Me in 10 seconds?
I’m a partnerships executive, ecosystem builder, and sales engineering leader who turns complexity into clarity and strategy into revenue.
A decisive multipotentialite.
An introverted extrovert.
A builder who connects ideas to outcomes and transforms partnerships into growth engines.
I build partner ecosystems, co-sell motions, and AI-augmented operating systems that perform: from $20M+ alliance programs and glo
bal technology partnerships to purpose-driven foundations. My work lives at the intersection of strategy, execution, and mutual value creation.
What am I doing now? Check out my now page.
The long version.
Hi, I’m Adam, an ecosystem builder and strategic alliances executive who has spent 20+ years connecting people, platforms, and outcomes across SaaS, consulting, and regulated industries.
I’ve built partner programs from zero to $20M+, transformed legacy SI relationships into structured growth engines, and led sales engineering teams that bridge technical depth with commercial outcomes. Whether it’s designing co-sell motions with hyperscalers, building government partner programs, or aligning organizations around shared GTM strategy, my mission is the same: turn partnerships into predictable, scalable revenue.
The challenge of our time
Building trust-based partnerships that create mutual value in an AI-powered economy.
The rules of business are being rewritten. The winners aren’t the biggest; they’re the ones who can orchestrate ecosystems, move at speed, and create value for everyone at the table. My work centers on building these partnership systems: aligning incentives, designing co-sell frameworks, and creating the operational infrastructure that turns alliances into compounding growth engines.
What I build
I design and scale partner ecosystems that work. Alliance programs, co-sell motions, channel strategies, and platform partnerships that accelerate revenue while strengthening relationships. My approach blends strategic frameworks, sales engineering rigor, and systems thinking to simplify complexity, align stakeholders, and translate partnership potential into measurable business outcomes.
The result:
Predictable partner-influenced pipeline
Aligned sales and partner organizations
Healthier margins through co-sell leverage
A scalable ecosystem built for whatever comes next
The through-line
From building the Military/Law Enforcement division at Under Armour (growing it from $10M to $50M+) to managing technology partnerships at Accenture to leading global alliances and sales engineering as VP at Scaled Agile, my career has been defined by building systems, partnerships, and teams that endure.
At Scaled Agile, I built a $20M+ partner ecosystem from scratch, created Government and Platform Partner Programs, and transformed legacy consulting relationships with Accenture, Deloitte, and Capgemini into structured growth engines. I led sales engineering teams across complex enterprise deals and developed AI-augmented partnership strategies that positioned the company for the next wave of enterprise transformation.
Along the way, I’ve hosted national podcasts including Business Agility Now (top 5% on Spotify and Apple Podcasts) and Agile Amp’ed, and spoken on stages worldwide about partnerships, adaptability, and ecosystem-led growth.
So what?
Partnerships are personal. The best ecosystems are built by people who care about mutual value, not just their side of the deal.
When you lead with clarity, build with intention, and stay grounded in shared outcomes, performance follows. Always.
The even longer version (thanks Claude).
Early Life and Entrepreneurial Foundations
Adam Mattis was born in 1982 and raised in Guys Mills, Pennsylvania, a small rural community in Crawford County. His upbringing was defined by curiosity, self-reliance, and an early entrepreneurial drive that would shape his approach to business and partnerships throughout his career.
From 1996 to 1999, Mattis was an avid BMX racer, competing throughout Pennsylvania and earning a sponsorship from Emig’s, a local bicycle shop in Meadville. Rather than waiting to become fast enough to earn traditional sponsorships, Mattis approached the shop with a value proposition: provide him with a jersey and discounts on parts, and he would promote their shop far beyond the local track. This early partnership taught him a fundamental lesson that would guide his career: create genuine value for others first, and the relationship will compound over time. He also earned sponsorships from Bulldog Bikes and PLAY Clothes, and contributed articles to BMX community sites and forums.
By his late teens, Mattis had launched Carzz (1998-2003), an early online vehicle-listing platform that allowed car and motorcycle dealerships to post inventory digitally before Cars.com and other major players dominated the space. The business operated first on a commission model—charging dealerships only when vehicles sold through the platform—before transitioning to a subscription system after proving value. Mattis built trust with dealerships across Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Minnesota by aligning his success with theirs, a partnership philosophy he describes as “we succeed together or not at all.” The venture achieved early commercial traction and Mattis successfully exited in October 2003. The experience built his foundation in sales, negotiation, systems thinking, and value-based partnerships, skills that would define his career in strategic alliances and ecosystem building.
Military Service
In 2003, Mattis enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to Fort Stewart, near Savannah, Georgia, as part of the 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. He deployed to Iraq in 2005 during Operation Iraqi Freedom, leading patrols and personal security detail operations around Baghdad and Sadr City.
