Jacob Irizarry

Hey, thanks for stopping by!

I built this site to give you a real sense of who I am, beyond the resume. The short version: I'm an AE with a strong background in business development.

I know what it's like to run a team of SDRs, stress over outbound, and wish I had better tools available. That's why I'm excited about Nooks, and why I think I can connect with your customers in a way most reps can't.

Take a look around. I hope it gives you a feel for how I think, what I've done, and why I'd be a great fit for the team.

Career Journey

  • Joined as the founding AE at an early-stage AI startup. No playbook, no SDR support, no established process. Just a product and a quota.

    I owned the full sales cycle: prospecting, discovery, demos, negotiation, and close. Sold across SMB, Mid-Market, and Enterprise.

    Results:

    • >$900k in closed/won net-new business in 7 months

    • Q2: 275% (ramp) → Q3: 250% → Q4: 140%

    • Sourced and closed the company's first enterprise deal—largest contract since founding

    Building beyond my own number:

    • Developed the GTM playbooks for our first two SDRs

    • Led their cold calling training and outbound ramp




  • Joined Deel to sharpen my full-cycle closing skills at a hyper-growth company.

    Results:

    • $175K closed-won in year one

    • Q1: 87% (ramp) → Q2: 102% → Q3: 120%

    Beyond the numbers:

    • Consistent performance earned me a spot launching Deel's new crypto vertical—a bet the company made on reps they trusted to figure it out.

  • Promoted to SDR manager after 10 months as a top-performing SDR. Inherited a team that hadn't hit 36% quota in over a year—75% of my reps had less than 5 months of experience.

    The turnaround:

    • Q1 FY 25 90% of Quota first quarter in role

    • Q2 FY25 122% of Quota

    • 6 of my 7 reps have hit quota for the first time in their SDR career.

    What I learned: How to coach reps, build repeatable outbound processes, and turn underperformers into closers. I know what good SDR partnership looks like from the management side.

  • Started in SaaS sales with one goal: learn the fundamentals and earn a path to closing. Became a top performer by Q2 and stayed there.

    Results:

    •  Attainment FY24:

      • Q1 191% to quota (Ramp)

      • Q2 165% to quota (Top Performer)

      • Q3 156% to quota (Top Performer)

    Beyond the numbers:

    • Created "Roadmap to Quota". An onboarding session I led for every new-hire cohort

    • Mentored 3 new SDRs through their ramp

    • CORE4 Award Recipient - Mentorship & Collaboration

Feedback

30 Days

  • Ramp on Nooks' product suite (AI Dialer, Analytics, Coaching tools, Virtual Salesfloor), and know it well enough to demo confidently

  • Shadow top AEs on discovery calls and demos to understand what "great" looks like here

  • Study the ICP: SDR/BDR managers, Heads of Sales, Rev Ops at mid-market companies

  • Build pipeline through outbound, leveraging my network of sales leaders

30-60-90

60 Days

  • Own end-to-end sales cycles with mid-market prospects

  • Lead multi-stakeholder deals (SDR managers, sales leadership, ops)

  • Use my SDR manager experience in discovery to speak their language: connect rates, coaching challenges, rep burnout

  • Close first deals; build case studies from early wins

90 Days

  • Exceed ramp quota.

  • Identify patterns from wins/losses, and share learnings with the team

  • Refine outbound playbook with SDR based on what's converting

  • Continue to drive pipeline and fill top of funnel.

  • Begin mentoring newer reps

From Manager to Seller

My SDR team sending me off on my final day at Workday

As an SDR Manager at Workday, I inherited a struggling team that hadn't hit quota in over a year. We hunkered down, rebuilt our outbound strategy from scratch, and implemented coaching rhythms that actually stuck. The result: 6 of 7 reps hit quota for the first time in their careers. The one who didn't missed by just 3%.

When you're responsible for a team's pipeline, you become obsessed with the fundamentals: How do we get more connects? How do we coach reps without micromanaging? How do we make outbound feel sustainable instead of soul-crushing? I watched my reps burn hours dialing through voicemails and bad numbers before ever reaching a real person, and knew there had to be a better way.

That's the exact problem Nooks solves. And it's why I know I can speak to sales leaders in a way most reps can't. I've sat in their chair, staring at pipeline numbers, trying to figure out how to get my team producing.

I’m originally from Ft. Lauderdale, FL but grew up moving between Texas, Arizona, and Utah. I love to swim laps, hike, and snowboard. In my free time, I enjoy traveling with my wife, playing the guitar, baking and being outdoors.

Languages are a huge passion of mine. Most people don’t know this, but I speak Mandarin, Papiamento, and Spanish.

My roots run deep in a Hispanic family. My dad is from Puerto Rico, my mom from Bolivia. They instilled in me a relentless drive to chase big goals and push through obstacles. That mindset has made me a top performer in every role I've held, and it's exactly what I'm bringing to Nooks as your next AE.

About Me