Episode 43: Kevin Marasco - From competitive surfer to marketing leader and ultra-runner

Today’s guest is Kevin Marasco. Kevin is a full-stack marketing leader, board advisor, startup investor, and ultra-runner. His current gig is as Chief Marketing Officer at Zenefits, an HR, payroll, and employee benefits software company purpose-built for small and mid-size businesses. Prior to Zenefits, Kevin was Chief Marketing Officer at Hirevue, where they grew 4,000%, went from 10% to 60%+ market share, and rated a Forbes top 10 Most Promising Company in America. As Kevin would put it, he’s actually an “accidental” marketer. He started his career as a software engineer and aspiring rock star (his band got a record deal with a major label and opened for folks like Blink 182 and Sublime). When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, running ultramarathons, Ironmans, surfing (he used to be a competitive surfer), and snowboarding. In this interview, we get into his days as a competitive surfer, his winding road from software engineer to marketing executive, his ultra-running career and training, and the stealth sports tech startup he’s working on.

Timestamps

00:02:38 Growing up surfing in Florida

00:12:38 College days and playing in bands

00:17:24 The many jobs he held during college

00:20:53 Working as a software engineer

00:26:50 How his experience as a software engineer benefits him as a tech executive

00:30:47 Pivoting to marketing

00:33:28 His road to Zenefits

00:36:25 Zenefits and his role there

00:47:12 Stealth sports tech startup

00:51:20 His ultrarunning career and training

00:59:25 How he's avoided burnout over the years

01:03:24 His daily routine

01:04:18 His driving force

01:06:11 Advice around living life to the fullest