AcquisitionFeatured
DerbySoft
Rebranded for North America. Acquired for $120M+.
$120M+
Acquisition (June 2026)
#1
Share of voice, North America
AI
Product line launched
Customer Stories
The stories. The outcomes.
I partner with founders, CEOs, CMOs and CROs in hospitality, travel, and enterprise tech to turn positioning into growth, funding, rebrand, and exit. Here are the stories, in my clients' own numbers.
$1B+
in client acquisitions, exits & funding
1M+
users scaled across my client portfolio
50+
clients served since 2014
20+ yrs
B2B hospitality & tech expertise
Clients with a story below
- DerbySoft
- Go Moment (Ivy)
- APS
- NAVIS
- StayFlexi PMS
- LodgIQ
- ResortPass
- Stayntouch
- Maestro PMS
- Laasie
- Groupize
- FutureLog
- UMapped
- Infor Hospitality
- Nor1
- EPTECA
- Rainmaker
- Bókun
- HoloConnects
- IDS Next
- FLYR
- iVvy
- Knowcross
- ILC
- Drape&Stitch
- RezRecover (CartStack)
- Cornerstone
- React Mobile
- SalesAndCatering.com
- Zaplox
- Cloud5 Communications
- LeisureLink
Capabilities
Full-stack growth Marketer.
Marketing is no longer about influencing buyers. It's about influencing the systems buyers rely on to make decisions. I help B2B technology companies rethink growth for this new reality by bringing together three disciplines that can no longer exist separately:
Brand — what you stand for and why buyers should care.
AI — how your company is discovered, understood, and recommended.
Growth — the systems that turn trust into customers.
- 01Positioning & Messaging
- 02Branding & Visual Identity
- 03Go-to-Market
- 04Fractional CMO
- 05Acquisition & Funding Prep
- 06Executive Ghostwriting & Thought Leadership
- 07AI and Automation Transformation
- 08AEO, GEO, AI Visibility
- 09Case studies, Ebooks, Guides, Reports
- 10Social Media & Digital Marketing
- 11Public Relations
- 12Growth Marketing
Client stories
The stories. The outcomes.
Filter by outcome or browse all. Click any story to read the challenge, the work, and the results.
AcquisitionFeatured
Go Moment (Ivy)
From startup to a 10x exit. Acquired by Revinate.
10x
Investor return at exit
Acquired
by Revinate
#1
Share of voice in AI guest messaging
AcquisitionFeatured
APS
Built the brand and pipeline that led to a $90M exit.
$90M
Acquisition
10x
Brand reach
#1
SOV vs. larger rivals
AcquisitionFeatured
NAVIS
Branded the hotel CRM leader through to acquisition by Revinate.
Acquired
by Revinate
#1
Authority in hotel CRM
GrowthFeatured
StayFlexi PMS
Scaled an all-in-one hotel PMS into a global growth leader.
5x
Property growth
50+
Countries live
$14M
Series A raised
4x
Inbound demo requests
RebrandFeatured
LodgIQ
Rebranded LodgIQ as the AI-first RMS for modern hotels.
AI-first
Category position
3x
Enterprise pipeline
FundingFeatured
ResortPass
3x clients, $37M raised, 25+ premium media features.
$37M
Series A
3x
Hotel clients
25+
Tier-1 media features
Acquisition
Stayntouch
Mobile PMS pioneer, acquired for $33M.
$33M
Acquisition
#1
Mobile PMS recognition
Growth
Maestro PMS
Cut $200K in ad spend. Grew for a decade.
-$200K
Ad spend cut
Record
Growth year
10+ yrs
Sustained partnership
Growth
Laasie
Repositioned hotel loyalty for the instant-gratification era.
New
Loyalty category narrative
Tier-1
Trade coverage
Rebrand
Groupize
Rebranded Groupize as an AI-native meetings & events platform.
AI-native
Repositioning
Leader
AI meetings tech
Growth
FutureLog
Brought a European P2P platform to global markets.
Global
Expansion
3
Regions activated
Acquisition
UMapped
Travel itinerary platform — strategic acquisition.
Exit
Acquired
Growth
Infor Hospitality
Enterprise hospitality marketing at global scale.
Global
Reach
Top-10
Enterprise brand
Acquisition
Nor1
Upsell leader acquired by Sabre.
Exit
Acquired by Sabre
Growth
EPTECA
Positioned a niche travel tech innovator for growth.
Clarity
Positioning unlocked
Acquisition
Rainmaker
Revenue management leader — acquired by Cendyn.
Exit
Acquired by Cendyn
Acquisition
Bókun
Tours & activities platform — acquired by TripAdvisor.
Exit
Acquired by TripAdvisor
Growth
HoloConnects
Launched holographic hospitality experiences.
New
Category created
Major
Hotel brand pilots
GrowthFeatured
IDS Next
Built North American visibility for Asia's largest hospitality software platform.
CEO-led
GTM partnership
North America
Market visibility
Trade pubs
Thought leadership
FundingFeatured
FLYR
Scaled an AI revenue platform from aviation into hospitality — $295M raised.
$295M
Funding raised
290%
ARR growth
2
Verticals launched
GrowthFeatured
iVvy
Launched an event and venue management platform into North America.
$5.4M
Pre-IPO funding round
North America
Market launch
CEO
Thought leadership program
AcquisitionFeatured
Knowcross
Built the operations brand that UniFocus acquired.
Acquired
by UniFocus (2021)
Global
Leader in ops optimization
20+
Years in hospitality tech
GrowthFeatured
ILC
Built the brand that became the #1 event for independent hoteliers.
#1
Event for independents
Sold-out
Confab series
Nationwide
Event footprint
CEO
Thought leadership program
GrowthFeatured
Drape&Stitch
Launched a luxury uniform brand from zero to global hotel partnerships.
Sell-out
Debut collection
Luxury
Four Seasons, Fairmont, Waldorf Astoria, JW Marriott
Tier-1
Media exposure
Growth
RezRecover (CartStack)
Launched CartStack's hospitality arm into a new vertical.
New
Vertical launched
6 mo
Hotel pipeline built
Tier-1
Trade coverage
Growth
Cornerstone
Positioned a travel spend and data platform as the operations intelligence leader.
500+
Attendees per virtual event
Enterprise
Pipeline growth
Tier-1
Trade coverage
FundingFeatured
React Mobile
Launched a safety startup and scaled it into hospitality and healthcare.
Funding
Secured to scale
2
Verticals launched
Tier-1
Trade coverage
Growth
SalesAndCatering.com
An extension of the marketing team driving awareness and authority.
Embedded
Marketing team extension
Tier-1
Trade coverage sustained
Ongoing
Thought leadership program
Growth
Zaplox
Made mobile keyless entry a category hotels understood.
N.A.
Market visibility built
Tier-1
Trade coverage
Assets
Lead gen library built
Growth
Cloud5 Communications
Turned infrastructure expertise into industry authority.
Authority
Category positioning
Tier-1
Trade coverage
Enterprise
Sales assets delivered
Growth
LeisureLink
Visibility and demand for a vacation rental distribution leader.
SOV
Share of voice lifted
Pipeline
Lead gen program
Tier-1
Trade coverage
In my clients' words
Founders, CEOs, and CMOs on working with Ivana Johnston.
“Ivana's market-specific insights, branding strategies, and hands-on execution enabled us to rapidly refresh our brand and establish a stronger foothold in North America. She is truly part of our team and an indispensable partner from start to finish.”
DerbySoft
CMO, DerbySoft
“Ivana understood how to bring our AI and emerging hotel tech to market when the idea was completely new to the industry. She turned a bold idea into a brand the industry trusted.”
Go Moment (Ivy)
Raj Singh, Founder & CEO, Go Moment
“Ivana helped us educate the market on microservices architecture in hospitality, differentiate our brand in a crowded space, and ultimately build the credibility and pipeline that contributed to our $90M acquisition.”
APS
Founder, CEO, APS
“Ivana gave NAVIS the brand and the voice of the category. Her work was central to how the market — and ultimately Revinate — saw us.”
NAVIS
Marketing Leadership, NAVIS
“Ivana didn't just market StayFlexi — she built the narrative that powered our North American market growth.”
StayFlexi PMS
Venkatesh Sakamuri, Co-Founder & CEO, StayFlexi
“Ivana reimagined LodgIQ as the AI-first RMS the industry needed. Her understanding of AI and the hotel tech space, genuine domain expertise, and unmatched network opened doors no one else could.”
LodgIQ
CEO, LodgIQ
About
Ivana Johnston
B2B Marketing Advisor to Hospitality, Travel & Enterprise Tech
In 2014 Ivana co-founded Puzzle Partner, bringing insider knowledge and real networks to innovative companies, from full strategic partnership to hands-on execution.
50+ clients. Over $1B in funding and exits. Valuations up as high as 10x. Acquisitions north of $110M.
She advises CEOs and boards through the decisions that shape what a company becomes next: scale, positioning, and the shift to AI.
Ivana's views on technology, AI, and business are featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and the trade press.
As seen in
100s of articles featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and leading hotel & travel publications.
Forbes
Read article→What Every CEO Needs To Know Before Making Another AI Decision
Forbes
Read article→Why The Most Successful AI Companies Will Solve Boring Problems
HospitalityNet
Read article→How Just Ask AI Is Rewriting The Rules Of Every Industry
Hotel-Online
Read article→When Edison Unveiled The Light Bulb, Candlemakers Predicted Doom. Are We Making The Same Mistake With AI?
Entrepreneur
Read article→How To Build A Brand That The Ultra-Wealthy Can't Resist
Entrepreneur
Read article→The $100 Million Habit That Leads To Extraordinary Success
Turn marketing into momentum.
I help B2B brands lead in the AI era — from positioning and pipeline to growth, funding, and acquisition.
Book your intro call →