01/21/25 | EverOps
In this exclusive Q&A, Stephen Koza, CEO of EverOps, takes us through his remarkable journey from studying electrical engineering in Texas to leading a cutting-edge company in Silicon Valley. With a unique blend of technical expertise and entrepreneurial drive, Stephen shares how he built a career on innovation, leadership, and a people-first approach.
Discover how his experiences in sales, startups, and executive leadership have shaped EverOps’ mission to solve the toughest challenges in tech while fostering a culture of growth, humility, collaboration, and excellence.
I grew up in Texas and studied electrical engineering at the University of Texas. About halfway through school, I realized I was more interested in the business side of things but despite that, I took my first job as an engineer. Determined to incorporate my interests, I lobbied for business responsibilities early on.
About a year into my career, I transitioned into sales at a startup that was later acquired by Motorola. I spent several years in sales and sales leadership roles which eventually led to me taking a position in San Francisco. This move proved to be pretty eye-opening – coming from a Fortune 500 company, I suddenly found myself in the heart of Silicon Valley, where conversations in coffee shops revolved around startups and venture capital.
This environment sparked my interest in the startup world, leading me to join a series of successful tech companies. I was fortunate to work with two companies that had remarkable outcomes – one was acquired by Cisco, and the other went public. These experiences gave me what I like to say, an “MBA in entrepreneurship,” working closely with founding teams and executives, and I kind of got the bug to continue where I was going.
After my experiences in Silicon Valley, I wanted to do something more entrepreneurial. Initially, I took some time off to explore different startup ideas, as that seemed like the natural path to entrepreneurship in this area. Through this process, I ended up becoming an investor which ultimately led to an investment opportunity in EverOps, which resulted in me joining as CEO. It was an unexpected but perfect path – I wanted to build and run a business, and instead of starting from scratch, I found the right opportunity through investing.
While I haven’t been a practicing engineer for many years, my technical background has been invaluable throughout my career. Working with technology companies, the ability to quickly understand and grasp what we do and what we sell has been a significant asset. If I had to do it all over again, I’d follow the same path – there’s still an inner nerd in me that enjoys the technical aspects.
After years in sales and sales leadership, I’ve learned that at senior levels, everything involves an element of sales – whether you’re recruiting talent, inspiring teams, working with investors, or maintaining customer relationships. My sales background has served me extremely well in these areas.
In terms of leadership approach, I’ve always enjoyed building teams of motivated, hungry individuals who want to accomplish something together. What’s particularly rewarding is giving people opportunities that become springboards to even bigger roles in their careers. Many people I’ve hired and worked with have gone on to become executives at other tech companies or entrepreneurs in their own right. Being able to help people accomplish their goals and grow professionally has been incredibly fulfilling.
EverOps exists to help companies solve their toughest technology scaling challenges. Every growing company faces technology challenges as they scale or transition, and while there are many options for getting outside help, unfortunately, many of these options leave companies disappointed. That’s why EverOps was founded – to address this exact gap in the market.
We help companies solve their DevOps, IT and security challenges, but we do it with an engagement model that’s completely optimized to avoid the disappointing experiences that are all too common in our industry. Our approach is designed to ensure that companies get the expertise and results they need, delivered in a way that truly serves their interests.
One notable example involves a client who had suffered a significant security breach. They came to us not to analyze the breach itself but to address the underlying issues that had allowed it to happen in the first place. This was a high-stakes situation with board-level visibility and customer data at risk.
We conducted what we call a “checkup,” – which is just a comprehensive assessment of their systems, configurations, processes, and policies. We delivered a detailed report that not only identified issues but also provided strategic and tactical recommendations for resolving them. The senior leadership was impressed with our attention to detail and actionable insights.
This initial assessment evolved into a long-term services engagement where we took ownership of fixing the underlying issues. We helped rebuild their infrastructure roadmap, ran various upgrade projects, and evolved their security and change management processes. The result was transformative – as we essentially took what could have been a catastrophic situation and turned it into an asset, building a robust and secure technology infrastructure they could rely on.
We have team members across the United States organized into what we call “Tech Pods” – small teams of engineers that we embed within client organizations to work alongside them and help solve their technology infrastructure challenges.
We’re incredibly proud of our team and very selective in our hiring process. We prioritize soft skills like having a growth mindset and maintaining low ego – we have a strict “no jerks” policy. We look for people who want to grow their careers and make an impact while remaining humble and collaborative. In fact, we specifically seek out individuals who relish tackling the biggest challenges and aren’t afraid to dive into complex situations.
What I’ve always loved about technology is how quickly it evolves. Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed several technology revolutions – from the dot-com boom during my college years to the mobile revolution and now AI. Each wave brings exponential changes in what technology can deliver and how we can use it.
It’s exciting to be in an industry that’s constantly evolving and moving at such a rapid pace. There are certain technological advances that we’ve all experienced that have changed how we work and live, but there are also emerging technologies whose impact we’re likely underestimating. AI is a perfect example – there’s a general consensus that we’re still underestimating the profound effect it will have on society and our lives.
I’m excited about our growth trajectory at EverOps. We have an incredibly strong engineering and delivery organization with a culture that excels at solving complex challenges for clients. Our current focus is on building an equally strong go-to-market function to make the world more aware of our capabilities.
When I joined EverOps, we were primarily engineering-focused with minimal sales or marketing presence – most of our business came from referrals and word of mouth. Over the last 18 months, we’ve been investing heavily in our go-to-market strategy, making our value proposition clearer and building out our sales, marketing, and partnerships capabilities. I’m thrilled about where the company is headed and the challenges we’ll tackle along the way.
On a personal level, I’m navigating what I like to call a “beautifully chaotic” life. Between work demands and home life with my wife (who works full-time) and our two young children (ages three and two), things are busy but fulfilling. Having something to work toward beyond just building a company – being an active part of my children’s lives and watching them grow – gives everything greater meaning and purpose.
Throughout this conversation with Stephen Koza, we see how his unique journey from electrical engineering to CEO has shaped his approach to leadership and business building. His emphasis on combining technical expertise with business acumen while maintaining a focus on people and culture has helped position EverOps as a trusted partner for companies facing complex technology challenges.
Stephen’s excitement about the future of technology, particularly in areas like AI, reflects his forward-thinking mindset. However, what truly stands out is his balanced approach to success – building a thriving business while maintaining strong values and nurturing both his team’s growth and his family life. This holistic perspective, combined with EverOps’ commitment to solving complex technical challenges, suggests a bright future for both the company and its clients.