The Science of Scaling The Founder Selling to Professional Sales Transition w/ Dmitry Shevelenko (CBO, Perplexity)
May 7, 2025
Dmitry Shevelenko, Chief Business Officer at Perplexity, shares insights from his journey in tech and sales. He discusses Perplexity's bold mission to challenge Google's search dominance and reflects on the shift from founder-led sales to professional selling. Dmitry emphasizes the importance of innovative growth strategies, like partnerships and subscription models, and how AI is shaping future career paths. He also highlights the value of real-time data in meetings for enhanced engagement and the role of CRM tools in driving revenue growth.
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Dmitry's Cautious Startup Return
- Dmitry started part-time advising Perplexity while coming off a failed robotic startup to test chemistry and viability.
- Advising several startups allowed him to gauge product pull and founder compatibility before committing full time.
Embrace Failure and Try Before Buy
- Embrace failure as a valuable experience that develops entrepreneurial skill.
- Try before you buy by advising multiple startups to find the best fit before committing full-time.
Tie Partnerships to Partner Success
- Build partnerships by clearly tying your product's benefits to the partner's customer acquisition and retention goals.
- Help the partner see how the partnership advances their career and metrics for promotion.