Listen Here

|

Conversation
Highlights

 

In a recent episode of Unicorn Builders,  we spoke with Mohit Aron , founder of Cohesity , to learn about the company’s journey from a focused VMware backup solution to becoming a leader in AI-powered data security and management trusted by 47 of the Fortune 100 and over $1B in ARR.

Topics Discussed:

  • The evolution of Cohesity from a VMware backup solution to a comprehensive data management platform

  • Mohit’s strategy for identifying and addressing pain points in the data management market

  • The importance of the “land and expand” approach in Cohesity’s growth

  • How Cohesity positioned itself as a hybrid solution for both on-premise and cloud environments

  • The creation and leadership of the “next-gen data management” category

  • Cohesity’s approach to building relationships with analyst firms like Gartner

  • The challenges Mohit faced transitioning from CTO to CEO roles

  • The company’s focus on simplifying complex data management processes

Actionable
Takeaways

Find your initial beachhead market:

Mohit's strategy of focusing initially on VMware backups is a perfect example of this principle. By targeting a specific pain point within the broader data management space, Cohe

Master the "land and expand" approach:

Cohesity started with small footprints in customer environments, often with VMware backups, then gradually took over entire backup footprints. Some customers replaced up to seven legacy products with Cohesity's solution.

Align your brand with your core value proposition:

Cohesity chose a name that directly reflected their main offering - bringing cohesion to fragmented data management processes. This clear alignment between the brand and the product's key benefit helps communicate the company's value to potential customers quickly and effectively. It also positions the company as a solution to a specific, widespread problem in enterprise data management.

Engage with industry analysts early:

Mohit emphasized the critical role of firms like Gartner in influencing enterprise buying decisions. By building relationships with analysts early, consistently engaging with them, and ensuring your customers provide positive feedback, you can shape analysts' opinions of your company. This positive perception can lead to favorable mentions to potential customers and better positioning in influential reports like Gartner's Magic Quadrant, ultimately driving more business your way.

Build your GTM team early:

Mohit hired key marketing and sales personnel six months before launch. This team, reaching 5-10 people by launch, was crucial in securing design partners and initiating sales conversations, enabling a strong market entry.

Recommended Founder
Interviews

Henry Kim

CEO & Co-Founder of Swiftly

Henry Kim: The GTM Story of Swiftly ($1B+ Valuation)

Michael Wax

CEO & Co-Founder of

Michael Wax: the Story of Forto ($2.1 Billion Valuation)

Milin Desai

CEO of Sentry

Milin Desai: The Story of Sentry ($3+ Billion Valuation)

Arik Shtilman

CEO of Rapyd

Arik Shtilman: the Story of Rapyd ($15 Billion Valuation)

Arvind Jain

CEO of Glean

Arvind Jain: the Story of Glean ($1 Billion Valuation)

Jerome Ternynck

Founder and CEO of SmartRecruiters

Jerome Ternynck: the Story of SmartRecruiter ($1.5 Billion Valuation)

David Blake

CEO of Degreed

David Blake: the Story of Degreed ($1.3 Billion Valuation)

Jeff Denworth

Co-Founder of VAST Data

Jeff Denworth: The Story of VAST Data ($9.1 Billion Valuation)

Spike Lipkin

CEO and Co-founder of Newfront

Spike Lipkin: the GTM Story of Newfront ($2.2 Billion Valuation)

Arif Nathoo

CEO and Co-Founder of Komodo Health

Arif Nathoo: the Story of Komodo Health ($3 Billion Valuation)

Marc-Alexander Christ

Co-Founder of SumUp

Marc-Alexander Christ: the Story of SumUp ($8.5 Billion Valuation)

Doron Myersdorf

CEO of StoreDot

Doron Myersdorf: the Story of StoreDot ($1.2 Billion Valuation)

Abhay Parasnis

Founder and CEO of Typeface

Abhay Parasnis: the Story of Typeface ($1 Billion Valuation)

Harrison Rose

Co-Founder of Paddle

Harrison Rose: the Story of Paddle ($1.4 Billion Valuation)

Sean Duffy

Co-Founder & CEO of Omada Health

Sean Duffy: the Story of Omada Health ($1+ Billion Valuation)

Michael Witte

CEO & Co-founder of Workrise

Michael Witte: Workrise: the GTM Story of Workrise ($3 Billion Valuation)

Dimitri Sirota

CEO & Co-Founder of BigID

Dimitri Sirota: The GTM Story of BigID ($1.25 Billion Valuation)

