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20Growth: Inside Ramp's Growth Engine: How Ramp Became the Fastest Growing SaaS Company Ever | What Worked & What Did Not Work | How to Hire for Growth | How to Find Alpha in Channels Where No One Else Can with George Bonaci

Feb 28, 2025

George Bonaci, VP of Growth at Ramp, shares his expertise from leading growth at previous companies like Gong and Samsara. He delves into the art of experimentation in growth, emphasizing detachment from outcomes and the importance of postmortems. Bonaci also discusses innovative hiring strategies for growth roles, focusing on potential over experience. He highlights unique marketing tactics like direct mail and influencer outreach, and the need for strong communication across teams to seize market opportunities. Plus, discover how AI is reshaping growth strategies.

55:21

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Episode guests

George Bonaci

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Finding alpha in growth involves exploring unconventional strategies and emerging platforms before they become mainstream, unlocking unique opportunities.

Successful growth requires a balance between immediate initiatives and long-term innovations, demanding intentional resource allocation aligned with business goals.

Hiring for growth should prioritize potential over experience, focusing on candidates with analytical skills and adaptability rather than conventional backgrounds.

Deep dives

Finding Alpha in Unconventional Ways

A key aspect of growth is discovering unique opportunities that others may overlook, often referred to as 'finding alpha.' This can involve engaging in practices that are emerging and not widely used, such as exploring new platforms far ahead of the competition. For instance, using platforms like TikTok for B2B marketing before it became mainstream allowed early adopters to capitalize on an untapped resource. Alternatively, pursuing strategies that many assume won't work, like direct mail in a digital age, can potentially yield surprising results if executed thoughtfully.

Intro

3min

The Science of Business Growth

11min

Detachment in Business Experimentation

3min

Strategies for Team Growth and Innovation

9min

Managing Growth Portfolios and Cross-Department Communication

2min

Hiring for Growth: Strategies Post-Series A

8min

Navigating Modern Leadership and Growth Strategies

16min

Exploring Innovative Sales Strategies and Their Modern Relevance

4min

George Bonaci is the VP of Growth at Ramp, where he’s helping one of the fastest-growing fintech companies scale even further. Prior to Ramp, George was VP of Growth at Gong. Before Gong, George was at Samsara where he helped grow revenue from $650M ARR, and played a pivotal role in the company’s successful IPO.

In Today’s Growth Masterclass We Discuss:

03:57 How the Best Growth Teams Experiment

05:10 How to Allocate Bets and Resources for Growth

07:09 Velocity vs. Quality in Growth

15:05 The Role of Postmortems and How to Do Them

19:16 Growth Team Structure and Standalone or Not?

20:01 The Three Ways to Find Alpha in Growth

30:01 How to Hire for the Best Growth Hires

31:30 How to do Take-Home Assignments When Hiring for Growth

32:51 Common Pitfalls in Hiring Growth Talent

34:16 Investing in Management and Learning

42:43 How AI Changes Growth Products and Strategies

46:43 Quick Fire Round: Common Mistakes and Growth Channels

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