Why Scaling Leaders Don’t Build Alone—and What Isolation Costs with Jason Bateman

Описание: In this episode of The Revenue Room™ Podcast, Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Jason Bateman, Vice President of Community at XPRIZE, for a deep exploration of what it truly takes to build, scale, and sustain high-impact communities.

Jason brings more than 25 years of experience designing and growing elite membership organizations, from Vistage to XPRIZE. He shares hard-earned insights on why community is not a “nice-to-have,” but a strategic growth engine when executed with intention, discipline, and care. This conversation goes beyond surface-level engagement tactics and dives into the mechanics of trust, curation, retention, and long-term value creation.

This episode is a masterclass in community as infrastructure: how purpose-driven networks compound value, how diversity strengthens group dynamics, and why leadership, curation, and accountability determine whether a community thrives or fails.

CONNECT WITH JASON:   / jasonbateman  

What you’ll learn:
[00:02:30] What Makes Communities Work
Jason explains that leaders join communities for professional reasons but stay for personal connection. Community success comes from shared purpose, trust, and relevance.

[00:05:45] Quality Over Scale
One misaligned member can undermine an entire group. Sustainable communities prioritize fit, values, and mindset over revenue or rapid growth.

[00:08:30] Scaling Without Losing the Soul
At Vistage, growth was driven by precise member matching, nomination-based language, and rigorous screening to ensure strong group dynamics.

[00:11:30] Retention Is a System, Not an Afterthought
High-touch customer success, proactive check-ins, and helping members transition when they outgrow a group were key to long-term retention.

[00:16:45] Diversity Strengthens Communities
Gender balance, varied backgrounds, and including nonprofit leaders created stronger dialogue, better decisions, and higher engagement.

[00:21:00] Referral-Driven Growth
The most effective growth came from asking for referrals at moments of momentum: onboarding, early wins, and even declined opportunities.

[00:24:30] Inside XPRIZE
Jason outlines how XPRIZE uses large-scale incentive prizes to solve global challenges, connecting innovators, funders, and partners to create new industries.

[00:39:00] Leadership & Purpose
Jason shares that his career fulfillment comes from servant leadership, building missions bigger than himself, and creating lasting impact.

Why Listen
This episode is essential for CEOs, founders, and revenue-critical leaders who are:
Building executive communities, networks, or memberships
Struggling with churn, engagement, or long-term retention
Rethinking community as a business model, not a side project
Looking to align purpose, growth, and measurable impact
Exploring how innovation ecosystems actually scale

If you’re a leader who believes community can drive both economic and societal outcomes, this conversation offers practical frameworks, real-world lessons, and a powerful reminder: the right people, curated with care, can change everything.

About RevvedUP 2026
RevvedUP 2026 is where CEOs and revenue-critical C-suite leaders reset their growth playbook for the AI-first economy.

📍 March 23–24, 2026 | The Vinoy Resort, St. Petersburg, FL
A two-day strategy lab focused on turning AI from cost center into growth driver.

Learn more:
https://www.accelevents.com/e/revvedu...

About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is Founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. She is a recognized operator and thought leader in digital transformation, data, and revenue growth across media, marketplaces, and adjacent technologies.

Connect with Heather on LinkedIn:
  / heatherholstknudsen  

About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical leaders shaping growth in the data and AI economy. Through confidential peer sessions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world revenue transformation and enterprise value creation.

Apply or learn more:
info.h2klabs.com/apply-cxo