Stewart
Rogers
Stewart Rogers
CET Time Zone (has lived in London, Berlin, and spent a decade as an international digital nomad across 87 countries)
- →Co-Founder & Darketing Illuminator at CONFUSION&JOY (⅄Oᒋ⅋NOISՈᖵNOϽ), an impact creator house providing strategic advisory, ecosystem architecture, and experiential brand installations; Overseer of The Signal & The Noise pre-investment startup teardown service.
- →PR & Media Strategist (directing strategic narrative and media relations for deep-tech clients including Trustwise AI, OptikosPrime, FlowDealer, Factiverse, and more).
- →Editor-at-Large (former Editor-in-Chief) at Dataconomy Media, and Editor at Hackernoon.
Three decades. Zero theory.
Stewart Rogers is a veteran enterprise software executive, tech journalist, keynote speaker, and serial entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience spanning software development, international business expansion, editorial leadership, and venture analysis.
Having begun programming at age six, and running the first of many software houses at 21, he pairs deep technical understanding with executive communication skills, analyzing emerging technology landscapes across artificial intelligence, marketing technology, Web3, and data science.
Over his career, he has:
- →Founded the EMEA operations of an enterprise software provider, delivering seven consecutive years of triple-digit growth before leading the executive team that delivered an acquisition by a Nasdaq-listed corporation.
- →Co-built VentureBeat's research division, VB Insight, scaling it to a 7-figure revenue unit in its first year while analyzing 12,000+ post-revenue software products.
- →Ranked as the 7th most influential person globally in marketing technology.
- →Keynoted, emceed, and moderated major technology conferences across 87 countries, including Web Summit, Slush, Adobe Summit, and Mobile World Congress.
- →Spearheaded global awareness on mental health in the technology industry, initiating research and keynote addresses across international stages years before the topic became mainstream.
Built, scaled, exited.
Create!form International (Acquired by Bottomline Technologies, NASDAQ: EPAY)
- →Roles: Managing Director – EMEA (July 1997 – August 2003).
- →Execution & Scale: Founder of the EMEA division. Expanded European operations, outperforming US and APAC units through direct and channel sales with partners like HP, Oracle, and JD Edwards. Sustained triple-digit year-over-year revenue growth across seven years.
- →Exit: Part of the worldwide executive leadership team that steered Create!form through to a successful trade acquisition by Bottomline Technologies.
Intelligent Output Solutions (IOS)
- →Role: Founder & Managing Director (September 2003 – November 2006).
- →Execution & Impact: Specialized IT consultancy providing business process automation, project turnaround, and sales optimization systems for mid-market and enterprise clients with annual turnover ranging from £5 million to over £1 billion, delivering documented revenue improvements between 30% and 1,000%.
Crawford Technologies
- →Role: Director of Marketing Communications (May 2008 – June 2013).
- →Execution & Scale: Established the European operation before being promoted to lead global marketing communications. Positioned CrawfordTech in the Gartner ADF 2.0 Marketscope (achieving a "Positive Vendor Rating") and supported revenue growth that secured seven regional and national revenue-growth awards from PROFIT, Branham, and Deloitte.
Salesformics
- →Role: Head of Product (June 2013 – June 2014).
- →Execution: Guided product strategy for a lightweight CRM, marketing automation, and social listening software platform designed for SMB sales forces.
VentureBeat & VB Insight
- →Role: Director of Marketing Technology / Product Lead / Analyst-at-Large (July 2014 – August 2019).
- →Execution & Scale: Co-led the launch and operation of VB Insight alongside John Koetsier, turning the research division into a profitable 7-figure business in its first year. Evaluated more than 12,000 post-revenue commercial software solutions across 24 martech categories and authored the quarterly "State of Marketing Technology" benchmarks.
CONFUSION&JOY & "The Signal & The Noise"
- →Role: Co-Founder & Darketing Illuminator (2026 – Present).
- →Execution: With his life partner and co-founder, Ksenia Stark, advises brands and creator ecosystems against manipulative marketing ("darketing"), delivering everything from brand storytelling through creator partnerships and winning strategies to experiences, activations, and communications that spark emotion and create impact. Runs "The Signal & The Noise", an early-stage investor diligence service performing stress tests on seed-stage pitch decks, academic claims, and unit economics for angel syndicates and venture partners.
Additional Ventures & Media Outlets
- →PS3 Attitude & PS4 Attitude: Founder and operator of independent video game media publications, funding philanthropic causes through site revenues. The project helped 52 young journalists learn their craft and gain paid videogame journalism jobs, and raised 8-figures for good causes with zero admin overhead.
- →Tribe of Why: Co-Founder (Marrakech-based personal development and purpose initiative).
- →Quadrant Marketing Ltd: Founder & CEO (representing international speaking and advisory engagements).
Beyond the balance sheet.
Mental Health in the Technology Industry
Pioneered open discussion and research around depression, isolation, and burnout among tech founders and executives. Brought the conversation directly to mainstream stages (Web Summit, TechBBQ, Slush, Pioneers Festival, and more), creating awareness and resources within startup accelerators and leadership communities.
European AI and Data Science Ecosystem
As Editor-in-Chief and Editor-at-Large for Dataconomy Media, helped develop the editorial direction of Europe's primary AI and data science publication, working alongside the community behind Data Natives (Europe's largest annual gathering for AI, data science, and Web3 practitioners).
