Mike J. Cohen

GTM Leader & Senior VP of Partnerships | Angel & Venture Investor | ex-Square, Meta, Qualcomm

San Francisco Bay Area

About

Mike is a seasoned Business Development and GTM leader, venture investor, angel investor, and trusted advisor who is obsessed with growing and scaling disruptive technologies. He has over 20 years of experience scaling high-growth technology companies across fintech, AI, enterprise SaaS, SMB, social, and mobile platforms. As an investor, he is a strategic limited partner and/or advisor in multiple venture capital funds including Stage 2 Capital and Primary Ventures, in addition to being a direct angel investor in early-stage companies. He also loves to advise and consult early and growth-stage companies, helping them achieve enormous scale. He also serves on the advisory board for UC Berkeley’s Open Innovation initiative, is a member of Berkeley Skydeck, and teaches at Berkeley's Entrepreneurship Program & Hub. As an operator, Mike was most recently the Senior Vice President & Global Head of Partnerships at Square, leading a 50-person team that oversaw the company’s strategic partners, product partners, distribution partners, and international partnerships worldwide. He oversaw and grew Square’s relationships with leading companies including Google, Apple, Meta, OpenAI, Uber, Intuit, T-Mobile, among hundreds of others. Square’s ecosystem of partners touch nearly half of the company’s business - acting as a critical lead, growth, and retention lever for the company. Previously he built and led global channel partnerships at Meta, driving new business initiatives for Messenger, WhatsApp, and Workplace, and also held executive leadership roles at venture-backed startups InMobi and Wrap Media. Earlier in his career, Mike was a venture capital investor at Qualcomm Ventures, an M&A investment banking analyst at Broadview international, and a corporate strategist at Nokia. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Bachelor of Science from UC Berkeley, and he lives with his family in the San Francisco East Bay Area.

Experience

  • Guest Lecturer, Board Advisor, Mentor, and Angel Investor at University of California, Berkeley
    2025 - Present · 1 yr 6 mos

    I love sharing insights with and learning from founders who are redefining and shaping the future of technology at one of the most transformational times in history.  - Guest lecturer for multiple undergraduate and MBA courses including Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Startup Relationships.  - Board advisor for Haas Open Innovation Labs. - Strategic advisor and angel investor for Berkeley Skydeck. - Guest judge, mentor, and advisor for Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship Program including Calvanize, StEP, UC Launch, and Cal eHub. - Advisor and mentor for select students and Berkeley-founded startups.

  • Limited Partner at Stage 2 Capital
    2025 - Present · 1 yr 6 mos

    Stage 2 Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in early stage B2B software companies. Backed by top go-to-market professionals from leading tech companies, Stage 2 Capital leverages its deep sales expertise to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses in addition to providing capital.

  • Angel Investor & Advisor at Angel Investor
    2023 - Present · 3 yrs 6 mos

    Early-stage investor backing mission-driven entrepreneurs across technology, consumer, and emerging industries.

  • Square (6 yrs 1 mo)
    • Senior Vice President & Global Head of Partnerships
      2021 - 2025 · 4 yrs

      I led Square's Global Partnerships organization including Product Partnerships, Channel Partnerships, Platform Partnerships, Strategic Partnerships, Solutions Partnerships, and International Partnerships. I oversaw and grew Square’s relationships with leading companies including Google, Apple, Meta, OpenAI, Uber, Intuit, T-Mobile, Sysco, DoorDash, among hundreds of others. Square’s ecosystem of partners touch nearly half of the company’s business - acting as a critical lead, growth, and retention lever for the company. These teams were responsible for all business development, partner management, and partner operations for Square's partners across all markets worldwide.

    • Global Head of Business Development
      2019 - 2021 · 2 yrs

  • Facebook (3 yrs 1 mo)
    • Global Head of Channel Partnerships, Workplace
      2017 - 2019 · 2 yrs

    • Emerging Business Lead - Partnerships & Product Marketing for Messenger and Workplace
      2016 - 2018 · 2 yrs