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Here’s how to startup. Even when the world goes topsy-turvy.
From one home office to another, Zendesk leaders chat with founders, CEOs, and makers on their startup journey. There’s rule-flipping, new dogma and recycling failure into growth.
Plus, why customer experience is at the heart of success, as told by people who know unpredictability inside out. (That seems pretty helpful right now.)
From one home office to another, Zendesk leaders chat with founders, CEOs, and makers on their startup journey. There’s rule-flipping, new dogma and recycling failure into growth.
Plus, why customer experience is at the heart of success, as told by people who know unpredictability inside out. (That seems pretty helpful right now.)
89 Episodes
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Welcome back to Sit Down Startup! Seth Sternberg, co-founder of Honor ($625M raised), a company dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic, was heavily influenced by his upbringing in Connecticut and his entrepreneurial spirit. Sternberg's experiences during the pandemic greatly shaped his perspective on its challenges. Acknowledging the significant impact of the pandemic on his business, which involves sending care professionals into the homes of older adults, Sternberg was faced with the realization of potential risks and the survival of the company. Despite these daunting challenges, Sternberg emphasized the necessity of resilience, adaptability, and finding creative solutions to ensure the safety of both employees and clients. Implementing strict infection control protocols and policies, Sternberg showcases his deep-rooted motivation to contribute positively to society, especially during times of crisis. Apply to the Zendesk for Startups program. Qualifying startups can use Zendesk six months for free. Click to learn more: https://www.zendesk.com/lp/startup-partner/?ref=gen&partner_account=0016R00003GUn7OQAT
Welcome to the latest episode of Sit Down Startup, where host Adam O'Donnell explores FLYR Labs’ founder and CEO Alex Mans' meteoric rise with $400M raised, #boom!Transitioning from a consumer-focused model predicting ticket prices to a B2B powerhouse, they're now strategically collaborating with airlines to optimize pricing. Adam and Alex discuss why pivoting to high-margin, recurring revenue streams with big companies was a game-changer for their business model.Also critical to success are the strong personal relationships FLYR Labs has forged with airline C-suite executives, key in securing lucrative contracts. Finally, Adam and Alex tackle the criticism airlines face for poor data management and how FLYR Labs' machine learning solutions are setting new industry standards.Don't miss this high-altitude discussion!Apply to the Zendesk for Startups program. Qualifying startups can use Zendesk six months for free. Click to learn more: https://www.zendesk.com/lp/startup-partner/?ref=gen&partner_account=0016R00003GUn7OQAT
In this episode of Sit Down Startup, join Laura Behrens Wu, founder of the multimillion-dollar shipping platform Shippo, as she reveals the pivotal moments that led to staggering growth and product-market fit success. Discover Shippo's journey using customer retention tactics (8:12), an API-first strategy (13:33), and conquering the Shopify App Store with a savvy inbound marketing approach (00:35:15). Listen to this interview for a deep dive into the game-changing approaches Shippo took to thrive in the competitive e-commerce space.Apply to the Zendesk for Startups program. Qualifying startups can use Zendesk six months for free. Click to learn more: https://www.zendesk.com/lp/startup-partner/?ref=gen&partner_account=0016R00003GUn7OQAT
In the latest episode of Sit Down Startup, uncover Sami Inkinen's entrepreneurial journey, [00:11:28] beginning with how seizing the opportunity in his 20s set the stage for a phenomenal career. Sami shares his groundbreaking strides in [00:19:51] revolutionizing residential real estate with interactive maps, helping Trulia achieve an unparalleled product-market fit. Venturing into health tech, [00:36:53] Sami discusses Virta Health's mission to reverse diabetes through nutrition, not pharmaceuticals. This episode is nothing short of a masterclass in unwavering commitment, diving headfirst into entrepreneurship, and fostering a genuine passion for success in work. Host Adam O'Donnell steers this insightful conversation to inspire and equip startup founders on their journey to market fit.Apply to join the Zendesk for Startups program and use Zendesk free for six months. Provide your customers with exceptional customer experiences from day one: https://www.zendesk.com/lp/startup-partner/?ref=gen&partner_account=0016R00003GUn7OQAT
Sam Li, co-founder and CEO of Thoropass, has a rich background. His perspective on achieving product-market fit as a startup founder is rooted in resourcefulness, curiosity, and adaptability. Here are some cool parts of the episode to check out!(00:02:18) Navigating Rookie Mistakes as a Founder(00:07:48) The Importance of Intellectual Honesty in Pivoting(00:12:36) Discovering Customer Pain Points for Product Market Fit(00:19:50) Framework Thinking and Curiosity: Sam Li's SuperpowersApply to join the Zendesk for Startups program and use Zendesk free for six months. Provide your customers with exceptional customer experiences from day one: https://www.zendesk.com/lp/startup-partner/?ref=gen&partner_account=0016R00003GUn7OQAT
In this insightful episode, Red Panda's founder, Alex Gallego, embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the entrepreneurial journey.[00:02:33] He reveals the intertwining of personal struggles and leadership challenges, while advocating for a more supportive startup community.[00:10:36] Alex unpacks his ever-evolving CEO priorities; from achieving product-market fit in the early stages to focusing on team recruitment and understanding market structure later on.[00:18:49] He underscores the critical importance of a remarkable Developer Experience in tech product development. Citing Red Panda's embrace by Fortune 1000 companies and governments, he emphasizes the pivotal role of swift and efficient software installation. Tune in for a deep-dive into leadership resilience, strategic CEO priorities, and the undeniable value of heightening user experience.
