How Brian Distelburger (Founder of Yext) Built NYC's Tech Scene & Raised $120M Pre-IPO

Brian Distelburger co-founded Yext in 2006 when NYC had virtually no tech scene, eventually taking the company public with remarkable capital efficiency. In a time when everyone was pursuing finance careers, Distelburger helped pioneer New York's startup ecosystem, turning his teenage dream into reality by building one of the city's earliest tech success stories. The company's dramatic reveal of $20M in revenue at TechCrunch's TC50 competition marked a turning point, leading to intense interest from Silicon Valley VCs who had previously overlooked the East Coast startup.

Now, Distelburger is tackling a new frontier with Windmill, which gives AI superpowers to managers. Drawing from his experience leading thousands of employees, he's addressing the fundamental challenge of how leaders can more effectively run their team in the way that works for them. With 400 companies already on the waitlist, Windmill is fundamentally reshaping how organizations think about span of control by leveraging AI to enable domain experts to manage larger teams effectively, all while the company takes a measured approach to growth and funding.

01:11 Founding Yext
01:40 Early Ventures and Challenges
03:53 Fundraising Journey
07:01 TechCrunch Disrupt and Growth
16:35 Transition and New Ventures
18:01 Building Windmill