On December 8, 2005, his vehicle was struck by multiple explosively formed projectiles (EFPs) while escorting members of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office to a power plant on the outskirts of Baghdad. Mattis was severely wounded in the attack, and his Security Detachment Commander, 1LT Kevin J. Smith, was killed protecting him and others in the convoy. Mattis was subsequently medically retired and awarded the Purple Heart.
The attack and Smith’s sacrifice profoundly shaped Mattis’s leadership philosophy and sense of purpose. He has spoken publicly about the experience, including on the Hazard Ground Podcast (Episode 108), where he discussed his recovery and transition from trauma to purpose-driven work. Mattis credits his survival to Smith’s actions, and this event continues to inform his community involvement and commitment to service. As he has written: “I can never say I wish I’d done anything differently in life. Every misstep, every choice—they’ve all led me to where I am, and to honoring those who never got that chance.”
Engineering Management and Technical Leadership
After military service and medical retirement, Mattis remained in the Savannah area and joined VeriSign, Inc. as an Engineering Manager (2006-2009). He led technical operations and data teams supporting the company’s billing and operational support systems (vBOSS) that served a portfolio of wireless providers during a period of global scaling and consolidation.
At VeriSign, Mattis focused on reliability engineering, process improvement, and data integrity. He directed cross-functional, international teams responsible for maintaining mission-critical systems and ensuring network resilience under pressure. These years cemented his technical foundation and shaped his understanding of how people, processes, and systems interact in complex operational environments—understanding that would later inform his approach to sales engineering and partnership operations.
Federal Technology and Strategic Partnerships
In 2009, after completing his engineering management work with VeriSign, Mattis accepted a federal technology contract to introduce test automation into the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) NextGen eCommerce platform in Baltimore, Maryland. The engagement was part of SSA’s early modernization efforts to strengthen system reliability and scalability. Mattis led a small team tasked with building automated test frameworks and integrating continuous validation into the agency’s development lifecycle—work that was a forerunner of today’s DevOps practices.
Later in 2009, Mattis transitioned from government contracting to the private sector, joining Under Armour in Baltimore. Initially hired to lead strategic partnerships and serve as de facto business unit leader for the company’s Military and Law Enforcement (Mil/Tac) division, he was responsible for P&L management, partnership development, and go-to-market strategy across footwear, apparel, and accessories.
During his tenure at Under Armour (2009-2013), Mattis developed and executed both the commercial and partnership vision for Mil/Tac, positioning Under Armour as a trusted performance brand within the defense, law enforcement, and veteran communities. He drove the division from $10M to over $50M in revenue through partnership-led growth and operational excellence—a 400%+ increase over four years. He built strategic partnerships with organizations including Wounded Warrior Project (establishing a $1M+ relationship), Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Unit Scholarship Fund, and Tough Mudder.
In July 2009, Mattis launched UA FREEDOM, a corporate initiative that celebrated and supported service members, first responders, and their families. The program became both a philanthropic platform and a profitable business line, with portions of proceeds supporting national nonprofits that served the military and first responder communities. UA FREEDOM established a lasting cultural and philanthropic legacy for Under Armour, demonstrating that purpose-driven partnerships can advance both revenue growth and authentic social contribution.
This period in Baltimore established a central theme in Mattis’s career: using partnerships as a mechanism for mutual value creation, building relationships that advance both business outcomes and shared purpose through deliberate design and genuine collaboration. Colleagues from this period noted his ability to bridge operational rigor with emotional intelligence, focusing on creating value for all stakeholders rather than optimizing purely for financial metrics.
Media Entrepreneurship and Veteran Advocacy
In 2013, following his time at Under Armour, Mattis relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, and launched Orion’s Kin Media, a marketing firm and outdoor adventure television series that blended military strategy, tactical expertise, and backcountry hunting with conservation themes. The show, which he co-hosted with Dr. Brooks Tiller, aired nationally on the Pursuit Channel starting in 2013 and ran through 2016.
Soldier Systems Daily profiled the venture in 2013 as an innovative concept that would “focus on applying core military tactics and modern military technologies to the unforgiving environments of the North American backcountry.” The show built a following among outdoor enthusiasts and veteran audiences, and Mattis appeared on multiple industry podcasts including Talking Lead, where he discussed leadership, veteran transition, physical readiness, and the intersection of military skills with outdoor pursuits.
Orion’s Kin positioned Mattis as both a veteran advocate and entrepreneur capable of building media properties that connected authentic storytelling with mission-driven audiences. As he later reflected on the experience: “If I had been too smart, I never would have started. If I had overanalyzed the market, the barriers, the capital, the ‘impossibilities,’ I would have sidelined myself before even trying. But because I was just smart enough to know that my naivety was an advantage, I took the leap.”
