CXO INSIGHT
Tell us a bit more about your business and how it started
After attaining my undergraduate degree in computer science , I worked as a software engineer for about 2.5 years but soon realised it wasn ’ t my true passion . However , I stayed in the role to build my technical foundation , and then transitioned to a consulting firm , which gave me invaluable insights into running a software company and how technology can be used to solve businesses ’ problems .
I was working at one of the pioneering SaaS companies in the early 2000s when I had my ‘ eureka ’ moment : SaaS would be the future of cloud computing and technology in general . This made me think of establishing a cloud-based platform that would bring all these different applications together so they could work in unison rather than being siloed apart . First , I started my own consultancy built upon this concept , but in the space of a few years I gained the confidence I needed to launch Celigo as a dedicated Integration- Platform-as-a-Service ( iPaaS ) in 2011 .
How has the business grown since it started , and how did you ensure growth ?
We built Celigo ’ s platform very meticulously . We went through a few platform iterations in the pursuit of finding product-market fit and increasing our Total Addressable Market ( TAM ), something my consulting experience gave me a deep understanding of . Knowing who our customers are and how our products can address their industry-specific pain points has been key as Celigo has grown ; retailers or manufacturers need to automate different business processes compared to software or services companies , for example .
Now , we ’ re focused on revamping our go-to-market strategy and ensuring we stay disciplined by only targeting the right types of customers . It ’ s often a challenge to accept there may be customers whose needs we have grown too large to serve effectively , and reckoning with this is key to ensuring our ability to remain efficient in the long run .
What ’ s the business ’ approach to management ?
We prioritise fairness and consistency within our company , not just for our customers but also our employees . We strive to treat our employees equally across roles , as an engaged workforce that feels valued will always be the most productive .
Our philosophy as a management team emphasises open communication , transparency and collaboration , ensuring that every team member feels heard and like they can make a difference . I have an open-door policy where anyone can come in and discuss anything about the business or ask tough questions .
One of our core values that I love is , “ Ask how it can be better .” We want to encourage and empower all employees to bring their ideas to the forefront to drive the business forward . You just never know where the next great idea will come from and might miss it if you ’ re only listening to others in upper management .
What is your company ’ s vision and goal ?
Our goal is to simplify automation by allowing most employees in a company to create integrations and put them in place . Workers should be empowered to function almost as extensions of IT , able to build bridges between applications as they see fit . We want to empower the employees who understand the business processes that need to be automated and who have intimate knowledge of the underlying applications , to build workflows that connect these apps together . They ’ re going to be the ones with the most intimate knowledge of how applications need to connect and paired with their exposure to the wider business ’ goals , it only makes sense to give them that level of empowerment .
We believe that automating business processes to reduce manual processes gives workers the time to do more valuable work and drive better outcomes for their companies . Integration should be uncomplicated and straightforward for all – both technical and business users .
What kind of clients and markets do you serve ?
We work with a wide range of customers across North America , EMEA and the APAC regions in different sectors , selling directly and through the channel . Our customers include businesses of all sizes , from start-ups to large enterprises , operating in various sectors including e-commerce , retail , manufacturing , healthcare , technology and finance . This includes the likes of LastPass , Pfizer , Therabody , Glassdoor and Home Chef , among others in different sectors .
Our platform is designed to meet the needs of businesses looking to streamline their operations , improve efficiency and enhance their overall digital capabilities . A significant number of our customers use us to automate complex order-to-cash business processes where they connect their online e-comm platforms with their ERP and warehouse management systems ; connect their front office CRM applications with back office ERP and billing systems ; sync data across their supply chain ; ingest data from their operational business applications into a data warehouse ; etc . Celigo provides a flexible integration platform
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