Sit Down Startup is back with Arjun Narayan, founder of Materialize, who shares how they nearly hit product-market fit before their MVP was ready! Host Adam O'Donnell dives into Arjun's journey from India to raising $100M+ (1:40) and revolutionizing real-time data processing with Materialize (00:45). Founders will appreciate the dialogue on tech database funding and the role of investor expertise (16:16). Tune in for more!Shoutout to this episode's partners Capchase and FounderPass!Capchase - non-dilutive growth financing solution for SaaS companies. Email Ian.Garrett@capchase.com and mention this podcast to get 10% off. FounderPass is the perk and discount platform for startups, giving over $1million of discounts on software, tools and business services. Click here for more.
In this new episode of Sit Down Startup, Adam interviews Sentry's founder David Cramer, who shares insights from his illustrious journey that led to successfully raising $217 million. Tune in as David delves into diverse topics such as unraveling unique product monetization, cultivating unwavering belief in success (00:05:41), the power of focus and core concepts (00:08:45), and managing feedback at scale (00:18:37). The conversation touches upon customer engagement wisdom: distinguishing valuable feedback and exploring how focus and determination pave the path to tech success. David emphasizes the criticality of aligning with prospects who inherently understand and connect with your vision rather than convincing all.Thank you to this week's partners Ignition and Slack!Ignition is a GTM operating system which helps unlock revenue opportunity by aligning product, marketing, and sales teams around new market initiative launches, with a single suite for planning, execution, and measurement. Zendesk Startups members get 90% off Ignition for their first year when they enter the coupon code ZENDESK90 at checkout. http://haveignition.comCheck out Slack for 25% off Slack Pro - Unlock features like huddles, Slack Connect, automations and unlimited apps in Slack. http://slack.com/promo/partner?remote_promo=1d1d4669
In this week's episode of Sit Down Startup, get to know Donald Muir, the creator and driving force behind Arc, a digital bank crafted for the tech-savvy crowd. As an experienced business leader with a keen desire for breakthroughs, Muir's interpretations of the explosion and teamwork in online banking post-SVB collapse (2:45) come from his hands-on experience of building Arc from scratch.Muir underlines the value of a dynamic digital bank that blends the personalized touch of a bank like First Republic with the fail-safe security and solidity of a mega-bank such as Goldman Sachs. He's a staunch advocate for cross-departmental cooperation and harmony (10:00) with an execution-focused mindset (20:42). Join host Adam O'Donnell for this latest episode.Thank you to this episode's partners EXEC and Sprinto!EXEC is an all-in-one benefits solution designed to empower the modern leader—with unparalleled travel and lifestyle benefits for individuals and organizations. Use promo code ZEN200 to save $200 off your EXEC annual membership access at joinexec.com.Ambitious cloud companies all over the world trust Sprinto to power their security compliance programs and sprint through security audits without breaking their stride. Startups can get up to 40% off their first year through our Sprinto Ignite program. Click here: https://sprinto.com/
Join us for the latest episode of Sit Down Startup! Anyone want to order a pizza? You're in luck. This week's guest Ilir Sela is the founder and CEO of Slice, a platform that "builds innovative tech to empower America’s independent pizzerias." Sounds delicious! Ilir dives into...Fax-machine-MVP - meet the customer where they areWhy he bootstrapped to $40M GMV vs. raising soonerWhat he looked for in a VC partnerAnd more!Shoutout to our partners DocSend and The Launch Box!DocSend: DocSend allows you to securely share your pitch deck and streamline fundraising - with DocSend, you maintain control over sensitive fundraising documents, know which investors are engaging with your decks and get real-time, actionable feedback with document analytics.Founders can get up to 90% off DocSend for a year by filling out the form here: https://try.docsend.com/zendeskThe Launch Box: The Launch Box is a boutique marketing services firm that is on a mission to help more founders succeed by embedding established marketing principles into their company DNA from day 1. Take our FREE STARTUP QUIZ to assess the market fit of your new business and get actionable advice on what you can do next to accelerate your path to market and optimize your chances at success. https://thelaunchboxus.com/startup-quiz
