Operators at wade
Wendy Salisko (Left) & Deanna Andersen (Right), Co-Founders of WADE
wendy salisko
Wendy is a seasoned operator with two decades of experience managing over $1B in P&L for global brands. A specialist in digital commerce and Amazon acceleration, she excels at navigating the tension between growth, profitability, and retailer expectations.
Known for her candor and strategic sequencing, Wendy moves beyond theory to solve what breaks in the real world—from negotiating joint business plans to securing funding for the bets that actually scale. She brings a sharp eye for pattern recognition to every engagement, helping brands navigate high-stakes category reviews and complex go-to-market priorities.
deanna andersEn
Deanna is an operator-advisor shaped by two decades of owning P&Ls and leading commercial strategy across the Fortune 500 and Big 4. She excels in the "messy middle," where ambition meets incomplete information and the cost of being wrong compounds.
Her edge is translation and trajectory. Often acting as the "third leg of the stool" between founders and capital, Deanna pressure-tests assumptions to turn complex narratives into scalable choices. Whether navigating capital allocation or operating models under strain, she provides the clarity and judgment needed to separate signal from motion and move the business forward.
“most experts know one side of the table. we’ve held every seat - so we see what everyone else misses” - WADE
what we believe
Capital accelerates
Capital can look shiny on day one. The pressure shows up right after.
Money is an accelerator, not a plan. Without advisory context, it turns every unclear decision into a deadline and makes small cracks compound fast.
Operator context stabilizes
Growth gets messy when people are trying hard but pulling in different directions.
Context is simply getting everyone clear on what matters, who decides, what happens first, and what we are not doing right now.
Founders build
Founders care more than anyone because they built this from day one.
The risk is trying to carry it the same way forever. The job is turning that instinct and standards into decisions and execution the company can repeat without the founder in every room.
