ABOUT STEVEN MARK KAHAN
WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR • B2B GROWTH STRATEGIST • KEYNOTE SPEAKER • EXECUTIVE ADVISOR • FORMER CMO
Steven Mark Kahan is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, former CMO, and Marketing Advisor at Insight Partners. He has helped grow seven startup companies from early-stage to going public or being sold, generating more than $5 billion in shareholder value. Most recently he served as CMO & Chief of Staff at Thycotic through its $1.4 billion exit.
Steve is the author of Creating Urgency: How to Flip the Script and Win, High Velocity Digital Marketing (WSJ Bestseller), and Be a Startup Superstar. He also writes science thrillers under the name SM Kahan.
What Drives Steven Mark Kahan's Work
ONE QUESTION DRIVES EVERYTHING I DO: WHAT MAKES PEOPLE ACT WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGHEST?
Growth doesn't happen because people have better ideas. It happens because they make better decisions, and act on them.
That belief is the foundation of my business career, my advisory work, and every book I've written. In business, I help leaders overcome buyer indecision and create urgency that drives growth. In fiction, I put ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and force impossible choices.
Different worlds. Same fascination. That's why I write both business books and thrillers.
B2B Growth Strategy, AI Advisory & Keynote Speaking
SEVEN STARTUPS TAKEN FROM EARLY-STAGE TO IPO OR ACQUISITION
Acquired by NetIQ
Acquired by Google
Acquired by Dell
$1.4B exit
Plus more, $5B+ total shareholder value created
Wall Street Journal bestselling author.
International keynote speaker (including TEDx at Case Western Reserve University).
​Currently Marketing Advisor at Insight Partners, advising PE portfolio companies on growth strategy and marketing transformation.
I ADVISE LEADERSHIP TEAMS ON
Growth strategy
Creating urgency
AI strategy & go-to-market
Marketing transformation
Category creation & market positioning
Pipeline & demand generation
Sales & marketing alignment
Customer expansion strategies
Executive coaching
​I DON'T DELIVER THEORY. I'VE SAT IN THE CHAIR, BUILT THE TEAMS, AND MADE THE CALLS.
Books by Steven Mark Kahan (Business) and SM Kahan (Thrillers)
BUSINESS BOOKS BY STEVEN MARK KAHAN
Start with Creating Urgency if your deals stall from buyer indecision
High Velocity Digital Marketing if your pipeline needs scale
Be a Startup Superstar to accelerate your career in high-growth companies.
Practical playbooks built from real operator experience. Frameworks leaders use the same week they read them.
Killer Dreams
Killer Greed
Killer Collusion
Killer Novel
One man. One impossible mission. Every secret comes with a price, and every truth has someone willing to kill to keep it hidden
THE HUNTER HARDEN THRILLER SERIES (AS SM KAHAN)
THE DR. LENA THOMPSON SERIES
A scientist whose discoveries place her at the center of conflicts that threaten not just individual lives, but the future of humanity. Starting with Fire Mountain.
