Women in GTM - Transitioning into an AI-native company
Hosted by Reducto Community Calendar + Adel Wu + Desanka Aleksov + Mel Goelz
Register with organizer
What to look forward to
Melanie Goelz, Reducto’s Head of Sales who helped scale Ironclad to over $250M ARR, and Desanka Aleksov, Head of Solutions Engineering with 15+ years building tech go-to-market teams, will share practical advice on moving from SaaS to AI-native roles. The conversation will cover changing skill demands, interview preparation, and lessons from their own transitions, followed by Q&A and networking.
Inside the event
Have you recently moved, or perhaps considered moving from traditional SaaS to an AI-native company? Join us for an evening of honest conversation about what the move takes and how to get ready for it.
Melanie Goelz and Desanka Aleksov will talk about how they made the transition themselves. One example is going from a technical SE to someone who can support AI customers. You’ll also get a sneak peek at how Reducto runs its interview process and what we look for in candidates.
What we’ll cover
- The skills gap: how selling an AI-native product differs from selling SaaS
- How to prepare: practical exercises that sharpen you for the interview, like building a data pipeline, designing a territory and account tiering model, and building a book of business
- Open conversation: what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how to find the role that fits you.
After the talk and Q&A, stay for food, drinks, and networking with the Reducto team and other people working in go-to-market.
Schedule
- 6:00 PM: Doors open, food and drinks
- 6:30 PM: Fireside chat with Melanie and Desanka
- 7:15 PM: Open Q&A
- 7:30 PM: Networking
Our Speakers
Melanie Goelz is Head of Sales at Reducto, where she leads the company’s sales teams and go-to-market growth. Previously, she spent nearly a decade at Ironclad where she helped scale that business from an early-stage startup to over $250M in ARR. She lives in Oakland with her husband and three daughters.
Desanka Aleksov is Head of Solutions Engineering at Reducto, an AI-native company. She has spent more than 15 years building and scaling go-to-market teams in tech, including nine years at Salesforce and four years as Global Head of PreSales at Ironclad. Before joining Reducto, she advised and invested in early-stage startups, helping founders build GTM teams and win major enterprise customers. Desanka lives in San Francisco, where she is raising two girls, and serves on the board of Cultural Vistas, supporting international exchange programs. She is also a four-time national champion in rhythmic gymnastics.
*Reducto is a document intelligence company transforming the way businesses work with unstructured data at scale. Join us!*
San Francisco, CA
Venue listed by the organizer · San Francisco, CA. Confirm the final address before traveling.
Open in Google Maps ↗Discovered through Cerebral Valley. Details come from the event listing and the organizer page; registration is managed by the organizer.
Last checked: Nov 5, 2026. Confirm current availability before making plans.
Organizer page checked: Nov 5, 2026. Check registration for the latest details.