Jon Appleton

Background

About Jon Appleton

Seasoned deal negotiator/coach, sales tactician, software pricing expert, and commercial lawyer with decades of negotiating and closing complex software sales and partnerships around the world. As a SaaS consultant and lawyer with M.A, Ll.M, and J.D. degrees, I have nearly 35 years of experience putting deals together from the business and legal perspectives. For the past 23+ years, I have worked in the software industry, nearly exclusively with SaaS big data / analytics / AI companies. I help companies optimize their business models, pricing strategies, sales tactics, negotiation approaches, transaction models, and commercial contracts, leveraging my business experience, legal background, international awareness, and deep domain knowledge. I started my career as a lawyer with Baker & McKenzie, where I worked on technology transactions, start-ups, and cross-border M&A for ten years, spending time in the Los Angeles, Frankfurt, and Palo Alto offices. I left private legal practice in frustrated being the guy who showed up too late to influence the business outcome and who, instead, was pushed into a corner to over-negotiate scintillating issues like indemnification. Since leaving private practice, I have worked exclusively in the software sector, initially as a consultant, but most notably holding multiple VP positions at DemandTec, Inc, a pioneer in applying big data to solve real business issues. After spending a couple of years assisting with the integration process following the acquisition of DemandTec by IBM in 2012, I transitioned back to freelance consulting providing services to various SaaS / AI companies, including Zilliant, Eversight, Nomis Solutions, Antuit.ai, Cognicor, and others. In 2021, I started working with Credo AI, a start-up with a mission to help companies deliver ethical and responsible AI. After a number of months consulting, I joined Credo AI as Head of Revenue Operations. As the Credo AI business grew, I phased out and returned my focus to consulting. My preferred approach is to be embedded in my companies for months (if not years), working closely with senior management and the sales organization. I do not just show up with advice and leave; I execute. Most small companies have neither the need, nor the money to bring on someone like me full-time, but I offer a way for companies to bring in house additional CXO-level business experience and partner-level legal skills that focus on maximizing sales at a fraction of the cost.