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Brett Queener

Brett Queener

Building, scaling, and investing in software companies

Santa Barbara, California
nitter+1
Joined February 2026
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Network

10.2K connections
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GTM Revenue Leaders
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SmartRecruiters Network
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AI Founders Leaders
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Bonfire Ventures Core
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Venture Capital Investors

Summary

Brett Queener is a highly experienced software executive and venture capitalist with a career spanning over two decades, characterized by leadership roles in rapidly growing companies. He started at Siebel Systems, helped scale salesforce.com as employee #70 through various executive positions including EVP & GM of Marketing Cloud and Data.com, and served as President & COO of SmartRecruiters, guiding it from pre-revenue to unicorn status. Currently, as a Managing Director at Bonfire Ventures, he invests in and advises seed-stage application software companies, leveraging his deep expertise in product and go-to-market strategies to help founders build and scale their businesses. bonfirevc+2
Queener is an active board member and investor, holding positions on the boards of numerous software companies such as Invoca, TeamSense, Pendo.io, Cube, and Spekit, among others. His involvement extends to providing strategic guidance and coaching to founders, as evidenced by testimonials from CEOs of his portfolio companies, highlighting his hands-on approach and commitment to their success. bonfirevc+2
He is a prolific writer and thought leader on topics such as SaaS sales compensation, product development, and the impact of AI on the software industry. Through his Substack 'Tales from The Bonfire' and articles on Medium and SaaStr, he shares insights on building resilient software companies, adapting to rapid technological change, and the strategic importance of a clear company identity in early stages. substack+3
Beyond his professional achievements, Brett is a devoted family man residing in Santa Barbara, California, and has a keen interest in sports, particularly GSW hoops and 49ers football. He also engages in hobbies like making Rhone style wines, playing Japanese RPGs, and remains deeply involved in the sport of lacrosse, both as a former professional player with multiple championships and as a coach. bonfirevc+2

Work

Education

Writing

It's The End of the (ARR) World and I Feel Fine

October 1, 2025

Musings on Software Start-Up Do's & Dont's, discussing the changing landscape of software and the acceleration of product innovation.

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Why Only β€œWTF” Products Can Survive Today with Brett Queener Partner at Bonfire Ventures

October 1, 2025

Discusses how product innovation accelerates tenfold in the age of AI, making the old SaaS playbook obsolete. Emphasizes the need for products to deliver immediate value, teach themselves, and for companies to rethink annual contracts and adapt their go-to-market strategies to continuous shipping cycles.

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Schema, Shema: Context for the Win

July 1, 2025

A writing on the importance of context in winning strategies.

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The Change Economy

February 1, 2025

Explores evolving how to run a software company when software evolves at warp speed.

Favicon imagequeener.substack.com

I Had Duck Feet β€” The Importance of Picking One Identity in Your Early Days (Part 1 of 2)

April 1, 2019

Discusses the critical importance for early-stage startups (Seed to Series A) of establishing and sticking with a core identity to attract clients, employees, and develop an investable story. Uses the children's book 'If I Had Duck Feet' as an analogy.

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SAAS Sales Compensation Simplified

February 1, 2019

Outlines the 'Ten Golden Rules of SAAS Sales Compensation Plans,' offering insights into designing effective compensation structures for sales teams in SaaS companies, based on his experience at salesforce.com.

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Hobbies

Enjoys messing around with AI, working out on his Tonal, and is an avid fan of GSW hoops and 49ers football. bonfirevc+1

Passionate about making Rhone style wines. bonfirevc

Plays Japanese RPGs in his downtime. bonfirevc+1

Involved in lacrosse coaching and playing, being a multi-decorated MLL player and coach for Queener LAX, with multiple championships and All-Star selections. queenerlax

Notes

JAJason Averbooksaid
BQBrett Queener
is one of the most thoughtful investors they've worked with at a venture capital firm.

Sep 10, 2025