AJ Bruno is the founder and CEO of QuotaPath, a leading sales compensation management platform that has secured significant investments, including a $41 million Series B. Serving roughly 1,000 customers, QuotaPath helps organizations align company goals with incentive plans to drive winning sales behaviors.

Before QuotaPath, AJ co-founded TrendKite, which was acquired by Cision for $225 million in 2019. He also co-hosts Topline, a podcast on revenue growth and sales leadership.

In this episode, AJ shares the stories behind launching TrendKite and QuotaPath, his passion for flying, and his perspective on integrating AI into workflows as a founder. He reflects on his days as a Penn State student, studying abroad in Italy, his first job at Meltwater, and how a terrible boss inspired him to start his first company.

Later in the episode, recent Penn State grad Paul Allen joins the conversation. A participant in the Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program, Paul asks AJ for advice on raising venture capital, making first hires, and navigating the challenges of early-stage entrepreneurship.

Episode Chapters

02:13 - 07:06 Growing up in Pittsburgh, acting and flying

07:06 - 12:17 Choosing Penn State, squash club, studying abroad

12:17 - 15:38 First entrepreneurial venture at Penn State

15:38 - 22:48 First job in sales, advice to students and parents

22:48 - 29:15 Terrible boss as a catalyst for TrendKite

29:15 - 33:02 The problem that inspired the launch of QuotaPath

33:02 - 40:33 Navigating AI and future of QuotaPath

40:33 - 43:51 The crazy story that led to AJ launching a podcast

43:51 - 45:24 Rapid Fire Insights

45:24 - 55:20 Recent student Paul Allen interviews AJ

About AJ Bruno

AJ Bruno is founder and CEO of QuotaPath. He graduated from the Penn State Schreyer Honors College with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Smeal College of Business in 2007.

About Paul Allen

Paul is a spring 2025 graduate of the Penn State College of Engineering. He completed the 2025 Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program with his startup, Reflex Technologies. Reflex is building a wearable electromyography (EMG) sensor that provides real-time muscle activation and fatigue insights to athletes and trainers.

The Dare to Disrupt podcast is made possible by the generous support of the Penn State Smeal College of Business.

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