Our Story

At Spinnaker, our journey is rooted in decades of sales expertise and startup growth. From building pioneering technology in the 1990s and 2000s to mentoring founders at MIT, we’ve shaped a proven methodology that turns challenges into opportunities. Our mission is to guide B2B founders with clarity, structure, and confidence—helping them transform sales into scalable, repeatable growth.

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Our Journey & Milestones

The Story Behind Our Success, One Year at a Time

1990s
In their first startup together, Jim and Kent launched the world’s first commercial browser, were self-funded, and a successful exit in 1996
Building Transformative Companies
Building Transformative Companies

In their first startup together, Jim and Kent launched the world’s first commercial browser, were self-funded, and a successful exit in 1996

2000s
In their first startup together, Jim and Kent launched the world’s first commercial browser, were self-funded, and a successful exit in 1996
In their first startup together, Jim and Kent launched the world’s first commercial browser, were self-funded, and a successful exit in 1996
Built and exited multiple startups in emerging spaces of dev-ops, SaaS, mobile, cloud, eCommerce, social, and AI. Developed and refined a B2B sales methodology and course, began teaching at MIT
Foundations & Teaching
Foundations & Teaching

Built and exited multiple startups in emerging spaces of dev-ops, SaaS, mobile, cloud, eCommerce, social, and AI. Developed and refined a B2B sales methodology and course, began teaching at MIT

2010-2015
Kent and Jim reconnect at MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service, combining decades of sales expertise and coaching hundreds of early-stage ventures.
Reunion at MIT VMS
Reunion at MIT VMS

Kent and Jim reconnect at MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service, combining decades of sales expertise and coaching hundreds of early-stage ventures.

2016-2021
Introduced the methodology and course commercially, supporting hundreds of early-stage ventures.Expand Coaching and Teaching expands to hundreds of ventures around the world.
Commercial Training Launch
Commercial Training Launch

Introduced the methodology and course commercially, supporting hundreds of early-stage ventures.Expand Coaching and Teaching expands to hundreds of ventures around the world.

2022-present
Launched Spinnaker Sales Group, formalizing training and coaching service offerings for B2B startup ventures and accelerators.
Spinnaker Founded
Spinnaker Founded

Launched Spinnaker Sales Group, formalizing training and coaching service offerings for B2B startup ventures and accelerators.

Spinnaker Offerings

Empowering Startups and Teams with Proven Sales Expertise

Sales Training

Five-day intensive “sales bootcamp” for founders and management teams, teaching essential B2B sales skills and practices through a modular approach.

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Sales Coaching

Personalized multi-month engagements focused on applying the Spinnaker Sales Methodology to individual startups’ sales pipelines to generate measurable wins.

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Key Spinnaker Achievements

Proven Impact, Global Reach, and Measurable Success

Completed 100+ coaching engagements with individual ventures achieving substantial revenue growth, and founders reaching “self-proficiency” with sales

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Global reach to leading accelerator organizations cross North America, Europe, and the Middle East, with >90% year-over-year training renewals

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Team Spinnaker

Highly-experienced sales practitioners who bring decades-long B2B sales skills and industry knowledge to help ventures with their most pressing sales strategy and execution needs.

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Jim MacDonald
Customer-facing organization builder
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Kent Summers
Founder & CEO of software ventures

Ready to Accelerate Your Startup’s Sales?

Don’t wait to grow—partner with Spinnaker and get the expert guidance, practical tools, and proven strategies your team needs to close more deals, scale faster, and achieve measurable results.
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