Unicorn Builders

Kevin Busque: the Story of Guideline ($1.1+ Billion Valuation)

In today’s episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Kevin Busque, CEO and Founder of Guideline, a 401K platform for small business that’s raised $339 Million in funding, about why so few employees in the US have access to a retirement plan for their autumn years, and their mission to make them more accessible and effective for everyone involved. Covering everything from payroll integrations to intuitive dashboards and intelligent advertising, Guideline gives people the power to invest in their financial future with confidence.
We also speak about Kevin’s early start in business with a highschool custom computer enterprise, his lifelong love of digital technologies and transition through the sector to become a founder, the regulatory pain that both inspired and impeded the early days of Guideline, and how technology is revolutionizing the retirement industry.
 
Topics Discussed:
Kevin’s lifelong love of computer technology, from a highschool business to working in firms across the sector
The early struggle to raise capital which meant Guideline almost ‘died before it started’
Why only 10% of US firms offer their employees meaningful retirement plans, and why Guideline is on a mission to change that
How technology is helping bring a new category of solutions to this long-struggling aspect of the US economy
The regulatory pain of trying to launch a startup in such a heavily regulated and slow-moving space
How working with finance engineers helped generate a wealth of actionable business ideas to work from

Tom “TJ” Jermoluk: the Story of Beyond Identity ($1.1 Billion Valuation)

In today’s episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Tom “TJ” Jermoluk, CEO of Beyond Identity, a passwordless authentication platform that’s raised over $200 Million in funding, about why it’s time to address the fundamental flaw in the way we’ve all been running our security. We all know that sharing passwords is a no-no, but it’s built into the alphanumeric system on which our traditional security systems have been based for decades. By combining identity management and security infrastructure, Beyond Identity are carving out a new market category, and successfully bringing investors and clients along for the ride.
We also spoke about TJ’s legacy in Silicon Valley and the companies which helped to make him a legend there, why it’s such a uniquely great place for starting a startup, and how it’s changed over the decades. Leading the way in a new market space means confronting a whole host of unique challenges, foremost among which is educating your market about exactly why what you’re offering is something they need, and how it’s going to change their whole world.
Topics Discussed:
TJ’s time in Silicon Valley, and why a unique combination of innovation and investment means its still a uniquely special place to do business
Why most existing security solutions are just a ‘band aid on a gaping wound,’ and how Beyond Identity is taking a totally different approach
How seamless, password-free authentication can save a business time and money in the medium-long term
How the .com crash changed the silicon valley ecosystem, and why some of the strongest companies emerged on the other side
Why selling a unique vision to your customers might mean selling what seems impossible, and making it worth their money to support
How Beyond Identity carved out a new market category by combining identity and security as twin priorities

Doron Myersdorf: the Story of StoreDot ($1.2 Billion Valuation)

In today’s episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Doron Myersdorf, CEO and Founder of StoreDot, a battery developer that’s raised over $200 Million in funding, about how battery technology holds the key to a more sustainable future for us all. By rapidly advancing the technology that quite literally drives electric vehicle adoption around the world, StoreDot is positioning itself as a key component in the green energy revolution that is already well underway.
We also speak about Doron’s background in the Israeli tech sector, his role in developing the storage technology that all of us rely on, ‘charging anxiety’ as a barrier to electric vehicle adoption, how StoreDot overcomes the trust barrier with a simple proposition that ‘the proof is in the pudding,’ and how the electric vehicle market is set to mature differently across various regions of the world today.
Topics Discussed:
Doron’s engineering background and what led him to the battery technology space
The critical anxieties holding back widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and his StoreDot plans to overcome them
How StoreDot overcomes the trust barrier with customers simply by demonstrating that ‘the proof is in the pudding’
Why StoreDot have their eyes set on a target of ‘100 in 2,’ and what achieving it would mean for the electric vehicle economy
Why various markets across the world will experience different maturation rates of the inevitable electric vehicle transition
The technological factors still to be addressed in future generations of electric vehicle technology, from cold weather to carrying capacity

