Traction

They say success comes at a price, but what about the hidden toll it takes on the minds of those who dare to dream big?Andy Johns is a former Tech Exec and VC who spent the last 15 years investing in and driving growth for some of the biggest tech brands including Facebook, Twitter and Quora, as well as Wealthfront, where he was also president.After several years of working through psychological pain stemming from childhood trauma, Andy left it all to become a mental health advocate and a writer at Clues.Life. Now, he's on a mission to help others heal from emotional pain, transform themselves and discover their life’s purpose.In this session, Andy will dive into the raw reality of mental health and the stigma that has kept it locked away for far too long.Specifically, Andy discusses:- The reason for leaving Silicon Valley and becoming a mental health advocate.- How to uncover deep internal issues within yourself.- Why communities need to be more open about mental health.- Common health challenges for tech employees.- How to prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work/life balance.Andy Johns - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjohns/Learn more at https://tractionconf.ioLearn more about Clues.Life at https://www.clues.life/This episode is brought to you by:Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. Scale your customer service without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/tractionEach year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AILaunch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.caContent Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com#startup #founder #mentalhealth #selfcare

Generative AI is all the rage these days. There are thousands of generative AI tools swarming the market, and VC funding for this vertical hit two and a half billion last year.Regardless of the hype, generative AI has the power to transform the way we do business and reshape the entire customer journey.On this episode, Des Traynor, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Intercom, breaks down the hype. Specifically, Des covers:– Use cases of generative AI. – How the entire industry will change with AI's involvement.– Intercom’s approach to AI.– How to deploy at scale.– How the future of generative AI will evolve in the business world.– How to get started without extensive technical expertise.– Potential risks and downsides.– Advice for founders.Learn more at https://tractionconf.ioLearn more about Intercom at https://www.intercom.com/This episode is brought to you by:Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. Scale your customer service without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/tractionEach year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AILaunch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.caContent Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com#product #marketing #innovation #startup #generativeai #AI

Building a unicorn as a first-time founder doesn't happen too often, but Capchase did that in two years while helping other startups get more than $2 billion in non dilutive funding.On this episode, Miguel Fernandez, Co-Founder & CEO at Capchase dives into:- Building a unicorn as a first time founder- Acquiring early customers and getting to product market fit- Funding your company without giving up equity- Bootstrapped vs. venture-backed - How money can mask anything- Leadership principles to institute during stressful times- The top things that make a great company cultureLearn more at https://tractionconf.ioLearn more about Capchase at https://www.capchase.com/This episode is brought to you by:Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. Scale your customer service without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/tractionEach year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AILaunch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.caContent Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com#product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #fintech #unicorn #SaaS

On this episode of the Traction Podcast, Immad Akhund, Founder and CEO of Mercury shares their playbook to 80,000+ customers in more than 180 countries and becoming a multi-billion-dollar fintech company. Specifically, Immad discusses:Tactics for driving early customer acquisition and getting to go-to-market fitHow Mercury grew its customer base from 19,000 to more than 80,000 in just 18 monthsThe leading indicator for user engagementHow Mercury got 55% of their customers through word of mouthWhy you have to invest in things that are the right thing to do but may not necessarily provide monetary valueHow to create a product-focused culture throughout your organizationLearn more at https://tractionconf.ioLearn more about Mercury at https://mercury.com/This episode is brought to you by:Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. Scale your customer service without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/tractionEach year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AILaunch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.caContent Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com #product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #fintech #banking #startups

Matt MacInnis, COO at Rippling shares what it takes to successfully build and scale a hypergrowth company.In less than seven months after reaching a $6.5 billion valuation, Rippling was valued at $11.25 billion.Matt joined the company when it was just 70 employees, and he has been a key player in its exponential growth.From 2009 to 2018, Matt was the Co-Founder and CEO of Inkling, a mobile learning platform that provides on-job training for companies including McDonald’s and Whole Foods. Inkling was named one of the fastest, most innovative companies and raised over $100 million in funding before being acquired in 2018.Specifically, Matt covers:- The transition from Inkling to Rippling.- The key to making a startup with multiple products successful.- The long-term vision for Rippling.- What is a COO, and when is the right time to bring one into a company?- Behind the scenes of walking into a 70-person startup during a pandemic.- The first hires to make in a fast-moving company.- Key things to understand when scaling to $100 million ARR.- Why Rippling likes to hire former founders.- The benchmark for a successful process.Learn more at https://tractionconf.ioLearn more about Rippling at https://www.rippling.com/This episode is brought to you by:Intercom enables you to connect with your customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. Scale your customer service without additional investment while still providing a fast and personal experience. Apply to get a 95% discount at https://Intercom.com/traction.Each year the US and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AILaunch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.caContent Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com #product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #startup

