Originally published on Medium — updated and adapted for Dev.to readers
In Russia’s startup scene, the role of a “tracker” is still relatively niche. Outside of accelerators, however, the same skill set can make a real difference for established companies aiming for structured growth.
Why I Work Beyond Startups
I began my work as a tracker in accelerators like Sprint and GoGlobal, and in corporate innovation programs for companies such as Sber, VK, Gazprom Neft, X5, and M.Video.
Over the years, many founders returned to me — but now they were leading companies already generating millions in annual revenue.
They weren’t asking for investment.
They were asking for focus.
For someone to spot growth bottlenecks and help them act on them.
What Changes When the Business Is Already Running
Early-stage teams are usually searching for product–market fit.
Established businesses already have customers — but they often leave a lot of growth potential untouched.
With these companies, my work often focuses on:
Optimizing sales funnels that have grown messy
Testing new pricing models without alienating customers
Expanding into new regions or market segments
Making unit economics work at scale
Aligning leadership on strategic priorities
Some Wins Outside the Startup Scene
Helped a B2B service provider cut sales cycle from 9 to 5 months and boost close rate by 30%
Guided an industrial SaaS team through a pricing shift that increased average deal size by 40%
Supported a retail-tech company entering the UAE, landing their first enterprise client in 4 months without external funding
Worked with a corporate team to launch a spin-off product that hit breakeven in under 6 months
The Common Thread
Whether it’s a startup or a mature B2B company, the principles remain:
Diagnose before prescribing
Align the team on measurable goals
Test and iterate with clear metrics
Keep financial reality front and center
Why This Matters for Founders
Founders of growing businesses face a different kind of challenge:
They can’t “pause everything” to experiment.
Every change has real customers and revenue at stake.
That’s why having someone in the room — not to give abstract advice, but to keep focus and push for smart execution — can be the difference between plateauing and scaling.
More About My Work
I’ve tracked 1,000+ startup and corporate teams in Russia and internationally, spending over 7,000 hours in growth sessions.
I’ve been recognized twice as Tracker of the Year (2021 & 2023, RightTrack), and currently work as a staff tracker at Sprint and GoGlobal (IIDF).
My experience covers B2B SaaS, HRTech, EdTech, AI, retail tech, and industrial tech.
If you’re leading a business that’s ready for its next stage of growth — startup or not — you might find these links useful:
📄 Full bio & portfolio: https://sapr.in/top-tracker
📄 My earlier article on what a tracker does: Why Russian Startups and Corporates Choose a Tracker — and Why I Chose to Become One
📄 Original version of this article on Medium: Beyond Startups
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