Robert Nishihara

Robert Nishihara: The GTM Story of Anyscale ($1+ Billion Valuation)

Johanna Småros

Co-Founder & Chief Sustainability Officer of RELEX Solutions

Johanna Småros: the Story of RELEX Solutions ($5.7 Billion Valuation)

Marcelo Lebre

President of Remote

Marcelo Lebre: the Story of Remote ($3 Billion+ Valuation)

Jean Paul Chauvet

CEO of Lightspeed

Jean Paul Chauvet: the Story of Lightspeed ($2+ Billion Valuation)

Martin Mao

CEO of Chronosphere

Martin Mao: The Story of Chronosphere ($1.6 Billion Valuation))

Rich Liu

CEO of Navan Travel

Rich Liu: The GTM Story of Navan ($9+ Billion Valuation)

Gary Hoberman

CEO & Founder of Unqork

Gary Hoberman: the GTM Story of Unqork ($2B+ Valuation)

Jason Zintak

CEO of 6sense

Jason Zintak: The GTM Story of 6sense ($5.2 Billion Valuation)

Michel Tricot

Co-Founder & CEO of Airbyte

Michel Tricot: the Story of Airbyte ($1.5 Billion Valuation)

Tony Jamous

CEO of Oyster

Tony Jamous: the Story of Oyster ($1.1 Billion Valuation)

Doug Winter

CEO and Co-Founder of Seismic

Doug Winter: The GTM Story of Seismic ($3 Billion Valuation)

Philip Cutler

CEO and Founder of Paper

Philip Cutler: The GTM Story of Paper ($1.5B Valuation)

Jack Newton

CEO and Co-founder of Clio

Jack Newton: the Story of Clio ($100M+ in ARR)

Federico Larsen

CTO and Co-Founder of Copado

Federico Larsen: the Story of Copado ($1.2 Billion Valuation)

Barr Moses

Co-Founder & CEO of Monte Carlo

Barr Moses: the GTM Story of Monte Carlo ($1.6 Billion Valuation)

Kyle Clark

Team Member of Beta Technologies

Kyle Clark: the Story of Beta ($1.2 Billion Valuation)

Justin Borgman

CEO and Co-Founder of Starburst

Justin Borgman: the Story of Starburst ($3+ Billion Valuation)

Ajay Kulkarni

CEO of Timescale

Ajay Kulkarni: the Story of Timescale ($1+ Billion Valuation)

Tom Jermoluk

CEO of Beyond Identity

Tom “TJ” Jermoluk: The GTM Storyteller of Beyond Identity ($1.1 Billion Valuation)

Oren Kaniel

CEO & Co-Founder of AppsFlyer

Oren Kaniel: The GTM Story of AppsFlyer ($2 Billion Valuation)

Jeremy Johnson

CEO & Co-Founder of Andela

Jeremy Johnson: the Story of Andela ($1.5 Billion Valuation)

Dave Wessinger

CEO and Co-Founder of PointClickCare

Dave Wessinger: the Story of PointClickCare ($5 Billion Valuation)

Joseph DeSimone

Chairman and Co-Founder of Carbon

Joseph DeSimone: the Story of Carbon ($2.5 Billion Valuation)

Steffen Tjerrild

Co-Founder, CFO & COO of Synthesia

Steffen Tjerrild: The Story of Synthesia ($1 Billion Valuation)

John Kim

CEO & Co-Founder of Sendbird

John Kim: The GTM Story of Sendbird ($1+ Billion Valuation)

Raj De Datta

CEO & Co-founder of Bloomreach

Raj De Datta: the GTM Story of Bloomreach ($2.2 Billion Valuation)

Tomer Shiran

Founder of Dremio

Tomer Shiran: the Story of Dremio ($2 Billion Valuation)

Hari Ravichandran

CEO & Founder of Aura

Hari Ravichandran: the Story of Aura ($2.5 Billion Valuation)

Tom Livne

CEO & Founder of Verbit

Tom Livne: the Story of Verbit ($2 Billion Valuation)

Karl Siebrecht

Co-Founder & CEO of Flexe

Karl Siebrecht: the Story of Flexe (1+ Billion Valuation)

Henrique Dubugras

Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Brex

Henrique Dubugras: the Story of Brex ($12 Billion+ Valuation)

Rodrigo Liang

Co-Founder and CEO of SambaNova

Rodrigo Liang: the Story of SambaNova ($5+ Billion Valuation)

Kevin Busque

CEO and Founder of Guideline

Kevin Busque: the Story of Guideline ($1.1B+ Valuation)