Paul Ford CMO, Storj Labs

Storj Labs, Inc. announced Paul Ford has joined the company as chief marketing officer, managing the company’s marketing, branding, creative, communications, and other go-to-market efforts for its Tardigrade decentralized cloud storage service.

He reports to CEO and executive chairman Ben Golub, and be a part of the company’s executive team.

“Marketing to developers takes a unique approach and Paul has some of the most extensive experience I’ve ever seen, having led SendGrid marketing through its early years and into its acquisition by Twilio,” said Golub. “Where our team has just launched the enterprise-ready Tardigrade decentralized cloud storage service, Paul will be critical in driving adoption with developers.”

During his time at SendGrid, Ford helped the company through its 2017 IPO and saw revenue grow from $29 million to nearly $150 million. He also led developer marketing efforts through the 2019 acquisition by Twilio. As VP of the company, his responsibilities included product marketing, product management, developer and community relations, branding, communications, digital marketing, sales enablement, and other marketing efforts.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Storj Labs during such a critical stage of business. There’s a huge need for disruptive cloud storage solutions that deliver better security and redundancy, as well as a streamlined experience for developers,” he said. “It’s hard to find a company the size of Storj that also has such an accomplished executive leadership team. I look forward to working with the team as we drive adoption of decentralized cloud storage.“

Ford also helped lead SoftLayer through its growth period, with revenue of its IaaS offering growing 3X in over three years. He oversaw marketing, startup and community relations, partnerships, and co-founded SoftLayer’s Catalyst Startup Program, which incubated thousands of emerging companies and start-ups using SoftLayer’s service. Given the importance of cloud infrastructure technologies to the go-to-market strategy at Storj, his experience in these areas are critical as well.

“Paul has proven time and time again throughout his career he knows what it takes to make developer tools and infrastructure platforms successful,” said Shawn Wilkinson, founder of Storj Labs. “Having someone with his experience, who can help us scale the adoption of Tardigrade, will be hugely valuable to Storj Labs and our community.”

Prior to SoftLayer, Ford spent time at RackSpace, working to expand its cloud computing ecosystem and technology stack. He also spent time as a co-founder of several other start-ups including MyToons and Bauhaus Software. he is also a long-time start-up mentor and advisor for Techstars, 500 Startups, and Global Accelerator Network companies.

He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business from St. Mary’s University.