Team Spotlight: Cari Sommer, CEO

What do you do at RAISE?

A little bit of everything!

Favorite part of what you do?

It’s hard to pick just one. I love collaborating with passionate founders who want to create change– whether it’s in what they’re building, how they’re changing a market or how they’re running their company. It’s great to be around people who always see opportunity!  I love the creativity of finding interesting ways to tell a company or founder story. (I wish it were as easy as just saying company XYZ is awesome– but it’s not, especially with so many tech companies out there. Thankfully, I enjoy the challenge of breaking through the noise).  I really enjoy  brainstorming ideas with the RAISE team.  Despite working mostly virtually, we’re able to do a lot of real-time collaboration which is fun.  We are also able to work in lock-step and support one another, which is so important in what can sometimes be an ‘always on’ workday (I recently went on vacation where I put on my out of office notification, in part at the insistence of the team, who could tell that after a busy summer, a week offline was needed)!  Which brings me to the last piece, which is that I truly love building RAISE.  I’m proud that we are offering something unique to the market with an all-senior team who is willing to dig in to tackle tough challenges.  I talk to so many founders who feel that Communications is essential to their company, yet have been disappointed with their past partnerships. We know how critical it is to bring a company story to life, and we work hard to do so.  We aim to put a fresh spin on the traditional  ‘service provider relationship” by working as a trusted extension of our clients’ executive teams.  And last, but certainly not least, it’s very important to me that RAISE is a place where people feel that they are valued, can grow, feel proud of the work they do, and have some fun while we’re doing it.  (Also, we start most Monday meetings by reviewing books –to know me is to know that  sooner or later I’ll ask you what book you’re reading).

Top advice to a tech CEO looking to stand out in the press?

Own a point of view and make it relevant.  It sounds simple, but it can be the most challenging. It’s not enough to say what your company does. It’s all about why it matters, and why it matters now.  A data-driven, insightful perspective on relevant discussions will always win. 

What do you read every day? My email (including the tons of tech and business newsletters I subscribe to), my text messages  and whatever novel I’m currently hooked on.