At Next47, we know that building the future doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but instead when great people connect. That’s why we created our executive network, a community designed to connect cybersecurity and software engineering leaders with founders, venture capital insights, emerging technologies, and each other.
Now, we’re taking you inside these conversations with our new video series: The Network Effect.
Each episode will feature unfiltered insights from executives leading their industries. We’re kicking off the series with a conversation featuring Cleve Pasarell, VP of Engineering, Revenue AI for Marketing at 6sense. In this interview, he chats about how AI is revamping marketing strategies, how to build high-performing engineering teams, and how to encourage innovation in your org.
Key Takeaways
Balancing Innovation vs. Reliability
Cleve shares how leading AI initiatives demands a careful balance between innovation and reliability. He emphasizes the importance of assessing one’s risk profile when deploying AI solutions in business-critical functions like revenue generation, and that not all problems are suited for probabilistic AI systems. He outlines practical methods for stabilizing these AI systems by:
Using extensive training data
Keeping humans in the loop for critical decisions
Breaking down complex systems into manageable, deterministic components
Build Engineering Teams That Move Faster & Smarter
Cleve also dives deep into his philosophy on building and scaling engineering teams that consistently deliver at a high level. He shares three qualities he looks for when hiring:
Exceptional communication skills
High aptitude for learning and adapting
Self-starting passion for the craft
Cleve explains that more than anything, it’s about finding people who can grow with the challenges, not just show up with a skillset. Technical expertise (while important) can often be taught, but communication, adaptability, and passion are the differentiators that build truly great teams.
Once you have the right people, you must create the right framework. Ensure you set a clear direction, empower autonomy, and measure long-term velocity (not just quick wins).
Staying Ahead in the Age of AI
Cleve also shares how founders can attempt the impossible task of staying ahead of the AI curve. He thinks your best bet is to:
Maintain broad awareness of new trends
Deeply understand regulations impacting AI
Be extraordinarily knowledgeable in your domain of expertise
Leverage AI tools early to stay relevant
Founders need to keep in mind that AI is a tool, not a silver bullet. Building great products still begins with understanding customer problems and solving them thoughtfully, AI or not.
