Jonah Gershon

About

Hi, I’m Jonah, a Cornell Hotel School grad with a minor in computer science. As Founder and CEO of Spekld, I created the first-ever stick of brown butter, securing funding from pitch competitions, competing in a national dairy innovation competition, and winning Cornell’s largest business plan competition. At Rilla, a high-growth, fast-paced AI sales startup, I managed field marketing and operations, giving keynote AI speeches for crowds of 50-500. I also worked as a Software Engineering Intern at WillowTree, a digital product consultancy. Additionally, I led design efforts, including developing my personal website. I’m passionate about blending creativity, tech, and customer-focused solutions. Looking forward to connecting!

Experience

• Field Marketing and Operations Manager · Rilla11-01-2023

  ○ Gained 200+ prospective client demos by delivering keynote, 30-60 min, AI presentations to audiences of 50-300+ ○ Increased demos booked by 20% by managing conference booths (30+ conferences) and pitching to attendees ○ Organized three personalized trips within budget, creating memorable experiences to strengthen client connections

• Founder and CEO · spekld09-01-2022

  ○ Raised $86,500 via five pitch competitions and as a 2023 Northeastern Dairy Innovation Competition finalist ○ Orchestrated six pilot production runs, making over 300lbs in total using effective project management tools ○ Conducted 250+ customer discovery interviews by posting on community pages and scheduling 15-minute calls ○ Soft launched spekld, selling 300 sticks of butter amongst three pop-ups through effective go-to-market strategies

• Software Engineering Intern · WillowTree06-01-2022 – 08-01-2022

  ○ Enhanced user information verification by 100% by developing an effective data validation function in Kotlin/XML ○ Fixed 10+ bugs on the CBC Gem app and TV platform by discussing with the client their pain points every week ○ Created an MVP gas pump ordering web application by working with five interns and writing HTML and CSS code

• Head Bakery Assistant · Small State Provisions06-01-2021 – 08-01-2021

  ○ Increased pastry production and offerings by 1-2 items per week by developing original bulk recipes (100+ servings) ○ Grew average order value by 18% by effectively engaging in upselling techniques with over 100+ customers per day ○ Enhanced available menu cost data by 100% by creating a dynamic Excel model for product costing and margins

Education

• Cornell UniversityBachelor of Science - BS, Business/Hospitality Administration and Computer Science

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