Theresa Klaassen

Homie, check the vibe on Theresa Klaassen, she’s the real deal in the startup world, no cap. So she’s part of YC W21, which is already a big flex, and she’s been crushing it across the board. Started out working her ass off in both for-profit and nonprofit spaces, handling leadership, program management, and finances like a seasoned pro. She’s not just some startup kid throwing shit at the wall, she’s got over a decade of legit experience leading teams in customer success, sales, and growth.

Her big break came with Worksphere, a company she helped co-found. They were all about managing hybrid workplaces, yeah, the kinda thing that’s super hot right now, and they got backed by YC. She was Head of Growth there, which means she was the one pushing to get more users, more customers, more everything. And get this, in 2022, Envoy, one of the biggest names in office management tech, swooped in and acquired Worksphere. That’s a major W, right? It shows she’s got that startup hustle and knows how to build something useful from scratch.

But her story doesn’t stop there. Before all that, she was working with her co-founders at Lish, which grew to a $12 million ARR, that’s no joke. She’s been in the trenches building stuff that actually scales. Plus, she’s held director roles, especially around customer experience, which shows she’s all about making sure the user or client is taken care of, the kind of mindset that turns a good startup into a great one.

She’s based out in Seattle now, but her experience spans a bunch of cool companies like Chewse, Fathom (YC W21 again), Envoy, and Camp Leo for Children with Diabetes, yeah, she’s been involved in stuff that’s both business and social impact. That mix tells me she’s not just in it for the money; she genuinely wants to make an impact, whether that’s in workspaces or helping kids with diabetes.

All in all, Theresa’s process is about building, scaling, and making real shit happen. She’s the kind of founder who’s seen the grind, understands what it takes to grow a business, and then pulls it off, all while staying grounded and driven by purpose. That’s why she’s so important. She’s proof that with the right mix of hustle, smarts, and heart, you can crush the game and leave a real mark.