About Nicole
Nicole (Hayward) Zheng builds go-to-market strategies that scale. Currently Chief Business Officer at A.Team—the AI-Native Systems Integrator helping enterprises build AI that delivers.
Nicole has led marketing and growth at seven tech companies, from startups to public markets. Previously, she held the position of CMO at Pontera, the fintech enabling financial advisors to professionally manage client 401(k)s. Before that, Nicole was cofounder and President of Minim (NASDAQ: MINM), where she drove the intelligent networking company from zero to $55 million in annual revenue through merger, rebrand, and IPO.
Earlier roles include CMO at cloud software companies Antidote Technologies and OnSIP (acquired by Ooma). She has advised early-stage AI startups InsureTax , Casie AI, as well as the quantum networking firm Aliro.
Nicole is a Forbes Council member and has been recognized as Female Executive of the Year and Most Innovative Woman by Stevie Business Awards (2022), Top Leader in Technology by Parks Associates (2022), and Top Female Founder by Entrepreneur (2020). She served as a founding board member of Alliance of Channel Women, supporting women in the telecom and internet sector.
Nicole holds a B.S. Materials Science Engineering and B.S. Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, plus business certifications from Wharton Online. Living in New York City with her husband and rescue dogs Mabel and Winifred, she is a member of the Village Temple.
“Brand neglect is a silent killer, inflating customer acquisition costs, decreasing customer retention, and obliterating customer referrals. In B2B, brand recognition is just as important. You may have heard the phrase, ‘Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.’ People have been saying it for thirty years.”