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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 DeVaris Brown, CEO and co-founder of Meroxa, a stream processing data application platform that has raised over $19 million in funding.
- DeVaris’ background as a software engineer and product executive at companies like Microsoft, Zendesk, Heroku, and Twitter, and the entrepreneurial drive instilled by his grandparents and exposure to the first dot-com boom.
- How Meroxa is empowering everyday software engineers with “data engineering superpowers” to ingest, transform, and orchestrate data to meet the growing demand for personalized, real-time applications.
- The experience of launching Meroxa just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and how the constraints and focus of that period proved advantageous for the company’s early development.
- Meroxa’s traction with government agencies like NASA, and how demonstrating the ability to handle massive scale and complexity has opened doors to commercial opportunities.
- The challenges and opportunities of being a Black founder in tech, and the importance of addressing systemic barriers to access, funding, and risk-taking for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
- DeVaris’ lessons learned in finding product-market fit, building a well-rounded team, and cultivating the mental resilience required to weather the ups and downs of the founder journey.
Actionable
Takeaways
Embrace Constraints as a Catalyst for Focus:
DeVaris credits the pandemic lockdowns in Meroxa's early days with providing a distraction-free environment to concentrate on building the core product. While operating under constraints is never easy, founders can reframe these limitations as an opportunity to ruthlessly prioritize and make faster decisions. Embracing constraints with creativity and grit can lead to breakthrough progress.
Establish Credibility Through Lighthouse Customers:
Meroxa's work with NASA and other government agencies played a crucial role in validating the platform's ability to process data at immense scale and complexity. For deep-tech startups, landing lighthouse customers who can pressure-test the product in demanding real-world scenarios is invaluable for earning the trust of prospects. Founders should identify and pursue these marquee accounts as an accelerant for broader adoption.
Assemble a Team That Augments Your Weaknesses:
DeVaris openly acknowledges that while he and his co-founder excel at building product, they have gaps in their sales expertise. His advice to founders is to hire for complementary skill sets rather than trying to be the "last stop" for every function. Self-awareness about your strengths and weaknesses as a leader is critical to constructing a well-rounded team equipped to execute across the full range of startup challenges.
Recognize the Tradeoffs in Early Customer Selection:
Meroxa's decision to work with government and military clients, while lucrative, came with some moral complexity as a Black founder. DeVaris stresses the importance of having open conversations with employees about where to draw ethical lines while also acknowledging the realities of needing to generate revenue to sustain the business. Founders must grapple with these tradeoffs transparently and establish clear principles for customer selection.
Find a Support System to Combat Founder Loneliness:
DeVaris emphasizes the emotional toll of being a founder and the pervasive sense of isolation that comes with the top job. His recommendation is to actively seek out peer groups, executive coaches, and mental health resources to process the inevitable ups and downs of the journey. Founders shouldn't try to shoulder the burden alone or feel embarrassed about needing support - connecting with others in the same boat is a game-changer.
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