Welcome back to another episode of The Room Podcast! This week, we’re thrilled to chat with Wade Foster, CEO and Co-Founder of Zapier, the tool that’s revolutionized workflows by making automation accessible to anyone. Zapier helps businesses and individuals connect the apps they rely on, creating seamless integrations that save time and boost productivity.

In this episode, Wade takes us through Zapier’s origins, its flagship no-code-needed automation platform, and how the company has carved out a niche as the go-to solution for streamlining business processes. We also dive into fascinating topics like growing a fully remote team before it was trendy, navigating the unique challenges of bootstrapping in a venture-driven world, and the surprising lessons Wade learned while literally counting telephone poles during a college internship. Tune in for insights on building impactful products, a behind-the-scenes look at Zapier's innovative culture, and a glimpse into what it takes to lead one of today’s most versatile SaaS companies.

4:53 - Where did Wade grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?
6:08 - Did Wade always think he was going to become a founder?
7:01 - How did Wade develop an interest in entrepreneurship?
9:58 - Why was Wade’s first internship so impactful?
12:31 - How did Wade meet his cofounders and come up with the idea for Zapier?
14:24 - How was Wade’s experience at YC?
15:38 - What lessons has Wade learned about marketing and sales tactics?
16:53 - What advice does Wade have for founders entering YC to maximize their experience?
22:09 - What were some moments when Wade realized they were onto something with Zapier?
22:42 - What advice would Wade give to founders looking to grow in today's market conditions?
25:36 - What’s a memorable moment from the founding journey of Zapier?
27:08 - How did Zapier scale while maintaining authenticity to its core values?
30:37 - What is Zapier’s core product?
32:07 - How has the business model of Zapier scaled alongside the product?
35:24 - What lessons has Wade learned on pricing and packaging B2B SaaS products?
37:58 - How is Zapier thinking about the future of their business?
39:35 - What is Zapier's view on how AI and automation are coming together?
42:57 - What are some things Zapier customers can look forward to in 2025?
44:02 - What is Wade personally excited about for the near future?
44:19 - Who is a woman in Wade’s life who has had a profound impact on him and his career?

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Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions

In this LIVE version of The Room Podcast, we’re thrilled to chat with Immad Akhund, Co-Founder and CEO of Mercury, a fintech company built specifically for startups and tech companies. Immad walks us through his journey from founder to industry leader, and how Mercury is reimagining banking with streamlined financial tools for growing businesses. Mercury’s core product offers an intuitive digital banking experience, designed to handle startups' unique cash flow and management needs.

Join us as we explore Immad’s early entrepreneurial journey, his strategic shift from gaming with Hayzap to founding Mercury, and the insights he gained along the way. This episode highlights Mercury’s goal to simplify banking for tech founders, Immad’s take on the importance of resilience and adaptability, and how Mercury’s modern approach is transforming financial services for the startup ecosystem.

8:40 - Where did Immad grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?
9:17 - Did Immad always think he would become a founder?
10:22 - At what point did Immad move to the States?
11:06 - What lessons did Immad learn when running HayZap?
12:55 - How did Immad know who he wanted as cofounders when starting Mercury?
14:07 - What advice does Immad have for finding a co-founder and resolving conflict with a co-founder?
15:31 - Why did Immad want to tackle a problem in banking specifically?
16:30 - How was Immad’s experience breaking into the fintech space?
19:28 - What advice does Immad have for founders in complex regulatory spaces?
21:20 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Mercury?
22:46 - What’s a fundraising “hot take” that Immad has?
24:39 - How did Mercury’s go-to-market strategy change as they scaled?
26:39 - How does Mercury scale their feature set and their product to meet the scaling needs of their clients?
28:14 - How did the liquidity crisis at Silicon Valley Bank impact Mercury and the fintech space?
30:01 - What traits does Immad look for when investing in a startup?
31:03 - What advice does Immad have for founders looking to be acquired in the current market?
33:53 - What does Immad expect in the future of fintech?
34:48 - What’s next for Mercury and for Immad personally?
35:31 - Who is a woman in Immad’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?

For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Check out our guide to podcasting here!
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!

Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions

Welcome back to The Room Podcast! Today, we’re thrilled to explore the fast-evolving world of B2B tech innovation with Shensi Ding, co-founder of Merge. Merge has become a leader in unified APIs, creating a category that addresses the challenges many companies face with complex integrations. Shensi’s journey is a unique one—from her coding days in Boston to Columbia, then a career at Silver Lake, all of which prepared her to tackle the 'SAAS sprawl' problem head-on. Together with her co-founder, Gil Feig, Shensi has built a powerhouse team and a product that’s essential for clients like Ramp and BambooHR. Their customer-first approach has secured $75 million in funding and a growing presence across SF and NYC.

In this episode, we delve into topics like using customer insights to drive category creation, balancing skills in co-founder dynamics, and navigating fundraising from seed stage through metrics-driven growth.

For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Check out our guide to podcasting here!
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!

5:04 - Where did Shensi grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?
6:07 - Did Shensi always think she was going to become a founder?
6:29 - How were website designers making money in the early 2000’s?
7:25 - How did Shensi move from making websites to computer science?
8:19 - How has finance influenced Shensi to become a founder?
10:26 - Why did Shensi leave finance to join Xpanse?
11:35 - How did Shensi meet her co-founder, Gil, and why did they decide to find Merge?
14:20 - What was the aha moment that encouraged the start of Merge?
14:57 - What is the core product of Merge?
16:48 - Who was the first company to say yes to using Merge?
17:53 - What are some of the ways that customers are using Merge?
18:48 - How does Shensi classify the space that Merge is a part of?
19:38 - How did Shensi think about building her initial team?
21:00 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Merge?
21:31 - How was Shensi’s experience fundraising for Merge?
22:44 - What advice does Shensi have for fundraising?
25:37 - What is Merge's go-to-market strategy and how did Shensi build the initial sales team?
26:29 - How do you scale up after the seed round?
28:19 - How is AI disrupting the unified API space and how does Merge fit into that?
29:14 - What is a part of the founding journey that Shensi didn’t expect?
31:17 - How is the founding landscape today? Are people looking to keep building?
32:52 - What companies are a part of Merge’s tech stack?
33:38 - What’s next for Merge and for Shensi?
34:48 - Who is a woman in Shensi’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career?

Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions