This week’s episode of The Friday Nooner brought viewers a conversation with Pendo CEO Todd Olson, who will also be a keynote speaker at next Thursday’s Grep-a-palooza. As one of a few unicorns in the Triangle, Raleigh-based Pendo has made a name for itself as a product experience and digital adoption solution company.
This episode was action-packed with Triangle and national tech news as well as key insights into Pendo (and Olson’s fashion choices). Here are some highlights:
- Pendo was joined by one more Triangle startup this week in ‘unicorn’ status. JupiterOne, a cybersecurity startup based in Morrisville, officially became a unicorn this Thursday after closing on a $70 million Series C round Thursday at a valuation of $1B+ and has now raised more than $119 million since it launched 2020. (Here are some of our previous stories on JupiterOne, including when we named it to our inaugural Startups To Watch list last fall.)
- Pendo’s new HQ in downtown Raleigh has gotten lots of attention for its bright pink interiors, sweeping skyline views and fully subsidized coffee shop for employees. Olson said this new space has been helpful in getting more and more employees back in the office as they transition to a post-Covid working world. (Here’s our story from February on the new HQ, including pictures.)
- Two incredibly important topics of conversation came up as Joe and Pete asked Olson if he would ever drive a Vespa. (Joe has become notable not just for co-founding email marketing software company Bronto but also for his infamous Bull City Vesparados “biker gang”). Surprise, surprise: Olson actually does own a Vespa, but it’s unclear if he can join the gang since he lives in Raleigh, not Durham. (Also his Vespa isn’t currently running, which doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon.) Then the conversation derailed into an exploration of how Olson wears Pendo T-shirts every day, but when he goes home his wife prefers that he change into button-down shirts.
- The current market conditions have made it so several tech companies are unsure of their futures, but according to Olson, this can actually be a good thing for Pendo as it enables them to be even more aggressive.
Thanks to the sponsor for this quarter, which is our upcoming GrepBeat tech conference Grep-a-palooza. The one-day event will be held on June 9 (next Thursday!) at the Durham Convention Center. Get your tickets here.
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