Company: LinkSquares, Boston, MA
Nomination Submitted by: Metis Communications
Company Description: LinkSquares is the company behind the AI-powered contract management platform of choice for legal teams aiming to move their business forward faster. Customers have everything they need to write better contracts, get contracts executed quickly, analyze what's in existing contracts, and collaborate better with their team at every step of the way.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Senior Sales Executive of the Year
 Nomination Title: Steve Travaglini, Chief Revenue Officer
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 199 words used.
Steve Travaglini, Chief Revenue Officer at LinkSquares, is driven by hard work, resilience, fairness, and a commitment to excellence. He joined LinkSquares in 2018 when the company was at ten people and around $500K in ARR. Today, LinkSquares’ ARR is well north of $30M – and the company has scaled to 400+ employees (160 of whom work within his department). Year after year, every year, Steve has led his team to double revenue.
Steve got his start in the School of Hard Knocks – as a painter, landscaper, dishwasher – you name it. These experiences taught him how to hustle, punch above his weight class, and achieve goals through dedication and grit. Steve’s B2B SaaS sales career began after getting his foot in the door as a staffing Business Development Representative (BDR). Steve identified and cold called individuals who were doing what he aspired to achieve professionally throughout his career, including Kyle York, Cara Gilbert, and Josh Allen. Within 8 years, his proactive approach to mentorship coupled with an evolution mindset helped him grow from an entry-level role to the C Suite. His “throw the rope back over” leadership mentality centers on developing and pulling the next leaders forward.
- Outline the nominee's achievements since July 1 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
Steve helped LinkSquares secure $161.46M in venture funding. LinkSquares’ financial success is largely driven by customer acquisition figures: over the past three years, Steve’s team has achieved over 2,000% subscription revenue growth – and doubled LinkSquares’ customer base to 850 legal teams in 2022.
Steve’s number one personal goal is to develop 20 VPs of Sales/CROs from his team. He is dedicated to developing and promoting from within: Steve grew his team from 30 to 168 employees since July 2020 – and has delivered 100 internal promotions. Over 70% of revenue leadership has been promoted from within – and 60% of his entire team has climbed the ranks internally. Steve views his people as his most important resource – and delivers support and policies to empower them. As a result, he maintains an impressive 80% retention rate.
In 2020, Steve partnered with a neuroscience-based, professional mindset coach to invest in the well-being of his team. The coach holds 1:1 and weekly group sessions with the revenue organization, providing support outside the skills directly relating to their roles. This benefit furthers professional growth and personal mental wellness.
Steve developed a sales enablement team of five trainers dedicated to skillset coaching across every level. Additionally, Steve partners with Pavillion to provide consistent management training across all revenue leaders.
Steve is committed to transparency and ensures everyone in the same role has the same salary. He instituted a parental leave policy that enables his team to maintain career momentum.
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2020 of the nominated individual, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Steve offers one (very competitive) salary, equity, and on-target earnings (OTE) package per title/role – and is completely transparent about packages, and in-office vs. hybrid structures. This creates a culture of transparency, trust, and teamwork, removing unfair advantages during the interview process based on negotiation experience. Creating a quarterly, metrics-based promotion path for individual contributor roles promotes equity and removes subjective criteria from career development.
As a first-time father, Steve developed a parental leave policy that enables all parents on his team to prioritize quality time with their families without sacrificing professional development. The program offers sellers variable compensation to take parental leave at or near 100% OTE, with a minimum floor of 75% OTE. He also lowers sellers’ quota by 50% for the 14 weeks following parental leave to retain top talent, foster equity, and reduce the pressure and anxiety most parents feel when returning to work.
Steve recognizes the value of mentorship and paying it forward. He encourages people outside of his network across different roles and career stages to reach out and dedicates the time to connect and lend support. This cold-outreach approach to recruiting and mentorship promotes equity – and creates opportunities for those who take initiative. Steve is an open-minded leader who often considers potential hires outside of traditional sales backgrounds, provided they can show dedication, perseverance, and passion for achievement.
Steve celebrates his team’s success across public forums, such as LinkedIn, giving them the recognition they deserve in front of a wide, influential network.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 245 words used.
As part of his dedication to developing 20 VPs of Sales and CROs from his team, Steve celebrates his top performers across LinkedIn. He recently launched a series of posts (see here 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) recognizing the individuals who make LinkSquares’ revenue engine world-class. Steve trusts that his commitment to ensuring his team feels valued and supported, as well as his investments in their growth and wellness, will encourage them to stay. His authentic leadership approach – and his transparency around the culture, policies, and opportunities he cultivates – sets a positive example across sales, tech, and Boston communities.
Steve’s team delivers consistent performance and results worthy of professional growth. These growth opportunities are maximized through the unique benefits Steve delivers, including mindset coaching, dedicated professional development staff and resources, and the time and balance required for work-life fulfillment. Steve is the ultimate team builder. He creates an environment where his people feel comfortable and supported as their authentic selves and valued and recognized for their contributions. He instills his entire organization with meaningful, benevolent qualities to pass down to the next group to help them succeed – while simultaneously fostering an evolutionary mindset. His mantras: “I don’t care about being right, I only care about finding what works” and “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go fARR, go together ”underpin his leadership framework – and lay the foundation for record-breaking results year after year.
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