My First 16

How Gusto Used Customer Input to Scale Growth with Tomer London

Seema Amble

Posted December 5, 2024

In this episode of “My First Sixteen,” a16z Partner Seema Amble chats with Tomer London, co-founder of Gusto, about establishing product-market fit and product discovery. London shares how Gusto, now valued at ~$10 billion with 300,000+ customers, identified early customers who could provide valuable feedback that helped the team optimize the self-service product experience. The conversation explores Gusto’s approach to product development, as well as managing and incorporating customer feedback while maintaining a clear product vision.

Chapter Breakdown

1:18-3:14  Gusto’s founding story
3:14- 4:56  Solidifying a GTM sales strategy
4:56-10:03  Identifying early customers and perfecting the sales pitch
10:03-12:45  Working with customers to optimize the product UX
12:45-14:31  Engendering trust and finding success with accountants
14:31-16:41  The role accountants planned in Gusto’s success
16:41-19:34  Creating a feedback funnel and balancing product vision
19:34-22:38  Self-service strategy and measuring success
22:38- 23:45  Refining the UX at scale
23:45-25:45  Identifying real-world use cases to inform product strategy
25:45-29:52  GTM learnings and advice
29:52-30:05  Outro

More About This Podcast

In a series of interviews, a16z Partner Seema Amble talks with B2B founders and CEOs, about their first 16 big clients that helped them go to market. This series aims to be a resource for other early stage or potential founders, as well as a tool for the companies featured.

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