Listen Here

| |

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 Barb Hyman, CEO & Founder of Sapia AI, a recruiting technology platform that’s raised over $21 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

  • Revolutionizing Hiring: Sapia AI leverages natural language processing (NLP) to create an engaging, efficient, and bias-free hiring process, replacing traditional resumes with AI-driven candidate assessments.
  • Impact of AI Adoption: The rise of AI, particularly after November 2022, has significantly accelerated interest in Sapia’s technology, although the company has been pioneering AI-driven hiring since 2018.
  • Navigating Category Creation: Sapia AI is a new category called “Smart Interviewer,” but the challenge has been in positioning it within existing HR tech categories. The focus is now on customer storytelling to convey its unique value.
  • Empathy in Enterprise Sales: Barb emphasizes the importance of “enterprise empathy” when selling AI into HR, recognizing the significant change management required and celebrating success only when the customer does.
  • Candidate Experience as a Marketing Tool: The virality of Sapia AI’s candidate experience has led to organic growth, with candidates often referring the product to key decision-makers within organizations.
  • Global Expansion Strategy: Sapia AI has strategically focused on the EMEA market due to its sophisticated approach to AI regulation and the high demand for inclusive, bias-free hiring processes.

 

Actionable
Takeaways

Embrace Enterprise Empathy:

When selling disruptive technology, especially AI, understand the buyer’s perspective and concerns. Celebrate successes only when your customers do, ensuring you’re aligned with their milestones.

Capitalize on Candidate Experience:

A stellar candidate experience can drive organic growth. Encourage candidates to share their positive experiences, turning them into advocates within their professional networks.

Focus on the Right ICP:

Be disciplined about targeting your ideal customer profile (ICP). Avoid wasting resources on prospects who may not have the leadership or readiness to embrace significant change.

Leverage Dark Social:

Utilize non-traditional marketing channels like dark social, where customer referrals and word-of-mouth drive new business, rather than relying solely on paid or large-scale marketing events.

Anchor on Pain Before Demos:

In sales, ensure you deeply understand the customer's pain points before jumping into product demos. This approach leads to more meaningful conversations and higher conversion rates.

Recommended Founder
Interviews

Chris Johnson

Growth Marketing Lead of Gun.IO

Chris Johnson, Growth Marketing Lead at Gun.IO: Competing in the Future of Freelance Developer Marketplaces

Kian Katanforoosh

CEO & Founder of Workera

Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of Workera: $21 Million Raised to Build the Skills Intelligence Category

Prem Kumar

CEO | Co-founder of Humanly

Prem Kumar, CEO of Humanly.io: $5.5 Million Raised to Build the Conversational Hiring Category

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

Mike Adams

Co-Founder & CEO of Grain

Mike Adams, Co-Founder & CEO of Grain: $22 Million Raised to Power the Future of Meetings

Rob Whalen

CEO of PTO Exchange

Rob Whalen, CEO of PTO Exchange: $5M Raised to Empower Companies to Rethink Paid Time Off

Matthew Sydney

CEO & Founder of Beanstalk Benefits

Matthew Sydney, CEO & Founder of Beanstalk Benefits: $7.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of On-Demand Employee Benefits

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

Nicholas Rudder

Co-Founder & CEO of Sphere

Nicholas Rudder, Co-Founder & CEO of Sphere: $5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Corporate Learning

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

Marcelo Lebre

President of Remote

Marcelo Lebre, Co-founder & COO of Remote: Nearly $500 Million Raised to Power the Distributed Workforce of the Future

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

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

Karoli Hindriks

Founder of Jobbatical

Karoli Hindriks, Founder of Jobbatical: $23 Million Raised to Build the Future of Global Mobility with AI-Powered Relocation Solutions

Andres Blank

Co-founder & CEO of Fetcher

Andres Blank, CEO of Fetcher: $40 Million+ Raised to Build the Future of Recruiting Automation

Nancy Xu

CEO & Founder of Moonhub

Nancy Xu, CEO & Founder of Moonhub: $10 Million Raised to Power the Future of AI-Driven Recruiting

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

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

Joseph Fung

CEO of Uvaro

Joseph Fung, CEO of Uvaro: $15 Million Raised to Build the Career Success Platform Category

Chandler Malone

Founder of Bootup

Chandler Malone, Founder of Bootup: $2 Million Raised to Solve the Tech Talent Crisis

Jason Lavender

CEO of Electives

Jason Lavender, CEO of Electives: $10M Raised to Redefine Corporate Training

John Kim

Co-Founder & CEO of Paraform

John Kim, Co-Founder & CEO of Paraform: $5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Recruiting with a Marketplace for Specialized Talent

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

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

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

Tom Griffiths

CEO and Co-founder of Hone

Tom Griffiths, CEO of Hone: $50 Million Raised to Build the Future of Corporate Training

Jennifer Dulski

CEO & Founder of Rising Team

Jennifer Dulski, CEO & Founder of Rising Team: $11 Million Raised to Build the Future of Team Performance