Loom’s Co-Founder and CTO, Vinay Hiremath, joins us to share learnings from the highs and lows of his startup’s hypergrowth journey, going from maxing out his credit cards and being inches away from closing the company’s doors to having over 14 million users and a $1.5 billion valuation.Specifically, Vinay covers:– Coming up with the idea and finding co-founders.– Managing the chaos of pivots to product-market fit and escape velocity.– Tactics for driving customer acquisition and growth – how Loom got to 14 million users.– Whom to hire and how to build a team from the early stages through hypergrowth and scale.– Lessons from raising money from top investors like Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins.– Highs and lows of entrepreneurship and top things to do to prepare for peak mental performance.Learn more at https://tractionconf.ioLearn more about Loom at https://www.loom.com/This episode is brought to you by:In a digital world, customers demand more, especially from support. Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. This enables customer service teams to scale without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Welcome to a whole new way to support your customers. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/tractionEach year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AILaunch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.caContent Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com#product #innovation #fundraising #startup #growth

On this episode, Mike Knoop, Co-founder and President at Zapier, dives into how they built a $5 billion company with little to no funding. A completely remote company utilizing little to no venture funding isn't the norm for highly successful companies, but that's exactly how Zapier started.Fast forward to today, and the company is helping millions of businesses connect with 5,000+ apps to aid productivity and save up to 20 hours per week. Specifically, Mike covers:- How Zapier got its start and self-funded its growth for so long. - Finding product-market fit and getting customers to pay early on. - How to think about adding new features and products.  - A framework for decision-making. Learn more at https://tractionconf.io Learn more about Zapier at https://zapier.com/ This episode is brought to you by: In a digital world, customers demand more, especially from support. Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. This enables customer service teams to scale without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Welcome to a whole new way to support your customers. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/traction   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca   Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com #startup #growth #product #marketing #automation

On this episode, Karl Sun, Co-Founder and Board Chair of Lucid Software discusses how to build a platform on top of your product to drive exponential growth.   Although for more than a decade Lucid Software focused mainly on its flagship product, Lucidchart, the team always built the company with a platform in mind. It’s because of this mindset of optionality and scale that the company can quickly adapt when opportunities arise.   Karl shares what his team focused on to build for scale early on, and how that is now benefiting the company as it serves its millions of customers worldwide.   Specifically, Karl dives into:   - What a platform is. - Recognizing when it's time to scale your technology. - How to recognize your unique advantage over your competitors. - Building a product that addresses both immediate and future needs. - How users can extend a product's core functionality for their specific needs.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Learn more about Lucid Software at https://lucid.co/   This episode is brought to you by:   In a digital world, customers demand more, especially from support. Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. This enables customer service teams to scale without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Welcome to a whole new way to support your customers. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/traction    Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI    Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #platform #product #innovation #startup  

On this episode, Stacey Epstein, CMO at Freshworks shares key lessons from the hyper-growth journey of the first India-founded B2B SaaS company to go public in the US – going from a 6-member, $1 million start-up to a 4,000+ member, $300 million scale-up leading up to IPO.  Customer-focused businesses foster a company culture dedicated to improving customer satisfaction and relationships, and that singular focus has made all the difference for Freshworks. Specifically, Stacey covers:   - How Freshworks migrated from India to the US. - How to run a global organization at scale and maintain consistency across the board. - The process for deciding what product is built next. - How founders should approach their first marketing hire. - Advice for women who are early on in their career with CEO aspirations.   This episode is moderated by Arjun Chopra, Partner at Floodgate.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Learn more about Freshworks at https://www.freshworks.com/   #product #marketing #startup #scale #growth   This episode is brought to you by:   In a digital world, customers demand more, especially from support. Intercom enables businesses to connect with their customers at exactly the right moment using powerful messaging and automation. This enables customer service teams to scale without additional investment while still providing efficient and personal customer experiences. Welcome to a whole new way to support your customers. Eligible startups get advanced Intercom features at a 95% discount. Visit https://Intercom.com/traction    Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI    Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   

On this episode, Mada Seghete, Co-Founder, Managing Director and VP Marketing at Branch shares their culture playbook from zero to a $4 billion company.   From high-growth companies, to a changing environment due to a global pandemic, to a recession — companies have to adapt more than ever.   Mada discusses what culture is, how you define it at an early stage, and how you measure it and maintain it through both high-growth and fast-paced environments.   Specifically, Mada covers:   - Defining culture and what it actually means. - Why you have to define culture early and keep iterating. - Examples of values that Branch changed over time. - Why culture should be a part of hiring criteria. - Putting your values on display in a hybrid work setting. - How you should celebrate your employees.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Learn more about Branch at https://www.branch.io/   #culture #startup #people #innovation   This episode is brought to you by: Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com