent the day scrambling to reconfigure my schedule so I could pick up our son from school at 3pm. All while quasi-entertaining my 5-month-old from 7am-6pm.
In the evening, I usually catch up with my wife before heading back to work at night.
 
→ Thursday
Full day of meetings (like usual). Last week, this was 'Back to School Night' for the kids. My wife and I divided and conquered - she watched the boys while I stopped by the school. I love that we send our son to the local public school - it feels like such a cornerstone of our neighborhood. Fun night!

→ Friday 
I've had a week. My oldest got his adenoids out, so I spent the morning with my wife at the surgery center waiting room, attempting to listen to Gong calls on my mobile hotspot.
 
→ Saturday / Sunday
Weekends are a chance to catch my breath and realize that while this is hard (parenting and building a startup), many people would kill to have what I have right now. A wonderful, healthy family and an opportunity to build a generational company.

LinkedIn loves to reduce things to black and white. The reality is that there's a lot more gray.
 
I hope to explain the grayness to my audience and not just provoke a reaction with black and white hot takes.
 
Today, I'm hoping to explain the gray area of 'the grind', as a father of 2, building a startup:
 
I don't celebrate the grind. I'm realistic about what it takes to build a generational company, the sacrifices I need to make, and how I try to solve for it. 
 
I learned a lot about the grind as a football player at Wesleyan University. Some weeks between practice and meetings was 40+ hours on top of being a full time student. Was that sustainable forever? No. Did it make us better? Absolutely.
 
Building Starbridge while raising 2 children feels the same. There are stretches of time when I'm working 80hr weeks and missing family dinner. But that intensity isn't permanent; it's just seasonal. We're in a growth phase, racing to help companies navigate an AI revolution in government sales.
 
I don't believe balance is about equal hours. It's about being 100% present wherever you are.
 
When I'm with my kids from 7-9am, my phone is in another room. When I'm in a customer meeting, my family doesn't exist for that hour. When I'm at the gym at 5am, I'm not thinking about my inbox.
 
The grind without presence leads to burnout. But presence without the grind leads to mediocrity.
 
You need both. At least for now.
 
Will I work like this forever? Hell no. My 4-month-old and 3-year-old deserve better than a zombie dad.
 
But right now, thousands of companies are struggling to sell to government. They're wasting months chasing the wrong opportunities. They're losing deals they should win.
 
We're building something that matters. That requires sacrifice.
 
I'm not asking you to celebrate the grind. I'm asking you to acknowledge that sometimes extraordinary effort is the price of building something extraordinary.
 
The key is knowing it's temporary. And being honest about the cost.
 
Both things can be true.

Stop responding to cold RFPs if you're < $10M in revenue.
 
By the time you see a government RFP, a vendor has already been working that account for months. They've influenced the requirements and built relationships. The RFP is just a formality.
 
At Parchment, I must have wasted hundreds of hours chasing RFPs we'd never get.
 
For example - Texas A&M (one of our dream accounts). We'd tried everything to break in. Then one morning, an RFP drops that we knew nothing about.
 
My CFO Bob calls me: "How did we miss this?"
 
I told him we've tried everything to break into that account and no one's ever given us the time of day. But that wasn't good enough.
 
Cold RFPs mean 100+ hours to respond, less than 10% win rate if you're not already engaged, and massive opportunity cost from pursuing real deals.
 
In software and services, responding to cold RFPs is organizational malpractice. (Hardware and commodity purchases are different - those can be truly competitive on price.)
 
What actually moves the needle is understanding buying signals before RFPs drop. Board meetings, budget discussions, strategic plans - these tell you who's actually in-market versus just going through motions.
 
At Texas A&M, the writing was on the wall 6 months before that RFP:
• Board discussions about "vendor evaluation"
• New budget allocation for Q3
• Their current contract expiring year-end
 
We just couldn't see it.
 
Today, when my coaching clients ask about RFP strategy, I tell them: If you're under $10M, your time is too valuable to chase blindly. Focus on the accounts where you have relationships and intel.
 
By the way, at Starbridge, we track those buying signals across thousands of government and education entities. Shoot me a DM if you're curious about winning more RFPs.

Lovable, Replit, and Cursor make it seem like anyone can code now. Just caffeinate enough, grab ChatGPT premium, and boom -- you're building. But here's what they don't tell you.
 
The devil is in the details.
 
Building tools is like painting a room.
 
Easy to run a roller down the wall. "Look, I'm 90% done!" But anyone who has ever painted a room knows you're only 15% done. The real work is the edges. The taping. The trim. The second coat.
 
That's where the time goes. Where experience matters. Where amateurs quit.
 
It's the same with building in B2G. The classic build v. buy debate is one we hear a lot at Starbridge.
 
Building an in-house solution appears deceptively simple, but it actually requires significant ongoing investment in infrastructure, maintenance, and adaptation to changing government websites.
 
And 99% of teams that try building their own agents come back to us after hundreds of thousands in sunk costs and very frustrated engineers.
 
Government sites are chaos. Board packets are buried 4 clicks deep. Meeting minutes are scattered across 90,000 different buyer sites. Purchase history data requires making a formal Public Records Request. ChatGPT can't navigate that.
 
But Starbridge can.
 
We have a two-part solution:
1. Deep web scraping: Our purpose-built crawlers recursively follow links through multiple layers of government websites, automatically discovering buried documents across 100,000+ buyers
2. AI-powered analysis: We use advanced language models that are purpose-trained to analyze unstructured data and identify key buying signals within the content
 
So here's my advice:
 
Stop trying to paint the room yourself. You've got bigger walls to tackle. Let the professionals handle the trim work. Your vision deserves tools built by people who've already made the mistakes. Not people learning on your dime.

B2G sales isn't for the faint of heart. I once spent 3 weeks researching what I thought was our perfect target account only to discover in week 4 that they were locked into a 4-year contract with our competitor. With no termination rights.
 
This is the silent killer of B2G sales: you can know all the demographic data and still be completely blind to what actually matters.
 
Contract status. Leadership changes. Funding avenues. The stuff that determines if someone can actually buy from you.
 
It's all public information. But it's buried in meeting minutes, board documents, and procurement records that no one has time to dig through.
 
So you face an impossible choice:
• Spend forever researching and never scale.
• Or skip the research and pray you're not wasting months on locked accounts.
 
I may be obsessive about building Starbridge, but it's because I've watched too many good reps burn out in that cycle.
 
They're talented. They work hard. But they're playing with incomplete information.
 
We're solving this. Every account shows you exactly what you need to know before you make that first call. So you never have to go through research hell (as I call it) again.
 
PS - DM me if you're curious what we're working on over here.

What running revenue at a high-growth startup feels like most days. Lots of ups and lots of downs.

Consider this a gentle reminder to still let yourself act like a kid. Something that my pal Jonathan Nicola always brings out in me. He visited Thursday night and we had a blast exploring DC on ebike! Can anyone name which park this is???

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