We only take on 4 clients per month. Join our April cohort. 2 spots left.
Conversation
Highlights
Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech’s most innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Achuthanand Ravi, CEO and Co-Founder of Kula, a recruitment automation platform that has raised over $14 million in funding.
Most Interesting Points from Our Conversation:
- Professional Journey into Tech and Recruiting: Achuthanand’s transition from an engineering role at Microsoft to a career in recruiting illustrates a unique path that combines technical skills with people-focused operations. His experiences at Stripe and Uber, where he was involved in leadership and engineering recruitment, provided a solid foundation for Kula.
- Inspiration from Other Entrepreneurs: Citing Girish Mathrubootham, founder of Freshworks, as a mentor and inspiration, Achuthanand highlights the influence of successful entrepreneurs who have built global products from India, demonstrating the importance of mentorship and role models in entrepreneurship.
- Design Thinking in Product Development: The impact of the book “Creative Selection” on Achuthanand’s approach to building Kula underscores the value of design thinking and user-centric approaches in developing tech products, especially for founders without a traditional background in product development.
- Kula’s Unique Value Proposition: Achuthanand describes Kula as a system of action that specifically addresses recruiter workflow challenges, differentiating it from other HR tech tools that focus on organizational workflows. This recruiter-centric approach positions Kula as a unique solution in the recruitment automation space.
- Mission to Make Everyone a Recruiter: By aiming to make every individual within an organization a recruiter, Kula is working towards democratizing the recruiting process and making it a team sport. This vision challenges traditional recruitment paradigms and highlights the importance of collaborative hiring practices.
- Global Approach from Day One: Kula’s design as a global platform from its inception reflects a forward-thinking strategy in today’s distributed work environment, catering to a diverse customer base across North America, EMEA, APAC, and India.
- Navigating Go-to-Market Challenges: Achuthanand shares insights into the challenges of identifying scalable go-to-market strategies and the importance of experimentation in finding effective distribution channels for SaaS products, a critical step for startups looking to scale.
- Future Vision for Kula: Looking ahead, Kula aims to expand its capabilities beyond top-funnel recruitment activities to include mid-funnel processes, with the overarching goal of empowering every individual within an organization to contribute to recruiting efforts, thereby transforming the recruitment landscape.
Actionable
Takeaways
Adopt a Design Thinking Approach:
The impact of design thinking on product development, as influenced by the book "Creative Selection," illustrates the importance of user-centric approaches in building SaaS products. Even for founders without a background in product design, adopting a design thinking mindset can lead to more innovative and user-friendly solutions.
Focus on Specific Workflow Solutions:
Kula's success in addressing recruiter workflow challenges demonstrates the effectiveness of developing solutions tailored to the specific needs of a target user base, rather than broad organizational needs. This strategy can be a differentiator in crowded markets, providing clear value to users.
Embrace a Global Mindset from the Start:
Kula's approach of being a global company from day one is a testament to the advantages of thinking beyond local markets and considering a diverse customer base early in the product development process. Tech founders should consider a global perspective to maximize their potential market and address universal pain points.
Identifying and Experimenting with Distribution Channels:
One of the primary GTM challenges Achuthanand mentioned was identifying scalable distribution channels for Kula. The process involves continuous experimentation to determine whether inbound or outbound strategies are more effective. For B2B tech founders, this emphasizes the importance of agility and willingness to test different approaches to find what works best for reaching their target customers.
Making Every Employee a Recruiter:
Kula's mission to make every individual within an organization a recruiter speaks to a broader GTM philosophy of embedding their tool into the fabric of the company's operations. For tech founders, considering how your product can become indispensable to an organization's workflow and culture could be a pivotal aspect of your GTM strategy.