Jeremy Wood's solution, OpenStore, offers these founders the option to sell their businesses or have OpenStore operate and run the stores on their behalf. This innovative approach has not only provided a lifeline for many e-commerce founders but has also positioned OpenStore as a major player in the e-commerce market. Join Adam O'Donnell and Jeremy Wood as they delve deeper into this topic on the next episode of Sit Down Startup.Lark is a next-generation team productivity suite that boosts organisations' efficiency, creativity, and engagement.Get 6 months of free access to Lark Pro by joining Lark for Startups program: https://www.larksuite.com/paid/startupRaion.io is creating the worlds best user experience for founders to engage with investors. Access exclusive discounts and credits from the company's, "including Zendesk" supporting your startup...and connect with Americas leading investors at Raion.io. Learn more at https://raion.io/
![[$200M+ Raised] Self-Doubt & Worry to Thriving Through Startup Challenges; Electric.ai's Founder, Ryan Denehy](https://files.cohostpodcasting.com/quill-file-prod/ce15a2ab-3757-44ea-9129-12ad799f9636/shows/15ce1ea6-736a-436b-a150-92296fb0c34c/episodes/a5ec5d1d-7929-4ec5-abd7-39404a9240ce/cover-art/original_a39fd12aea07190bf64a37840fbe27ff.png "[$200M+ Raised] Self-Doubt & Worry to Thriving Through Startup Challenges; Electric.ai's Founder, Ryan Denehy")
Ryan Denehy discussed the importance of overcoming self-doubt in the early stages of a startup. He shares his own experiences, practical advice, and data-driven insights that can help founders navigate the competitive business landscape.Thank you to this week's partners Aktie Now and WorknetGPT!Aktie Now has a special offer for startups joining the Zendesk for Startups program: Zendesk Express implementation - Have your Zendesk up and running, fully configured to your processes, including training to your team, with 40% discount, so you make sure you are making the most of your Zendesk! Click here to access discount.WorknetGPT powers support teams in Zendesk with bi-directional integration to Slack. Automate your work using WorknetGPT - get suggested responses, automatic tagging, sentiment analysis and ticket routing. Click here for more.
Atrium, a software company co-founded by Pete Kazanjy in 2016, has achieved more business success with fewer Sales Development Representatives (SDRs). This accomplishment can be credited to their strong inbound game and their valuable content that educates and provides insights to their community of 35,000 members. Atrium's software helps businesses implement data-driven sales management by monitoring KPIs and providing alerts. Host Adam O'Donnell also discusses the challenges of business growth and the importance of experiencing low moments and failure as indicators of pushing boundaries with Pete in this latest episode of Sit Down Startup. This week's partner shout out goes to two partners: First, Yext - a content management hub to build consumer grade experiences. Check out their $35,000 credit offer. https://www.yext.com/try/startups Use code ZendeskYS2022 And be sure to check out Forecastr. They make financial modeling easy for founders. Receive 20% OFF your first-year of Forecastr + Waived Implementation Fees + FREE Listing on INVESTOR CONNECT. bit.ly/3s9OE33
![[$1.2B Val] Epidemic Sound's Founder, Oscar Hoglund: Overcoming Gov Regulations & Launching A Marketplace](https://files.cohostpodcasting.com/quill-file-prod/ce15a2ab-3757-44ea-9129-12ad799f9636/shows/15ce1ea6-736a-436b-a150-92296fb0c34c/episodes/3718e193-068c-4654-b903-e52aede93d45/cover-art/original_9ffd19988fa9543259adc46c3667012b.png "[$1.2B Val] Epidemic Sound's Founder, Oscar Hoglund: Overcoming Gov Regulations & Launching A Marketplace")
The success of Epidemic Sound, a platform for content creators and music artists, is a testament to the skill, and creativity of Oscar Hoglund and his team. Despite the numerous legal and financial obstacles they encountered, they refused to give up on their mission and took the fight to Brussels to change copyright laws and protect artists from exploitation. The key to their success was their passion for the project and the support of those around them. Through their dedication, they were able to create a platform that grants content creators easy access to music while ensuring artists are fairly compensated for their work. Every.io does AI-enabled bookkeeping and taxes. We're offering 100% off bookkeeping in 2023. https://calendly.com/d/y5c-hm7-y6x/every-io-zendesk-deal?month=2023-07
