CEO advice after an AI exit (plus Fern’s $9 Series A and the launch of 2025’s Cloud 100 nominations)
Bessemer Venture Partners
For the entrepreneurs who want to build revolutions of their own.
Three things CEO Gal Oron wishes he knew while building Zoomin from bootstrapped to AI exit
Gal Oron, CEO of Zoomin, shares seven pieces of rare, hard-won advice for fellow founders—including his thoughts on the power of customer obsession, why you should never hide problems from your board, and how to respond nimbly to AI threats and opportunities. Read on.
But first, here are three pieces of advice for entrepreneurs —
Learn to live with the questions: “It’s okay not to have all the answers. As founders, we want to solve every problem immediately, but in this journey, you’re constantly operating with uncertainty," shares Gal. "Learn to live with the questions. Instead of rushing to find the perfect answer, focus on staying in the game long enough to recognize the right opportunities when they come."
Lean into your customers during the good times and the bad times: “Tough times aren’t setbacks—they’re opportunities...When things get difficult, don’t retreat—lean into your customers. Every time I wasn’t sure what to do, I went back to them. If they’re seeing value, you’ll survive. If they’re struggling, they’ll show you what needs to change.”
Imagine the future-state of your platform, and build towards that: “Build for scale from day one. Early on, we were so focused on execution that we didn’t think about how our platform would need to scale as we grew. At a certain point, fixing foundational issues becomes almost impossible, so invest in scalable infrastructure early. And finally, never underestimate the power of marketing. In the enterprise world, it’s easy to focus entirely on product and sales, but if you don’t control your narrative, the market defines it for you. Storytelling isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s critical for building a category, attracting customers, and driving growth.”
In case you missed it
☁️ 2025 Cloud 100 nominations are now open. For a decade, this definitive ranking has spotlighted the world's 100 most outstanding private cloud and AI companies. Don’t miss your chance to submit a nomination! Read more.
🪴 Meet the co-founders of Fern. CEO Danny Sheridan and CTO Deep Singhvi share an inside look at their journey, on the heels of their $9M Series A. Read more.
💥 What it takes to scale a consumer earthquake. Distribution and conversion are make-or-break for consumer startups. Here’s a detailed list of tactics—that made companies like Etsy and Cameo household names—that you can apply to building your business. Read more.
🏥 Introducing the AI Dx. Our investment team provides its diagnosis of the current state of AI opportunities in healthcare through the AI Dx Index. This is a new measure that can help founders, buyers, and investors accurately assess where the industry stands on the AI transformation curve and identify the most significant areas for opportunity in the near term across nearly 60 jobs-to-be-done. Read more.
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