Michel Tricot: the Story of Airbyte ($1.5 Billion Valuation)

In today’s episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Michel Tricot, CEO of Airbyte, an open source data integration platform that’s raised over $180 Million in funding, about how their open source, future-proof solution is helping businesses everywhere extract tangible value from the data they are all now producing. Developed over several years alongside an open source community of engineers, Airbyte have made sure they address real pain points for their partners by learning as much as possible about the problem space from those working right at the coal-face.
We also speak about why Michel believes the demise of the Bay Area startup sector has been greatly exaggerated, how his lifelong passion for data has carried through to all his big business decisions, why data now determines success for most businesses in the modern economy, and how building trust with customers in your industry is a great investment in future growth.
Topics Discussed:
Michel’s lifelong love of data, and how toys translated into cutting-edge software solutions
Moving to San Francisco, and why the ups-and-downs of investment cycles don’t change the fundamental innovation present in the Bay Area
Why collecting data is ultimately about getting a big-picture view of what’s going on, regardless of what sector you operate in
How Airbyte went about learning as much as possible about the problem space they were getting into before making any big decisions
Why Airbyte went with PLG, and managed to successfully leverage their community for great market growth
How the open-source success of Airbyte provides a model for other budding tech businesses to facilitate organic innovation both within and without

Martin Mao: the Story of Chronosphere ($1.6 Billion Valuation)

In today’s episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Martin Mao, CEO and co-founder of Chronosphere, a Cloud-Native Observability Platform that raised more than $250 million in funding and has been ranked as one of the top ten fastest growing SaaS companies ever, reaching unicorn status in just 2 years and four months.
Topics Discussed:
What Chronosphere does, the problem it solves, and the types of companies using the platform today.
The origin story behind the company — born from personally experiencing the problem while Martin and his co-founder working on the Observability team at Uber.
Why Chronosphere takes a top-down GTM motion.
How Martin thinks about category creation.
How Chronosphere engages firms like Gartner to educate them about how they see the market evolving and their PoV.
Three actionable takeaways that Martin attributes to the incredible growth of the company.
The top challenges Chronosphere faced in the early days and how they overcame those challenges
Why investors are so excited about the opportunity to back the company with more than $250 million.
What personally excites Martin about the work he gets to do every day.
What’s in store for the future of the company and where Martin plans to take the company over the next 5 years.

Marc-Alexander Christ: the Story of SumUp ($8.5 Billion Valuation)

In today’s episode of Unicorn Builders, we speak with Marc-Alexander Christ, Co-Founder of SumUp, a mobile point of sale solution that’s raised $1.5 Billion in funding, about the trials and challenges of disrupting the established payments industry, as well as the benefits it brings to small businesses everywhere. By simplifying orders, unifying payment processes and providing critical insights on everything from tax payments to business performance, SumUp is empowering small businesses with software tools that, until now, have been the reserve of major enterprises.
We also talk about Marc-Alexander’s background in banking and real estate finance, the inspiration for revolutionizing existing payments systems which inspired founding SumUp, causing a major market disruption and the inevitable skepticism that brings from incumbents, and why small businesses became the focus of this global-facing payments platform.
Topics Discussed:
Marc-Alexander’s background in banking and real estate finance, and how he eventually found himself in the startup sector
The inspiration for SumUp’s disruptive payments system and what it means for small businesses
Why doing something new will always bring skepticism from incumbents, but why real disruption is always worth it
Why focusing on payments addresses a critical pain point for SumUp’s clients in the small business world
How resilience and investor appeal have both contributed to SumUp’s success in the startup economy

Introducing Unicorn Builders

According to AngelList, seed-funded founders have a 2.5% chance of building a company worth more than $1 billion. Unicorn Builders interviews founders who've defied the odds and made it happen. This show is brought to you by FrontLines.io