Meet Marcela Shine
Marcela Shine is a Colombian-born entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience driving company growth, with experience in leading go-to-market strategy, digital, and product marketing. As a marketing executive, she has held leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies and C-level positions at venture-backed start-ups.
Marcela is a small business owner herself, managing her Colombian-based business from abroad.
Shaping the Future
In addition to being "Uber Mom" and "Super Mom" to her boys, she dedicates time to non-profit boards and proudly mentors Colombian entrepreneurs as a member of other online communities.
Background
From Financial Services to Tech Start-Ups
Marcela's career began at Refinitiv (formerly Thomson Reuters), where she built a multi-million dollar global product portfolio delivering data and technology solutions to financial institutions. She led pre- and post-acquisition strategies, becoming General Manager of newly acquired companies. That's where she discovered her passion for startup ventures.
In her C-level positions at Martech and venture-backed SaaS startups, she led fundraising efforts, co-developed products, and built high-performing customer success teams. Marcela's expertise in go-to-market strategy was instrumental as a virtual COO, consulting for startups like Climate & Capital Media and Ureeka Inc. She is an angel investor and advises early-stage companies.
Shifting from Tech Start-Ups to Main Street Small Businesses
It was at Ureeka, a groundbreaking SaaS platform that supported underrepresented entrepreneurs, that Marcela learned how to simplify her corporate and startup knowledge for the small business owner. Marcela was instrumental in creating scalable small business coaching solutions. She also launched additional tools and services that drove additional revenue streams for the company. Marcela's team executed grant partnerships with industry leaders such as Comcast, Facebook, Salesforce, Google for Startups, and the US Chamber of Commerce. Ureeka was acquired by ZenBusiness in 2022. Today, Marcela is the head of corporate marketing for ZenBusiness.
Advocacy Work
Beyond her professional pursuits, Marcela advocates through her position on on two boards. The Tutu Project, a non-profit that provides grants for breast cancer patients' financial needs. There, she secured substantial corporate partnerships with Bloomingdales, Deutsche Telekom, and JetLinx, amplifying the foundation's global impact. She also serves as a board member for the Gift of Adoption, a non-profit that helps families receive financial aid for their adoption process.
Proud Colombiana
As a Colombian immigrant, Marcela embodies the resilience required to forge a new life in a foreign land. Growing up in Washington Heights, New York, she vividly recalls the challenges of learning English and assisting her parents as they navigated the complexities of starting anew in America.
She maintains a deep connection to her Colombian heritage. She’s the founder of Grupo Alegra, a small business in the Colombian travel sector, and consults with private-equity firms interested in investing in Colombia. She led the 2022 entrepreneurship speaker series for the Colombian American Association, and advised the Colombian Film Festival as a tech advisor, successfully launching digital properties for premieres in New York and Bogota.
Proudest Creation
The Shine family is an wonderful mix of East Coast meets Midwest. Marcela and her husband have been together for over twenty years and are happily raising their two boys in North Carolina.
Marcela Shine's remarkable career showcases her unparalleled talent in building and accelerating business growth. Her positive energy and people-first approach make her a visionary leader driving meaningful change in business, her life, and society.