About Palak Bharti
Palak Bharti is a strategic partnerships, go-to-market, and growth marketing professional based in New York, with 10+ years in B2B business development and enterprise fintech.
How I got here
I didn’t plan any of this. I started in tax advisory at PwC, ran my own small business, and somewhere along the way realized the skill I needed most was selling. So I learned. I landed in payments right as digital payments in India took off, and spent the next four-plus years closing enterprise deals and building partner programs at three of India’s leading payments companies.
Across every company, I kept seeing the same thing: strong products failing quietly. Not because the tech was bad, but because nobody translated it. Deals die in the gap between what a product can do and what a customer needs to hear. Being that translation layer became my career.
In 2024, I moved to New York for a master’s in marketing analytics, graduating summa cum laude. Since then, I’ve brought the same playbook to US startups through growth marketing, GTM strategy, and partner acquisition.
What I bring
Enterprise deal experience
I’ve sold payments infrastructure to banks, insurers, global hotel groups, and an airport operator, winning 20+ enterprise accounts, including HSBC, Citi, and IHG. I owned every deal end to end: prospecting, pitching CXO stakeholders, negotiating commercial terms, and driving launch. Together, those accounts represented $260M+ in committed annual GMV.Solutioning and product fit
I translate technical products into business outcomes. That means mapping payment APIs and integrations to how an enterprise actually works, then designing the offer around it. For a leading private insurer, I built a no-cost EMI program that opened an entirely new segment. At an early-stage AI platform, I wrote product requirements that tied features directly to commercial goals.Partnerships built from zero
I don’t just manage partner programs; I start them. I study competitors to find the categories they’re missing, find the decision-maker who owns the problem, and build the partnership from the first conversation. That’s how I launched three new partner verticals (software platforms, AI tools, and WhatsApp business providers), owning acquisition, monetization, and deal structuring along the way.Marketing with a sales brain
Most marketing measures activity. I measure pipeline. I set up tracking first with GA4, Meta Pixel, and UTM attribution, then build platform-native content and campaigns that feed each other. Every post, partner campaign, and sponsor report ties back to a business number, not just likes.Consulting chops
In 2026, I advised four US startups at once across media, community, consumer, and sports. Each engagement started the same way: diagnose the real problem fast, turn it into a clear plan (GTM roadmaps, ICP segmentation, KPI frameworks), and get founders aligned around it. My first job was client-facing advisory at PwC, so structured problem-solving under client pressure is where I started.Analytical rigor
PwC trained me to read a business before I pitch it. My MS in Marketing Analytics (summa cum laude) added the tools: GA4, R, regression modeling, and audience data like Claritas. I’m also AI-native in how I work, using Claude, Clay, and automation to research, prospect, and report faster, with my own judgment checking the output.Two-market perspective
I built my career in India during one of the fastest digital payments booms in history, and I’m rebuilding it in the US. Working both markets taught me what transfers and what doesn’t: how buyers decide, how partnerships get structured, and how the same product needs a different story in each room.
Beyond the résumé
Building programs at Pace’s innovation hub - The Front Yard
As a Student Assistant at The Front Yard, Pace University’s student innovation and entrepreneurship center, I managed the hub’s events end to end. That included NY Tech Week, where I organized and ran 4+ events and speaker sessions a day, reaching 2,000+ founders and operators. Behind the scenes, I handled venue logistics and internal coordination, hosted guest speakers, and ran the hub’s social media.I also introduced and ran the Pace Entrepreneurs program to support student founders. Then I proposed taking it further: pairing those founders with a marketing professor, so the startups got real marketing support and students got hands-on experience inside a live startup. That partnership launched after my time there, but the idea started with me.
Research with the Marketing Department Chair
As a Graduate Research Assistant to the Chair of the Marketing Department, I supported research design and data analysis, sharpening the same analytics skills I now apply to GTM and growth work.Outside work
I paint to unwind, read mysteries with a side of comedy, and watch K-dramas and Bollywood with equal enthusiasm.Working across India and the US taught me that knowing your audience isn’t a tactic. It’s a form of respect.
What’s next
I’m looking for my next full-time role in strategic partnerships, go-to-market, or growth marketing at a B2B company, especially in fintech, SaaS, or AI. If you’re building something worth translating, my inbox is open.