In this episode of the Phoenix Founders Podcast, we sat down with Kentaro Kawamori, CEO of Persefoni to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and the impressive development of his company. Persefoni is an enterprise SaaS company focused on climate management and accounting, helping companies calculate and manage their carbon footprints.
Kentaro shares his background, including his experience as CIO at Chesapeake Energy, where he discovered the need for better carbon accounting solutions. He discusses raising $175 million in funding, including a $100 million Series B round, and emphasizes the company's focus on R&D, investing 50-60% of resources into product development. Kentaro also highlights Persefoni's unique position in the market, serving almost 900 companies globally, with 60% of customers new to carbon accounting.
Learn the various aspects of building a successful SaaS company, including the importance of maintaining founder control over product development and avoiding traditional corporate management practices.
Here's what we dig into:
Introduction to Persefoni and Company Overview
Kentaro introduced Persefoni as an enterprise SaaS company with a climate management and accounting platform, helping companies calculate their carbon footprints and manage climate strategies. The company serves almost 900 clients globally, with 60% in North America, 20% in Europe, and 20% in APEC.
Kentaro's Background and Early Influences
Kentaro shared his upbringing in Germany, playing competitive soccer, and his early career in IT and consulting, leading to his role as CIO at Chesapeake Energy, where he discovered the need for better carbon accounting solutions.
Company Formation and Early Development
Kentaro discussed founding Persefoni in 2020 after a brief venture investing experience. He emphasized the company's focus on R&D, investing 50-60% of resources into product development, and maintaining a direct sales enterprise SaaS model.
Funding Journey and Investor Strategy
Kentaro detailed the company's funding journey, starting with seed investment from Rice Investment Group, followed by Series A with NGP, and Series B with Prelude Ventures and TPG, raising a total of $175 million to date.
Product Development and AI Integration
Kentaro discussed the launch of Persefoni Copilot, an AI-powered support tool, and the decision to include it in the base subscription. He emphasized the company's focus on building a system of record for carbon accounting and their plans to leverage AI capabilities as the data set scales.
Listen to more episodes, watch video interviews, and subscribe at phxfounders.com.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com