Consulting and Technology Partnerships
Returning to the enterprise world, Mattis joined Accenture as a Senior Manager (June 2014 - December 2015), where he began working on digital transformation initiatives for global clients. After a brief transition, he rejoined Accenture as a Practice Lead (April 2017 - July 2019), where he managed Business Agility & Technology Partnerships with major software vendors including Atlassian, Broadcom, and ALM providers.
In this role, Mattis developed joint go-to-market strategies, co-sell motions, and embedded partner solutions directly into consulting engagements. He helped Accenture clients accelerate digital transformation by orchestrating partnerships between the firm, technology vendors, and client organizations—managing complex, multi-party ecosystems where all stakeholders needed to find mutual value. This experience taught him how to identify mutual interests across complex stakeholder groups, balance competing needs while maintaining profitability for everyone involved, and design partnership frameworks that scaled across global delivery.
During this period, Mattis also launched The Everyday Executive, a podcast and digital series aimed at helping professionals develop executive habits, strategic focus, and personal resilience. The show featured interviews with business leaders and authors and built a loyal professional audience interested in practical leadership development.
Between his two stints at Accenture, Mattis served in a leadership role at Laureate Education (December 2015 - April 2017), where he led the implementation of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) across a global consortium of 86 universities and 200+ campuses. The work demonstrated how agile principles could be applied beyond IT to streamline operations, align offerings with market demands, and achieve rapid time-to-market improvements. The consortium reduced degree program development time by 75% and improved both program quality and student experience through the successful launch of Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and cross-functional teams.
Mattis was also recognized for his community engagement during this period, serving as Grand Marshal in a Maryland Independence Day parade honoring wounded veterans—a role acknowledging both his military service and civic contributions.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Building on his consulting experience and continued appetite for innovation, Mattis founded Valor Cycles in San Antonio, Texas (July 2018), a veteran-owned bicycle manufacturing startup. The venture aimed to reestablish U.S. dominance in high-performance carbon fiber race bike manufacturing using rapid prototyping, additive manufacturing, and agile product development methodologies.
Soldier Systems Daily profiled the venture in October 2018, describing Mattis as a “San Antonio-based Wounded Warrior and strategy consultant” bringing bicycle manufacturing back to the U.S. with the audacious goal of putting an American athlete on the Tour de France podium by 2029 riding a Valor-manufactured bike. Mattis assembled a team of advisors from cycling, manufacturing, and business strategy backgrounds to explore scalable production models and challenge the exodus of cycle manufacturing to Asia.
While building Valor Cycles, Mattis maintained his fitness roots, training and competing through Mission CrossFit San Antonio and participating in the 2018 and 2019 CrossFit Open in the men’s 35-39 division. He later reflected on Valor Cycles as a successful experiment in agile product development and fast learning cycles, noting that while the early prototypes were imperfect, they validated his approach to rapid iteration and systems thinking applied to physical product development.
Executive Leadership in Partnerships and Sales Engineering
In July 2019, Mattis joined Scaled Agile, Inc., the organization behind the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), as VP of Partnerships & Sales Engineering. Over the next six years, he built the company’s entire Technology and Government partner ecosystem from the ground up, transforming how Scaled Agile approached alliances, co-sell motions, and platform integrations.
Mattis designed scalable partner operating systems, and transformed legacy consulting relationships with firms like Accenture, Deloitte, and Capgemini from informal connections into structured, revenue-generating partnerships with clear GTM strategies and co-sell frameworks. Under his leadership, the partner ecosystem grew to influence over $20M in annual revenue, achieving 30% year-over-year growth. He managed strategic alliances across LATAM, EMEA, and APAC, led sales engineering teams on complex enterprise deals, and developed AI-native partnership strategies that positioned Scaled Agile for the next era of enterprise transformation.
In September 2021, Mattis was inducted into the SAFe Fellow Program, Scaled Agile’s most prestigious distinction recognizing individuals who have exhibited the highest level of mastery and thought leadership in the practice of SAFe. As SAFe Fellow Joe Vallone noted at the time, “If we are in a challenging situation—whether puzzling over the next-generation framework or struggling to optimize a SAFe implementation—these are the folks we turn to.” Mattis later took on leadership of the SAFe Fellow Program itself, helping guide the selection and development of future Fellows.
Mattis’s work extended beyond partnership development to thought leadership and content creation. He became a prominent voice in the agile and business transformation community, contributing to training design, community enablement, and enterprise transformation models that influenced thousands of organizations worldwide. His speaking engagements included keynotes at conferences such as Planisware Exchange 2025 in Paris and ServiceNow Knowledge 2025 in Las Vegas, where he discussed AI orchestration at scale, platform partnerships, and the future of work.
Strategic Leadership and Community Engagement
Throughout his tenure at Scaled Agile and continuing through 2025, Mattis has been based in Raleigh, North Carolina (since 2020), where he has expanded his community engagement and thought leadership while building his family.