Recommended Founder
Interviews
Amit Bhatia
CEO & Co-Founder of Data People
Amit Bhatia, Co-Founder and CEO of Data People: $21 Million Raised to Build the Future of Recruiting Intelligence
Hanns Aderhold
Founder and CEO of Cobrainer
Hanns Aderhold, Founder and CEO of Cobrainer: $21 Million Raised to Build the Future of Skills Data Platforms
Wes Winham Winler
Founder/CEO of Woven
Wes Winham Winler, CEO of Woven: $11 Million Raised to Transform How Companies Recruit and Hire Developers
Virgile Raingeard
CEO of Figures
Virgile Raingeard, CEO of Figures: €8.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Compensation Intelligence
Nicholas Rudder
Co-Founder & CEO of Sphere
Nicholas Rudder, Co-Founder & CEO of Sphere: $5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Corporate Learning
Josh Merrill
CEO of Confirm
Josh Merrill, CEO of Confirm: Over $11 Million Raised to End the Performance Review Nightmare
Sebastian Schüller
Co-founder of HiPeople
Sebastian Schüller, Co-founder of HiPeople: $7 Million Raised to Develop Data-Driven Augmentation for Hiring Teams
Tom Griffiths
CEO and Co-founder of Hone
Tom Griffiths, CEO of Hone: $50 Million Raised to Build the Future of Corporate Training
Ville Herva
CEO of BOLT.works
Ville Herva, CEO of BOLT.works: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Staffing
Chandler Malone
Founder of Bootup
Chandler Malone, Founder of Bootup: $2 Million Raised to Solve the Tech Talent Crisis
Omer Glass
Co-Founder and CEO of GrowthSpace
Omer Glass, Co-Founder and CEO of GrowthSpace: $44 Million Raised to Build the Future of Employee Development
Fraser Patterson
CEO and Founder of Skillit
Fraser Patterson, CEO and Founder of Skillit: $13 Million Raised to Tackle the Skilled Labor Crisis in Construction
Raghu Gollamudi
CEO and Co-Founder of Included
Raghu Gollamudi, CEO and Co-Founder of Included: $5.4 Million Raised to Build the Future of HR Analytics
Hanna Asmussen
CEO and Co-Founder of Localyze
Hanna Asmussen, CEO and Co-Founder of Localyze: Over $48 Million Raised to Build the Leading Global Mobility Platform for Companies and Employees
Sam Naficy
CEO of Prodoscore
Sam Naficy, CEO of Prodoscore: $4 Million Raised to Build the Future of Employee Productivity Measurement
Ian White
Founder of ChartHop
Ian White, Founder, CEO and CTO of ChartHop: $74 Million Raised to Build the Future of PeopleOps
Warren Lebovics
Co-Founder of Pequity
Warren Lebovics, Co-Founder of Pequity: $19 Million Raised to Build the Future of Employee Compensation
Ben Sesser
CEO & Founder of BrightHire
Ben Sesser, CEO & Founder of BrightHire: $36 Million Raised to Build the Interview Intelligence Category
Kelsey Bishop
Founder and CEO of Candor
Kelsey Bishop, Founder and CEO of Candor: $5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Professional Relationship-Building
Stephen Johnston
CEO and Founder of GoodJob
Stephen Johnston, CEO and Founder of GoodJob: $9 Million Raised to Power the Future of Human Capital Management
Mike Adams
Co-Founder & CEO of Grain
Mike Adams, Co-Founder & CEO of Grain: $22 Million Raised to Power the Future of Meetings
Will Sealy
CEO and Co-Founder of Summer
Will Sealy, CEO and Co-Founder of Summer: Over $18 Million Raised to Help Organizations Provide Student Loan Benefits
Sammy Singh
CEO and Co-Founder of WurkNow
Sammy Singh, CEO and Co-Founder of WurkNow: $15 Million Raised to Power the Future of Staffing
Tony Jamous
CEO of Oyster
Tony Jamous, CEO of Oyster: $220+ Million Raised to Build the Global Employment Platform (GEP) Category
Jason Lavender
CEO of Electives
Jason Lavender, CEO of Electives: $10M Raised to Redefine Corporate Training
Matt Pierce
CEO of Immediate
