ControlUp is a company that helps IT resolve desktop issues faster, prevent tickets, and reduce spend by delivering a Digital Employee Experience (DEX) Management Fabric built for IT teams’ challenges such as troubleshooting complex workspaces, support tickets, and flat budgets. Pulse 2.0 interviewed ControlUp COO Mark Schwartz to learn more about the company.
Mark Schwartz’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Schwartz said:
“I was born and raised in New York. I was (am) continuously curious and seemed to have developed an early aptitude for problem-solving. It led me to the University of Miami, where I studied finance, accounting, and philosophy on an academic scholarship. After graduation, I worked as a financial analyst, with a brief stint in east London, UK, in semi-professional rugby. Both experiences deepened in me the importance of teamwork and strategic thinking. I went on to pursue a law degree from the University of San Diego School, focusing on corporate law, and moved to San Francisco after graduation to begin my career. During my six years of practicing law, I focused on mergers and acquisitions, technology licensing, and corporate roll-up transactions. However, I began to feel a disconnect between my role in closing deals and my desire to have a longer-term impact on those transactions.”
“That realization prompted a significant career shift. In 2000, I partnered with a client of our law firm to start Fabrinet, a fiber optics manufacturing company, where I became immersed in operational leadership, including positions as CFO, GC and Chief Strategy Officer. Over the next several years, I helped scale Fabrinet from a startup to a global organization of over $1 billion in annual revenue, and ultimately led the company through a public offering on the NYSE. Since then, I’ve held executive roles in various SaaS, hardware, and AI-focused businesses, including Markforged, where I led the company to its public offering in 2021. These experiences have shaped my perspective on scaling organizations, aligning cross-functional teams, and creating sustainable growth strategies, all of which I bring to my role at ControlUp.”
“As Chief Operating Officer of ControlUp, my primary responsibility is to ensure the company’s operations scale efficiently to meet the demands of a rapidly growing customer base while maintaining exceptional service and innovation. It involves overseeing critical functions such as finance, legal, IT, and HR, ensuring these areas align with our overall business strategy. My role requires a deep focus on operational scalability—building processes and frameworks that allow us to grow sustainably while maintaining agility and implementing systems that ensure consistency, accountability, and efficiency across all levels of the organization.”
“In addition to the operational focus, I work closely with ControlUp’s leadership team to drive our strategic vision. This includes identifying opportunities for growth, guiding change management initiatives, and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. A significant part of my role is ensuring we remain laser-focused on our customers’ needs, delivering solutions that enhance the digital employee experience (DEX). By leveraging my past experiences in scaling organizations, I aim to position ControlUp for long-term success while continuing to delight our customers with cutting-edge, AI-driven solutions.”
Onboarding At The Company
How has your onboarding at the company been? Schwartz shared:
“My onboarding at ControlUp has been a rewarding experience, largely because of the company’s welcoming culture and collaborative leadership. From my very first meeting with Jed Ayres, our CEO, I was struck by how much emphasis the organization places on alignment and purpose. It wasn’t just about filling a role; but about ensuring we shared a vision for the company’s future. This thoughtful approach extended to my onboarding process, where I had the opportunity to meet with cross-functional teams, understand the nuances of the business, and align on our goals for scaling operations and delivering value to our customers.”
“What stands out to me is the team’s humility and openness—qualities that are integral to ControlUp’s culture. The company has created an environment encouraging transparent communication, collaboration, and a shared commitment to innovation. These values have made it easy for me to immerse myself in the organization and contribute to its mission of enhancing the digital employee experience. Overall, the onboarding process reinforced my decision to join ControlUp and has set the stage for meaningful contributions to the company’s growth.”
Experiences In Your Career
How have your experiences in your career prepared you for this role? Schwartz noted:
“My career has been defined by roles that required building and scaling organizations, which has provided me with a unique perspective on operational excellence and strategic leadership. At Fabrinet, I was involved in every aspect of scaling the business—from assembling a global team and navigating cross-border transactions to preparing for a successful public offering. These experiences taught me the importance of establishing consistent processes, fostering a unified culture, and focusing on long-term strategic goals, all of which are critical to scaling a company like ControlUp. Similarly, my roles at companies like Trax and Markforged reinforced my expertise in managing rapid growth and implementing change management strategies.”
“Additionally, my corporate law and finance background has given me a strong foundation in navigating complex challenges. Whether guiding strategic acquisitions or overseeing global operations, I’ve developed a process-driven approach that ensures consistency and adaptability. These experiences have also taught me the importance of humility, empathy, and accountability in leadership. They have prepared me to take on the multifaceted challenges of my role at ControlUp, where I aim to leverage my expertise to drive operational scalability and ensure we continue to deliver exceptional value to our customers.”
Future Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals and what is your vision for ControlUp? Schwartz emphasized:
“ControlUp is at the forefront of the digital employee experience (DEX) revolution, and the company’s goals reflect its ambition to lead this space. One of our primary objectives is to continue delivering innovative, AI-driven solutions that empower IT teams to proactively manage and optimize their environments. As organizations adapt to hybrid work models and increasing technological complexity, ControlUp’s tools are essential for minimizing disruptions, improving productivity, and enhancing employee satisfaction. My vision is to scale our operations and infrastructure to support this growth while ensuring we remain agile and responsive to our customers’ evolving needs.”
“Beyond technology, a key part of my vision for ControlUp is fostering a strong, purpose-driven culture that prioritizes collaboration, innovation, and customer success. Scaling a company is more than just growing revenue; it’s about building systems and processes that ensure sustainability, long-term value, and the support of our customers. By aligning our teams around a shared mission and investing in scalable operations, we can achieve our ambitious goals while maintaining the level of service and innovation that sets ControlUp apart. My focus is on enabling this growth in a way that preserves our core values and continues to delight our customers.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Schwartz concluded:
“One topic I’m passionate about is the role of culture in driving operational scalability and business success. In my experience, the most successful organizations are those that prioritize alignment and collaboration across all levels. At ControlUp, we’re not just scaling operations—we’re scaling our culture of humility, transparency, and innovation. This requires deliberate effort, from how we communicate our mission and values to how we empower teams to make decisions and contribute to the company’s success. Creating this kind of environment is critical to maintaining agility and ensuring that every team member feels invested in our journey.”
“I’m also eager to evangelize the future of the digital employee experience (DEX) and how ControlUp is shaping this space. As organizations increasingly adopt hybrid and remote work models, the ability to proactively manage IT environments and enhance employee productivity is more important than ever. ControlUp’s AI-driven solutions are helping companies navigate this complexity, enabling them to resolve issues faster, improve efficiency, and create seamless digital experiences for their employees. It’s an exciting time to be at the intersection of technology and workplace transformation, and I’m proud to be part of a company that is leading the way.”
