In this episode of SaaS Founder Stories, I sit down with Dr. Rani Powers, founder and CEO of Pluto, to talk about what it really takes to sell software into Big Pharma. Pluto didn’t just build a great product — they built trust, compliance, and clarity before writing a single cold email.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
→ Pluto helps scientists analyze massive molecular datasets faster
→ Compliance (SOC 2, genomic protections) was baked in from day one
→ Knowing who to sell to inside pharma orgs was a huge early challenge
→ Selling into small biotechs helped Pluto earn trust with enterprise buyers
→ Their AI and infra stack must balance speed, accuracy, and margin pressure
SOUND BITES
→ "It’s not just about the product — it’s about credibility."
→ "We didn't wait for enterprise to ask about compliance. We led with it."
→ "Big Pharma has layers. You need to know exactly who you’re selling to."
→ "We're not Slack — our customers run serious compute, and we built for that."
If you're building SaaS in a high-trust, high-stakes industry — this one’s a tactical breakdown of how to get through the door, and stay there. Subscribe to SaaS Founder Stories wherever you listen.
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