The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

464: Silicon Valley Outsider Michelle Zatlyn on Building a Tech Disruptor

Jun 17, 2023

Michelle Zatlyn, a Silicon Valley outsider, talks about launching Cloudflare during a recession, using visceral feedback, and being a female founder. The podcast covers starting with a freemium product, challenges of being an outsider, and evolving pricing models for global growth.

58:01

Episode guests

Michelle Zatlyn

AI Summary

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Leveraging crisis as a motivator for change drives positive transformation within organizations.

Cloudflare's success is attributed to easy onboarding, supporting a product-led growth strategy.

Validation of an idea through strong user feedback confirms the necessity for bold innovation.

Deep dives

Founder Plus Introduction and Mission

Founder Plus is introduced as an all-access pass to online courses and programs aimed at providing entrepreneurs with proven frameworks for success. The goal is to empower entrepreneurs by offering strategies compiled from world-class instructors and connecting them with a global network of like-minded individuals.

Introduction

3min

The Genesis of Cloudflare

6min

Journey to Silicon Valley and Startup Beginnings

19min

Building a Tech Disruptor with a Focus on Customer Impact and Validation

3min

Evolution of Pricing Models and Building a Global Network

19min

Canadian Entrepreneurs and Resilience

4min

Navigating the Digital Landscape and Dreaming of Dinner with Oprah Winfrey

2min

Michelle Zatlyn and her co-founders were outsiders when they moved to Silicon Valley to launch their web security startup. It was 2009, in the middle of a recession, but the team knew their visceral early-user feedback validated the need to be bold. In 2010, Cloudflare launched its first freemium product and hasn’t looked back. Today, Cloudflare has four million customers worldwide, surpassed a $1 billion revenue run rate, and employs 3,200 team members. Zatlyn currently serves as the publicly traded company’s president and CEO. She is one of the few women founders leading a public tech business.

Listen to Nathan and Michelle discuss:

A “made for TV” meeting with her co-founders
Validating an idea with visceral feedback
Being a Silicon Valley outsider
Starting a tech business during a recession
Launching a product MVP
Six business reasons to have a freemium product
Being a female founder in the tech industry
And much more tech founder advice…

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The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

464: Silicon Valley Outsider Michelle Zatlyn on Building a Tech Disruptor

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Founder Plus Introduction and Mission

Michelle Zatlin's Journey to Cloudflare

Validation Through Customer Surveys

Importance of Easy Onboarding and Product Led Growth

Lessons in Handling Crisis and Driving Change

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts