Unicorn Builders

Welcome to another episode of Unicorn Builders! Today, our unicorn builder is Harrison Rose, co-founder of Paddle, a payments infrastructure provider for SaaS companies that has raised $300 million in funding. Harrison's journey from starting his first business at 18 to stepping back and co-founding Good Fit provides a unique glimpse into the mind of a successful tech entrepreneur. Paddle, now with 300 staff and 3000 global customers, exemplifies the trials and triumphs of scaling a global tech business. Key topics discussed: Harrison's entrepreneurial journey from co-founding Paddle at 18 to stepping back and starting Good Fit. The inspiration and challenges behind creating Paddle, aimed at solving B2B payment issues for software companies. Early days of Paddle, including stories of raising funds without understanding the VC world and learning from mistakes. Insights into Paddle's growth strategy, focusing on software verticalization and the shift from a marketplace model to providing comprehensive payments infrastructure. The evolution of Paddle's marketing philosophy, transitioning from heavy reliance on outbound sales to investing in brand and market presence. Harrison's reflections on the importance of founder self-awareness and the ability to adapt and grow with the company. Good Fit's inception, leveraging the lessons learned at Paddle and focusing on changing how companies approach go-to-market strategies. Sponsored by: Your go-to podcast production studio for B2B founders. Looking to launch your own podcast? Visit us at www.FrontLines.io/podcast

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Jack Newton, CEO and Founder of Clio, a legal tech company that's raised $386 million in funding and surpassed $100 million in annual revenue, making Clio our first Centaur interviewed on the show.  Topics Discussed:  The backstory of Clio, and how it helps lawyers run every aspect of their practice from a business perspective The biggest barrier that Clio faced as a newly-created business, and what Jack and his team did to overcome it Thought leadership and its role in Jack’s work with Clio, and how Jack approaches marketing when working with SMBs When to create a category — and when not to What were the toughest times for Clio, and Jack’s advice to CEOs facing difficulties

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Kyle Clark, Founder of Beta, an electric aerospace company that's raised $900 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Kyle’s background, including his time as a hockey player, his passion for airplanes since he was a kid, and studying at Harvard Founders in the aviation space who inspire Kyle Why aviation is currently operating outside of sustainability, and what it’s like to fly an electric airplane that takes off like a helicopter The present and future of electric aircraft, and the origin story of Beta Why shipping and logistics are the key to making aviation more green, and how Kyle plans to achieve that through Beta

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Jerome Ternynck, Founder and CEO of SmartRecruiters, a hiring success platform that's raised $225 Million in funding. Topics Discussed:  Jerome’s background: a family of French entrepreneurs, and working in recruiting in Central and Eastern Europe before the Internet Founding a tech company in London in the 2000s, and the tech market changed after 9/11 What are the people and books that inspired Jerome How SmartRecruiters helps companies attract and select the best candidates How Jerome dealt with Covid so that, against the industry trend, his bookings went up by 70% in 2020   Favorite book:  Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders we speak with Sean Duffy, Co-Founder and CEO of Omada Health, a virtual first chronic care provider that's raised nearly $500 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Sean’s background in medicine and tech, including his time at Google and Harvard The reasons why Sean finds Netflix’ Reed Hastings an inspirational entrepreneur, and why he loves the book The Martian How Omada brings the best design of technology into health care, and how this helps both patients and people working in that space Why publishing studies was a good way for Sean to market his product, and the crucial factor behind every “overnight success” story What it was like to become an unicorn, and how Sean manages to stay invested in Omada after more than ten years   Favorite book: The Martian

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders we speak with Johanna Småros, Co-Founder of RELEX Solutions, a supply chain and retail planning platform that's raised over $700 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Johanna’s background in engineering and management, and how a series of random unplanned events led her to where she is today Finland’s startup scene, and whether or not Finland is “the happiest place on earth” The two reasons why Johanna is reluctant to get inspired by individual founders, and why she likes to read fiction rather than practical books How planning processes in supply chain management and operational execution are siloed, and what RELEX does to help integrate them, to maximize business impact Why it’s good to fall in love with the problem rather than the technology, and what’s the most painful thing that can happen to an entrepreneur   Favorite book:  The End of Eddy: A Novel

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Karl Siebrecht, Co-Founder and CEO of Flexe, an omni-channel logistics solution that's raised $263 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Karl’s background, his time as a Special Operations diving officer in the US Navy and his start in tech in the late 90s Why Karl admires Nike’s Phil Knight and likes the novel The Goal The problems that static warehouses pose for logistics chains, and how Flex offers warehouse operators and their clients a marketplace that taps into wasted infrastructure Problems, challenges and opportunities that Flexe faced and overcame The importance of customer focus, and what advice Karl would give to early-stage tech startup founders   Favorite book:  The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders we speak with David Blake, CEO and Co-Founder of Degreed, a learning platform that has raised nearly $400 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Why the current education system is outdated, the personal experience that made David want to change it, and being a great learner vs. being a great student How Degreed aggregates all that a person has learned and showcases it as skills Degreed’s monetization model, and how corporate learning has changed in the past 15 years A decisive experience David went through as a young founder that highlights the importance of kindness and empathy  The feeling of becoming an unicorn, and transitioning out of the role of CEO, then back into it

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Tomer Shiran, Founder and CPO of Dremio, a data lakehouse platform that has raised $400 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Tomer’s background, getting a book published at a young age, and the lessons he learned from being a very young Navy commander  Why the geographical location of a startup matters less now than it did in the past The challenges of a bigger company versus those of a startup, and why work never gets boring for Tomer How Dremio helps companies store and use their data in a flexible way, and the advantages of moving into an existing market category versus creating one What it’s like being a CPO, a near-death experience Dremio went through, and building trust with customers

In today's episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Tom Livne, Founder and CEO of Verbit, an AI-powered transcription platform that's raised over $600 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Tom’s background, including lessons learned from his time in the Israeli military, and founding his first tech company in his 20s His favorite book, and why Walt Disney is the founder who most inspires him. How the startup and unicorn ecosystem in Israel evolved, and what it’s like today How Tom’s time as a practicing lawyer led him to identify a problem and start Verbit Resisting the temptation of premature multi-million dollars SPAC deals, the importance of taking a stance when you believe in something, and the state of Israeli democracy Favorite book:  The Alchemist