This Week in Startups E996: Clearbit CEO & Co-founder Alex MacCaw is creating god-mode for marketers with Clearbit X, gives insights on dynamic customer targeting, prioritizing profitability over valuation, GDPR’s adverse effect on Facebook & Google, value of aggregated data & benefits of CEO coaching
Nov 1, 2019
Alex MacCaw, CEO and co-founder of Clearbit, shares insights from his journey at notable companies like Twitter and Stripe. He discusses the power of data for marketers, especially through Clearbit X, which revolutionizes customer targeting. Alex emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing cash flow over high valuations and reflects on the implications of GDPR on tech giants like Facebook and Google. He also opens up about the transformative impact of CEO coaching on his leadership skills and the importance of mental health in the workplace.
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Clearbit's Pegasus Model
- Clearbit raised a $15M Series A at a $250M valuation after a $2M seed round in 2015, demonstrating the "Pegasus" model.
- The company remained cash flow positive for four years between rounds, prioritizing profitability over rapid growth and minimizing dilution.
Prioritize Profitability
- Focus on profitability to skip funding rounds, minimizing dilution and maximizing founder ownership.
- Prioritize "Do-Re-Mi" (revenue) over vanity metrics like valuation, as demonstrated by Calm's success.
GDPR's Unintended Consequences
- GDPR, while intended to protect consumer privacy, strengthened the monopolies of Facebook and Google.
- It raised barriers to entry for smaller ad networks who couldn't obtain direct user consent like the established giants.