Tailscale has been a huge success, raising over $113 million and growing to 80 employees. They discovered that if developers love the product, they will tell their decision makers in their organization to buy it, and the money will follow. To ensure customer satisfaction, they use Net Promoter Score to move people from the middle to the top and offer free support for everyone, even those on the zero dollar plan. NachoNacho is a marketplace for B2B SaaS, a single platform for you to manage all your SaaS payments using virtual credit cards, discover new & relevant SaaS using AI and deep learning, and get massive discounts on more than 500 SaaS products. Offer: Zendesk customers get 50% lifetime discount on NachoNacho membership fees. https://nachonacho.com/partner/zendesk
![[$161M Raised] From Series A Struggles to 400 Employees: LinkSquares' Growth Strategies with Founder Vishal Sunak](https://files.cohostpodcasting.com/quill-file-prod/ce15a2ab-3757-44ea-9129-12ad799f9636/shows/15ce1ea6-736a-436b-a150-92296fb0c34c/episodes/2db0c41a-40d5-4423-af22-e679895066c7/cover-art/original_1fcb481903d48c3aadeae3a3cd855aff.png "[$161M Raised] From Series A Struggles to 400 Employees: LinkSquares' Growth Strategies with Founder Vishal Sunak")
Vishal Sunak, Founder of LinkSquares, shares his journey of building software for legal teams. Listen as he speaks to Sit Down Startup's host Adam O'Donnell about raising $161 million over five rounds of venture capital, overcoming fundraising struggles, and unlocking the secrets to growth. Discover the importance of building a strong product, founder-led sales, and knowledge assembly, as well as how to validate product ideas before building solutions. Vishal also gives invaluable advice on understanding buyers as well as his superpower as a founder. Don't miss out on this engaging and informative episode packed with valuable insights that every founder should know.
Join Adam O'Donnell on Sit Down Startup as he sits down with David Cummings, the founder of Pardot, which eventually sold to Salesforce. In this episode, they discuss pivoting from unsuccessful strategies, customer discovery, and marketing automation platform, while sharing their personal stories of startup challenges.
Adam O'Donnell sits down with Elliot Shmukler, former Chief Growth Officer at Instacart and co-founder of Anomalo, to discuss the challenges data teams face in detecting and solving data quality issues using machine learning. Despite the initial failure of their product to meet customer needs, Anomalo was able to grow 10x ARR during the big recession by listening to customer feedback and building a fully-featured product to address gaps in their initial product. Elliot emphasizes the importance of talking to customers regularly and trusting your gut when experimenting with ideas. Through a shared Slack channel and regular office hours, Anomalo maintains its customer feedback loop, leading to successful customer experiences for their notable clients like Discover Financial, Buzzfeed, and Notion. This episode provides invaluable advice for any startup founder looking to develop a successful product that meets the needs of their customers.
Welcome to the Sit Down Startup podcast, where host Adam O'Donnell interviews entrepreneurs and startup founders about their inspirational stories. In this episode, Adam brings in Ami Luttwak, the CTO and co-founder of Wiz, one of the largest cloud security companies. Ami shares the hands-on culture of the company, where all managers do the work themselves, and explains how they identified a gap in the market by combining vulnerability, application, network exposure, and identity analysis. Together, they discuss the success of Wiz, how the COVID-19 pandemic was actually beneficial to their product development, and the importance of focusing on the customers' needs. Listen now and be inspired by their entrepreneurial journey!
Glean was founded in 2019 as an AI-powered workplace search engine aimed at helping people browse through their company apps to find the information they need and boost productivity. Since then, Glean has raised $155M+ and grown to 200+ employees while staying true to its initial mission. In this episode its founder, Arvind Jain, shares his experience and provides a few key insights: Ask the hard questions. Make sure prospective clients are willing and able to implement what you’re offering. Quantify the problem. Prove the value of your product by quantifying the problem your customers face. Sell at the top. Pitch your product to key leaders such as CIOs, and let the word spread internally.
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