Ville Herva

CEO of BOLT.works

Ville Herva, CEO of BOLT.works: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Staffing

Albert Owusu-Asare

CEO & Co-Founder of Cadana

Albert Owusu-Asare, CEO & Co-Founder of Cadana: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Global Payroll Infrastructure

Tony Jamous

CEO of Oyster

Tony Jamous, CEO of Oyster: $220+ Million Raised to Build the Global Employment Platform (GEP) Category

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

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

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

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

Josh Merrill

CEO of Confirm

Josh Merrill, CEO of Confirm: Over $11 Million Raised to End the Performance Review Nightmare

Mousa Yassin

CEO and Founder of Pixaera

Mousa Yassin, CEO and Founder of Pixaera: $5.7 Million Raised to Build the Future of VR Safety Training

Jaclyn Chen

CEO of Benepass

Jaclyn Chen, CEO of Benepass: $14 Million Raised to Build the Future of Employee Benefits Management

Carlos Gonzalez

Founder & CEO of Product School

Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia, Founder & CEO of Product School: $25 Million Raised to Power the Future of Product Management Education

Warren Lebovics

Co-Founder of Pequity

Warren Lebovics, Co-Founder of Pequity: $19 Million Raised to Build the Future of Employee Compensation

René Janssen

CEO and Founder of Lepaya

René Janssen, CEO & Founder of Lepaya: $85 Million Raised to Build the Future of Employee Training

Agapitos Diakogiannis

Co-founder & CEO of Seafair

Agapitos Diakogiannis, CEO of Seafair: $6.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Maritime Recruitment

Avi Singer

CEO & Founder of Showd.me

Avi Singer, CEO & Founder of Showd.me: $4.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Compliance Training

Ben Sesser

CEO & Founder of BrightHire

Ben Sesser, CEO & Founder of BrightHire: $36 Million Raised to Build the Interview Intelligence Category

Barbra Gago

CEO and Founder of Pando

Barbra Gago, CEO and Founder of Pando: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Career Advancement

Achuthanand Ravi

Founder & CEO of Kula

Achuthanand Ravi, CEO of Kula: $14 Million Raised to Build the Future of Recruiting

Laura McGee

Founder and CEO of Diversio

Laura McGee, CEO of Diversio: $6 Million Raised to Help Organizations Measure and Improve DEI

Sam Naficy

CEO of Prodoscore

Sam Naficy, CEO of Prodoscore: $4 Million Raised to Build the Future of Employee Productivity Measurement

Ben Zweig

CEO of Revelio Labs

Ben Zweig, CEO of Revelio Labs: $19 Million Raised to Build the Future of Workforce Intelligence

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

Tuck Hauptfuhrer

CEO & Co-Founder of EarnBetter

Tuck Hauptfuhrer, CEO & Co-Founder of EarnBetter: $4.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of AI-Powered Job Search

Andy Berman

CEO and Founder of Vowel

Andy Berman, CEO and Founder of Vowel: $13 Million Raised to Power the Future of Meetings

Sid Upadhyay

Co-Founder & CEO of WizeHire

Sid Upadhyay, Co-Founder & CEO at WizeHire: Over $30 Million Raised to Help SMBs Hire Great Talent

Virgile Raingeard

CEO of Figures

Virgile Raingeard, CEO of Figures: €8.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Compensation Intelligence

Nicole Fuselier

VP of Marketing of Bonusly

Revenue-Driven Marketing: Insights from Nicole Fuselier of Bonusly

Allen Narcisse

Founder & CEO of Gigs

Allen Narcisse, Founder & CEO of Gigs: $5.7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Blue Collar Hiring

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 Pierce

CEO of Immediate

Matt Pierce, CEO of Immediate: $15 Million Raised to Eliminate the Costly Price of Financial Stress in the Workforce

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

Wes Winham Winler

Founder/CEO of Woven

Wes Winham Winler, CEO of Woven: $11 Million Raised to Transform How Companies Recruit and Hire Developers

Ian White

Founder of ChartHop

Ian White, Founder, CEO and CTO of ChartHop: $74 Million Raised to Build the Future of PeopleOps

Sebastian Schüller

Co-founder of HiPeople

Sebastian Schüller, Co-founder of HiPeople: $7 Million Raised to Develop Data-Driven Augmentation for Hiring Teams

Michael Ioffe

CEO & Co-Founder of Arist

Michael Ioffe, CEO & Co-Founder of Arist: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Autonomous L&D

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

Daniel Birkholm

Founder & CEO of TalentHub

Daniel Birkholm, TalentHub: $6 Million Raised to Transform How Organizations Measure and Improve Their Hiring Experience

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

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

Siadhal Magos

CEO & Co-Founder of Metaview

Siadhal Magos, CEO & Co-Founder of Metaview: $14 Million Raised to Power the Future of AI-Driven Hiring