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.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
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.
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