Building Pendo: The Early Struggles & Eventual Strategy for Success

You will be treated to the fascinating beginnings of Pendo, a product experience platform company now valued at over two and a half billion dollars. We'll highlight Pendo's growth from an initial sponsor to a prominent supporter of product conferences. Todd Olson, Pendo's CEO, joins to recount his journey prior to Pendo at Rally Software and the subsequent challenges that inspired the creation of Pendo. Todd delves into the significance of the close-knit founding team and their collective decision to secure funding to capitalize on the perceived urgency of the business opportunity. We'll also reflect on Pendo's pivot from an attempted viral strategy to a focus on larger companies and the inclusion of sales, a move that significantly streamlined the company's growth trajectory. Speaker C also addresses Pendo's cultural constants despite a decade of transformation; the company's core values—such as work-life balance and a bias to act—remain as pivotal to Pendo's identity as they were at its inception. Looking ahead, we discuss Pendo's application of AI technology, assisting traditional businesses in becoming more product centric, and international expansion. Todd Olson closes the episode with a piece of seasoned advice for other entrepreneurs: Success comes from thoroughly solving a profound problem. This podcast is brought to you by: Go to http://porkbun.com/RocketshipFM24 to get $1 off your next desired domain name at Porkbun! Miro: Go to Miro.com/podcast and get your first three Miro boards free forever. Hubspot: Listen to The Science of Scaling wherever you get your podcasts. Leadpages: The Easiest Way to Grow Your Sales. Check out their landing page templates today. Rocketship is brought to you by The Podglomerate. This show is a part of the Podglomerate network, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the website and sign up for our newsletter for more information about our shows, launches, and events. For more information on how The Podglomerate treats data, please see our Privacy Policy.  Since you're listening to Rocketship, we'd like to suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows surrounding entrepreneurship, business, and careers like Creative Elements and Freelance to Founder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices