Unicorn Builders

Guy Tytunovich: The GTM Story of CHEQ ($1+ Billion Valuation)

Welcome to another episode of Unicorn Builders. Today, our unicorn builder is Guy Tytunovich, CEO and Co-founder of CHEQ, a go-to-market security platform that has raised $183,000,000 in funding. Guy's journey from a 10-year stint in the Israeli military to becoming a pioneer in the cybersecurity space offers a unique perspective on leadership, innovation, and the entrepreneurial spirit. His military experience, especially in intelligence and AI, laid the groundwork for his insights into scaling, managing big companies, and compensating for inherent lack of scale with innovation.
Key topics discussed:
Guy's Transition from Military to Entrepreneurship: Insights into how experiences in the Israeli Defense Forces, particularly in intelligence, inform leadership and problem-solving in a business context.
The Genesis of CHEQ: The story behind the creation of CHEQ, highlighting the journey from identifying a gap in the market security domain to becoming a category leader in go-to-market security.
Category Creation Challenges: Guy discusses the ambitious and risky venture of creating a new category in the cybersecurity space, emphasizing the importance of innovation and market education.
Importance of Go-To-Market Security: The discussion sheds light on the critical nature of securing the go-to-market processes, from ad visibility to customer acquisition, and the unique challenges this presents.
The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Israel: Insights into how the Israeli culture fosters innovation, risk-taking, and entrepreneurship, contributing to the country's status as a startup nation.
Scaling and Operational Excellence: Guy shares the significance of operational efficiency, the role of playbooks, and the importance of a COO in scaling a tech company.
Advice for Aspiring Category Creators: Practical advice for founders looking to create new categories, emphasizing the need for focus on operations, market education, and building a comprehensive solution.
Future of Go-To-Market Security: A vision for the evolution of go-to-market security as a critical component of business strategy, underlining its growing importance in protecting companies' digital assets and reputation.

Harrison Rose: The GTM Story of Paddle ($1.4 Billion Valuation)

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.
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Jack Newton: The GTM Story of Clio ($100M+ in ARR)

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

Kyle Clark: The GTM Story of Beta ($1.2 Billion Valuation)

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

Jerome Ternynck: The GTM Story of SmartRecruiter ($1.5 Billion Valuation)

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

Sean Duffy: The GTM Story of Omada Health ($1+ Billion Valuation)

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

Johanna Småros: The GTM Story of RELEX Solutions ($5.7 Billion Valuation)

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

Karl Siebrecht: The GTM Story of Flexe (1+ Billion Valuation)

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

David Blake: The GTM Story of Degreed ($1.3 Billion Valuation)

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

Tomer Shiran: The GTM Story of Dremio ($2 Billion Valuation)

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