Matt Pierce, CEO of Immediate: $15 Million Raised to Eliminate the Costly Price of Financial Stress in the Workforce
Nishika de Rosairo
CEO and Founder of HumanQ
Nishika de Rosairo, CEO and Founder of HumanQ: $3.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Human Development
Peter Briffett
CEO and Co-Founder of Wagestream
Peter Briffett, CEO and Co-Founder of Wagestream: $370 Million Raised to Provide Financial Wellbeing for Every Frontline Employee
Matt Watson
CEO and Founder of Origin
Matt Watson, CEO and Founder of Origin: Over $70 Million Raised to Make Financial Wellness the Next Big Employee Perk
Jason Radisson
CEO and Founder of Movo
Jason Radisson, CEO and Founder of Movo: Over $9 Million Raised to Build the Future of HR Automation
Barbra Gago
CEO and Founder of Pando
Barbra Gago, CEO and Founder of Pando: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Career Advancement
Joseph Fung
CEO of Uvaro
Joseph Fung, CEO of Uvaro: $15 Million Raised to Build the Career Success Platform Category
Jaclyn Chen
CEO of Benepass
Jaclyn Chen, CEO of Benepass: $14 Million Raised to Build the Future of Employee Benefits Management
Daniel Liebeskind
CEO and Co-Founder of Topia
Daniel Liebeskind, CEO and Co-Founder of Topia: $6 Million Raised to Help Organizations Build Their Own Metaverse
Jared Pope
CEO and Co-Founder of Work Shield
Jared Pope, CEO and Co-Founder of Work Shield: $12 Million Raised to Eliminate Workplace Misconduct
Agapitos Diakogiannis
Co-founder & CEO of Seafair
Agapitos Diakogiannis, CEO of Seafair: $6.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Maritime Recruitment
Kian Katanforoosh
CEO & Founder of Workera
Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of Workera: $21 Million Raised to Build the Skills Intelligence Category
Kevin Busque
CEO and Founder of Guideline
Kevin Busque, CEO and Founder of Guideline: $339 Million Raised to Help More Small Businesses Offer Retirement Plans
Mike Fitzsimmons
CEO and Co-Founder of Crosschq
Mike Fitzsimmons, CEO & Co-Founder of Crosschq: $35 Million Raised to Power the Future of AI-Driven Hiring Intelligence
Anthony Mironov
CEO and Co-Founder of Wingspan
Anthony Mironov, CEO and Co-Founder of Wingspan: $30 Million Raised to Power the Contractor Experience of the Future
Laura McGee
Founder and CEO of Diversio
Laura McGee, CEO of Diversio: $6 Million Raised to Help Organizations Measure and Improve DEI
Sid Upadhyay
Co-founder & CEO of WizeHire
Sid Upadhyay, Co-founder & CEO at WizeHire: Over $30 Million Raised to Help SMBs Hire Great Talent
Daniel Birkholm
Founder & CEO of TalentHub
Daniel Birkholm, TalentHub: $6 Million Raised to Transform How Organizations Measure and Improve Their Hiring Experience
Rob Whalen
CEO of PTO Exchange
Rob Whalen, CEO of PTO Exchange: $5M Raised to Empower Companies to Rethink Paid Time Off
Marcelo Lebre
President of Remote
Marcelo Lebre, Co-founder & COO of Remote: Nearly $500 Million Raised to Power the Distributed Workforce of the Future
Ben Zweig
CEO of Revelio Labs
Ben Zweig, CEO of Revelio Labs: $19 Million Raised to Build the Future of Workforce Intelligence
Prem Kumar
CEO | Co-founder of Humanly
Prem Kumar, CEO of Humanly.io: $5.5 Million Raised to Build the Conversational Hiring Category
Andres Blank
Co-founder & CEO of Fetcher
Andres Blank, CEO of Fetcher: $40 Million+ Raised to Build the Future of Recruiting Automation
Andy Berman
CEO and Founder of Vowel
Andy Berman, CEO and Founder of Vowel: $13 Million Raised to Power the Future of Meetings
Brett Martin
President and Co-Founder of Kumospace
Brett Martin, President and Co-Founder of Kumospace: $25 Million Raised to Power the Future of Virtual Offices