Stephen Poletto

Enigma
DISC Type : icd

Field CTO at Span

San Francisco, California, United States

Overview

Stephen Poletto is a technology executive and the Field CTO at Span, focusing on go-to-market strategy. He previously served as CTO at Lattice, where he scaled the engineering team from 20 to 150 and supported ARR growth from $15M to $125M. He is a Brown University graduate with a background that includes roles at Dropbox and Apple.

Outside of his primary role, Stephen advises multiple startups on scaling their engineering and product teams. He contributes to the community as a board member for Housing Connector, a tech-for-good nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to housing for those in need.

He once created a bill-splitting mobile app and taught a course on the fundamentals of digital audio production.

Personality Overview

Friendly Yet Blunt

Fast Follower

Hard To Convince

They are likely to ask many questions and look heavily for supporting proof as well as information.  They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing  They are generally strong communicators and are not easy to convince.

Topics They Care About

AI in Software Development
Frequently discusses the impact of AI on software development teams, including code generation and the challenges of measuring productivity gains beyond perception.
Scaling Engineering Teams
Advises startups and has direct experience growing an engineering organization from 20 to 150 people, focusing on hiring, structure, and operational excellence.
Go-to-Market Strategy
His current role as a Field CTO at Span is centered on leading GTM functions, including marketing, growth, sales, and customer success.

Media Appearances

Stephen has no verified media appearances

Work History

5-2025
Field CTO at Span
6-2023 - 5-2025
Advisor at Span
7-2025
Board Member at Housing Connector
9-2022
Advisor at Various Startups
3-2020 - 10-2024
Chief Technology Officer at Lattice

Education

2008 - 2012
Bachelor's Degree from Brown University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 13 Location : San Francisco, California, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : Field CTO at Span
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Insights For Selling To Stephen

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Let them lead the discussion, create opportunities for them to speak if they are not very forthcoming
  • Use phrases like ‘clear evidence’, ‘data-based results’ etc.
  • Help them realize that any personal risk in making this decision is far less compared to what the results could mean for them

DONT's

  • Don’t rely excessively on your relationship with them to win the deal even if you come to form one
  • Don’t brush off any concerns, take all questions seriously. They are easily deterred
  • Don’t be too objective but make sure to pad your storytelling with data points

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Stephen is

  • Proven value, strong objective evidence are important for them, rapport can impact decisions a little.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Stephen

  • They are practical and friendly, but can give a clear response with a little prodding

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Stephen move?

  • They like to be detailed, so unless they develop strong conviction, they can take their time to arrive at decisions
  • Can Stephen take some risk or not?

  • They evaluate their decisions systematically and do not take risks that often, unless you can get them to develop strong conviction

You And Stephen

Personality Compatibility


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