Mattis hosts Business Agility Now, a podcast powered by Scaled Agile that ranks in the top 5% on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The show features interviews with industry experts, practitioners, and thought leaders on topics including leadership evolution, AI integration, product management at scale, and enterprise design. Episodes such as “Reimagining SAFe” with Scaled Agile’s Chief Methodologist Andrew Sales and conversations with leaders from Netflix, Accenture, and other major enterprises have established the show as a leading voice in the agile and business transformation space. Mattis also hosts The Adam Mattis Show, focusing on broader leadership and personal development themes.
In December 2023, Mattis published Small Firm, Big Impact: A Guide to Growing Your Boutique Consulting Practice, drawing on his extensive experience in consulting, entrepreneurship, and advisory work. The book provides comprehensive guidance on establishing and growing boutique consulting practices, with practical advice on niche definition, value proposition development, client acquisition, and delivering exceptional service. The book has been praised for blending business acumen with Mattis’s authentic voice and real-world examples.
In 2024, Mattis and his wife Jenelle founded The Mattis Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening communities, developing future leaders, and helping individuals thrive. The foundation’s flagship initiative is the Kevin J. Smith Memorial Scholarship, which honors the man who saved Mattis’s life in Iraq by supporting children of military families pursuing higher education. The foundation reflects Mattis’s commitment to leveraging partnerships to amplify impact—even in philanthropy, he applies the principles of mutual value creation and collaborative success.
In April 2025, Mattis and Jenelle welcomed their son, Ford Michael Mattis. Fatherhood has become central to Mattis’s identity and has influenced his perspective on work-life integration, decision-making, and long-term priorities. As he wrote shortly after Ford’s arrival: “More than anything I’ve ever done in my life, I love being a dad. One important lesson he’s taught me already: I can never say I wish I’d done anything differently in life. Every misstep, every boneheaded choice I’ve made—they’ve all led me straight to him.”
Mattis has continued to maintain his commitment to physical performance, training regularly in trail running, cycling, and strength work. He emphasizes consistency, longevity, and discipline as core to both personal and professional growth, often noting that the habits developed in athletics translate directly to leadership and business execution.
In late 2025, Mattis announced he would be taking a sabbatical from Scaled Agile, with formal departure planned for mid-2026 following a transition period. This decision reflects his evolving priorities as a father, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor, as well as his interest in exploring new ventures and partnership opportunities in the AI-driven economy.
Authorship and Thought Leadership
Beyond Small Firm, Big Impact, Mattis has contributed extensively to thought leadership in the agile, partnerships, and business transformation space. His writing on Substack (Notes from Adam Mattis) covers topics ranging from partnership philosophy and leadership to fatherhood, decision fatigue, and the intersection of AI and human capability. Notable pieces include:
“The Power of Partnerships” (September 2025) - A comprehensive exploration of how partnerships have shaped every stage of his career, from BMX racing through executive leadership
“Be Smart Enough to Be Naive Enough” (May 2025) - Reflections on launching Orion’s Kin and the value of bold belief in entrepreneurship
“Winning Arguments is a Waste of Time” (June 2025) - Insights on influence through action rather than persuasion
“Decision Fatigue” (June 2025) - Practical frameworks for preserving cognitive capacity for high-impact decisions
Mattis’s writing is characterized by vulnerability, practical wisdom, and a willingness to share lessons learned from both successes and failures. His monthly newsletters chronicle his professional work, family life, fitness journey, and reflections on leadership and personal growth, building a community of hundreds of subscribers who appreciate his authentic voice and actionable insights.
Summary
Adam Mattis’s trajectory spans more than two decades of transformation, from BMX tracks and rural Pennsylvania to battlefields in Iraq, from engineering operations and federal technology to boardrooms and global partnerships. His career bridges technical operations, entrepreneurship, media production, and executive leadership in strategic alliances and sales engineering, all underpinned by a consistent philosophy of mutual value creation, adaptability, and purpose-driven work.
Whether building a $20M+ partner ecosystem at Scaled Agile, growing Under Armour’s military business from $10M to $50M+, launching television shows and bicycle manufacturing startups, or establishing a foundation to honor a fallen brother-in-arms, Mattis has demonstrated an ability to identify opportunities, build trust-based relationships, and create systems that deliver compounding value over time.
Today, as he transitions from his role at Scaled Agile to new ventures, Mattis is recognized as a partnerships executive, ecosystem builder, author, podcast host, and thought leader committed to helping organizations and individuals thrive in an AI-powered economy. He continues to live by the principles learned on BMX tracks three decades ago: create genuine value for others, build relationships rooted in trust, and remember that the best partnerships make everyone involved better than they could be on their own.
As a husband to Jenelle, father to Ford, and Chairman of The Mattis Foundation, Mattis embodies the integration of professional excellence with personal purpose: building systems, both human and organizational, that adapt, endure, and create lasting impact.
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