Zemplee is a B2B AI-powered SaaS company with a mission to improve the quality of life for the aging population. Strategically placed smart sensors allow AI to monitor daily living activities remotely, thus informing caregivers of their health and well-being.
These are the five strategies we implemented to take Zemplee from 0 to 2 million in 12 months.
Make Investor Materials a Priority
Investing in the early stages is heavily reliant on personal trust. As a founder, the first step is to build a solid team. At the start, you don’t have much, if any, historical data to show, so the material you share with an investor should convey you have a world-class team that is strong enough to drive the company to success.
It takes money to make money, and it takes stories to get investors excited.
Finding the right investors that are relevant to your startup is also vital. You’ll want to research the investors you are a match for by ensuring that they understand your industry and the stage of your company. Doing some research ahead of time will increase your odds of success. Since investors get so many requests per year, it is about growing your network. Warm introductions trump cold pitching any day. Making mutual connections a priority will increase your odds of being taken seriously by a landslide. With Zemplee we connected them to the right investors at the right time making the investment deal a no-brainer.
Finding the Right CTO to Build Your Software
For tech companies looking to outsource their software development, having a CTO on board is imperative. Teaming up with someone who doesn’t grasp your vision could result in conflict and clashing later on. Finding the right co-founder is even more critical than an investor because you’ll be working with them daily. A CTO’s main objective is to ensure that they reflect your business needs in the product through the best possible use of technology.
As a startup, you have a long path ahead of you so finding the right CTO that aligns with your vision is another essential step.
Determine who your ideal candidate is. What tech talent do they bring to the table? What soft skills do they have? Ensure that the candidate is a culture fit and can wear the many hats required for startups.
Use Warm Connections to Find Your First Customers
I will tell you that startups take off when founders do whatever it takes to spread the word about their product, especially in the early stages.
Tapping into and leveraging the networks of your team, partners, co-founders as well as industry organizations is what leads to early adoption.
Early adopters play a crucial role in scaling growth. Your first 20-200 users are the critical mass that helps you take your startup to the next level. Additionally, they help you to establish product-market fit.
Investing in Sales to Continue Rapid Growth
Sustainable growth is essential for your startup. As a founder, you should have a pulse on when sales are rapidly increasing, and it’s too much for you to juggle with all the other moving parts of your business. You want to have a clear understanding of the entire sales process, from lead generation to conversion.
You’ll need to think about your customers, your industry, and the specifics of your products or services to determine what type of sales reps to hire.
Do you need outbound or inbound sales? Internet or phone sales? Each of these requires a different set of skills and sales approaches.
Having previous startup experience is always a plus because they already understand the nature of business and the environment they will be working in. Some of the top qualities to look for in a sales rep would be a great communicator, natural sales abilities, results-driven, and adaptability to change.
And lastly, you’ll want to have a clear and proven sales process for your sales reps to follow. For them to be able to hit the ground running, you should have a basic plan laid out from your own experiences in finding initial customers. This could look like a customer journey, sources for lead generation, outreach channels, or a roadmap from initial contact to customer signup.
Between knowing what to look for in a good sales rep and outlining a solid sales process, you will be giving them the support they need to take your business to the next level. These are some of the top strategies we employed to drive Zemplee to success in a short period of time.