Category Visionaries Erik Braund, CEO & Founder of Katmai: $30 Million Raised to Build the Future of Virtual Work
Katmai is reinventing remote work through its innovative virtual office platform that creates spontaneous, natural interaction in a digital environment. With over $30 million in funding, Katmai has developed proprietary 3D audio-video technology that allows teams to work together in a virtual space that mimics the benefits of physical offices while maintaining the flexibility of remote work. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Erik Braund, CEO and Founder of Katmai, to learn about his journey from audio-video production to building a deep tech startup that's challenging conventional remote work tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Topics Discussed:
- Katmai's origin as an accidental pandemic pivot from Erik's audio-video production business
- The acquisition of early prototype technology and building a specialized team of engineers
- The technical challenges of creating a browser-based 3D environment with live audio-video
- Katmai's approach to product development through careful beta testing and customer feedback
- The transition from deep tech R&D to commercial product and go-to-market strategy
- The tension between maintaining stealth mode while gathering essential user feedback
- Katmai's expansion from enterprise customers to consumer-facing experiences
- The philosophical approach to remote work that focuses on spontaneous interaction
GTM Lessons For B2B Founders:
- Prioritize real-world functionality over pitch decks: Erik emphasized that for complex, visual products like Katmai, traditional pitch materials didn't work. "We didn't even have a deck for series A because they don't work. The deck doesn't work. You've got to just see it or see a video of it." B2B founders with experiential products should prioritize creating functional demos over traditional marketing materials.
- Build around natural behavior patterns: Katmai succeeded by mapping digital interactions to natural in-person behaviors. "We map everything one-to-one of what would it be like to sit next to each other at a table and show each other laptops and have a conversation and then look over the shoulder." Founders should design products that feel intuitive by mimicking familiar real-world interactions rather than creating entirely new behavioral patterns.
- Balance technological innovation with methodical rollout: As a deep tech investment, Katmai spent years on R&D before broader release. "Had I known how to frame it on day one, I would have pitched it as a deep tech investment... we're going to be heads down for like two more years, just hashing this out, making it work." B2B founders working on fundamental innovations should set appropriate timelines and expectations for both investors and customers.
- Transform scheduled meetings into spontaneous conversations: Katmai's core value proposition addresses meeting fatigue. Erik shared customer feedback: "Katmai turns next week's 30 minute meeting into today's 5 minute conversation." B2B founders should identify where their product can eliminate friction in workflows rather than simply digitizing existing processes.
- Implement gradual adoption strategies: Recognizing behavior change is difficult, Katmai recommends an "office hours" approach to adoption. "Take your stand up that you were going to do with your remote team and do it in Katmai. Maybe that's once a week, maybe it's every day... then don't leave when the meeting's over." B2B founders should create clear, incremental adoption pathways that don't require customers to immediately abandon existing tools.
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