Campbell, California

CJ Arnesen

Product leader.
Community builder.
Offroad founder.

Strategy matters. So does actually doing the thing. I've never been good at staying on one side of that line — and everything I've built has been better for it.


About

Who I Am

I'm a product and marketing leader with 15+ years building and shipping technology — from video production platforms to edge compute infrastructure. My career traces a full product arc: I started as a QA engineer and Project Manager at Altus365, where I shipped a next-generation customer self-service platform, then moved into Solutions Engineering at Akamai, driving $100M+ in annual revenue for the world's largest streaming brands. That deep technical and customer-facing foundation carried into product marketing, where I spent five years as Senior Manager of Product Marketing, Edge Compute Products at Akamai — overseeing GTM for a $2B platform, launching 10+ products across 12 cross-functional teams, and enabling 300+ global reps. These days I consult on GTM and product strategy, co-found SNVORA, and lead the Bay Area Rivian Club — where I work directly with Rivian's corporate team on community programs and brand activations.

Teaching and service have been constants in my life long before offroading was. For 16 years I volunteered as a youth counselor, showing up week after week for teenagers who needed someone in their corner. That work taught me something I've carried everywhere since: the most meaningful thing you can do for another person is help them believe in their own capability. It's why I co-founded Sierra Nevada Off Road Academy. The terrain changes. The work is the same.

The trail has its own version of that lesson. No matter your experience level, the mountain has something waiting for you. In 2022 a serious accident while volunteering on trail took that further than I expected: I had to learn to walk again. What got me through was the same thing that gets any driver through a hard line — focus on the next move, trust the people beside you, and keep going. That experience is the DNA of SNVORA. We teach skills, but what we're really teaching is how to stay grounded and push through when things get hard.

I live in Campbell with my wife Stefanie — winemaker, extraordinary cook, and my steadfast partner through a full year of 1950s-home renovation. Our dogs Scout and Bailey keep things lively. The backyard pizza oven stays busy. If you're ever nearby, you're welcome to come see what that looks like firsthand.


Professional

How I Can Help

Most product and marketing professionals live on one side of the line — strategy or execution. CJ lives on both. He came up through QA, product management, and solutions engineering before moving into product marketing, which means he understands how products actually get built — and that changes everything about how he positions, launches, and enables teams around them.

🗺️

Product & GTM Strategy

Product roadmap, launch strategy, and go-to-market planning for cloud, SaaS, and technology companies. I've shipped products from first requirements through global launch — including a $2B platform and a first-of-its-kind EV training curriculum.

📣

Positioning & Messaging

Turning genuinely complex technology into clear, differentiated value propositions that resonate with buyers, analysts, and the press. I came up through the technical side, which means I understand what's actually under the hood — and that makes the messaging sharper.

🎯

Enablement & Operations

Playbooks, internal tools, training programs, and operational systems that give teams — sales, service, or support — the context and confidence to do their best work. Built and scaled programs for 300+ reps at Akamai; applies the same thinking to any frontline team.

15+
Years in product & tech
10+
Global product launches
300+
Reps & teams enabled
$2B
Platform GTM ownership

Let's talk.

Whether it's a consulting conversation, an offroad question, or a debate about pizza toppings — I'm always up for a good one.

Find me online →