Startup Acceleration & Mentorship
Active cohort selector and mentor, guest speaker, and pitch judge across international accelerator networks, including MassChallenge, Startupbootcamp, Antler, 500 Startups, and Startup Wise Guys.
Startup Asturias & Regional Ecosystem Development
Spearheaded initiatives to map, catalog, and connect the emergent startup, creative, and investment community in the Asturias region of Northern Spain.
Document Technology Standards Bodies
Elected Board Member of the PDF/A Competence Center (2010–2012), Chairman of the PDF/A Marketing Working Group, Vice-Chairman of the PDF/VT Marketing Committee, and Board Member of Xplor UK & Ireland (2012–2013), contributing to global standards for digital document preservation and high-volume variable data exchange.
87 countries.
One microphone.
Editor and regular contributor for VentureBeat, Dataconomy, HackerNoon, Grit Daily News, and Block Telegraph.
- →Gentleman of Heart Award (2022): Conferred by the Women of Heart Foundation for sustained work in mentoring, promoting, and advocating for women founders and executives in technology.
- →Ranked #7 Worldwide in Marketing Technology: Evaluated as the 7th most influential global voice in martech during his tenure at VB Insight.
- →Industry Judging Panels: Panel judge for the Beyond the Music Label Series (2021/2022) alongside representatives from DJ Mag, Sony, and HMMA.
- →Delivered keynotes and hosted stages across 87 countries at events including Web Summit (Lisbon), Slush (Helsinki), Adobe Summit, Pioneers Festival (Vienna), MWC / MobileBeat, Arctic15, CUBE Tech Fair (Berlin), and SEMrush LIVE (Prague).
- →Stage interviewer of high-profile leaders, cultural figures, and technologists, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Hanson Robotics' Sophia the Robot.
Six disciplines. One operator.
→Enterprise Storytelling & Investigative Journalism
Framing bleeding-edge technical shifts (agentic AI, data topology, cybersecurity threats) into readable, defensible executive insights.
→Early-Stage Diligence & Startup Teardowns
Deconstructing seed-stage pitch decks to assess moat defensibility, academic legitimacy, unit economics, and structural friction points.
→Executive Media Training
Running proprietary communication training ("Master the Mic") focused on narrative distillation, message anchoring, dynamic silence control, and value translation.
→Keynote Speaking & Stage Moderation
Live audience engagement, panel steering, and interviewing under broadcast and live-arena conditions.
→International Commercial Expansion (Go-To-Market)
Establishing channel partner networks, closing enterprise software contracts, and structuring EMEA business units for North American and overseas firms.
→Marketing Technology (MarTech) & Trust Architecture
Deep domain competence across CRM, sales automation, AEO/GEO (Answer/Generative Engine Optimization), and AI Trust Posture Management (TPM).
The work that mattered.
Scaling VB Insight into a Profitable 7-Figure Business in Year One
Proved that non-sponsored, empirical software analysis could compete with traditional analyst firms while serving founders and enterprise buyers directly.
Normalizing Mental Health Dialogues on Major Tech Stages
Brought mental health discussions into technology auditoriums worldwide, helping establish an enduring support dialogue across global startup communities.
Scaling Create!form EMEA to Acquisition
Built an international software operation from inception to an acquisition by Bottomline Technologies, proving execution capability across sales, partner ecosystems, and cross-border operations.
Launching "The Signal & The Noise" Teardown Practice
Created an independent framework to protect founders and investors from market hype and capital-inefficient business models.
People repeatedly seek out Stewart for three primary capabilities:
- →The "Zero-Fluff Filter": Founders, angel investors, and fund managers come to him to review their thesis or pitch deck because he strips away buzzwords, finds flaws in the math, and tests whether an idea is a genuine business or a laboratory curiosity.
- →Command of the Microphone Under Pressure: Executives facing high-stakes media interviews (or conferences facing challenging panel schedules) rely on his ability to hold an audience, pivot challenging questions, and deliver memorable quotes.
- →Bridging the Deep-Tech Translation Divide: Translating technical complexity (like neural topologies, cryptographic proofs, or AI trust frameworks) into concise language that customers, investors, and mainstream journalists immediately grasp.
- →Deconstructive Synthesis: Digging into technical documentation, research papers, or startup architecture to uncover hidden inconsistencies or unmentioned truths.
- →Unfiltered Creative Expression: Writing long-form cultural and industry essays that challenge prevailing consensus, composing music, and mentoring early-stage founders who are committed to solving hard problems.
3:00 AM. Every tour.
For three decades, while operating as a software executive, startup founder, and technology journalist, Stewart lived a parallel life inside the inner circle of the musical icon Prince.
He was a regular attendee at Prince's private, late-night 3:00 AM jam sessions, where 50 to 100 people gathered in intimate rooms following stadium tours to watch Prince and his musicians improvise until dawn. Stewart occasionally hung out and sang with Prince's bandmates during soundchecks or in the hotel lobby until dawn.
More than the access or the music, this relationship shaped Stewart's philosophy on anonymous philanthropy, relentless dedication to craft, and operating without the need for public self-aggrandizement. It created a long-standing personal ritual: whenever landing in a new country or testing a new piece of audio equipment, Stewart plays Prince's "Shut This Down."