Ozan Unlu: Navigating the Shift: From Technical Founder to Commercial Leader | Episode 62 214241

In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah speaks with Ozan Unlu, co-founder and CEO of EdgeDelta, a pioneering company in the telemetry pipeline space focusing on observability and security. Ozan shares insights from his unique journey through engineering, sales, and entrepreneurship, delving into the nuances of transitioning from technical roles to commercial leadership. The discussion covers the importance of understanding customer needs, the challenges of fundraising in a shifting economic landscape, and the distinction between selling high-tech solutions versus consumer products. Ozan emphasizes the significance of continuous data curation in solving complex problems related to observability and security. Tune in to explore these themes and more as Ozan provides valuable perspectives for entrepreneurs and leaders in the tech industry. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction to EdgeDelta and Ozan Unlu 00:01:00 - The Transition from Technical to Commercial Roles 00:03:00 - Understanding Your Customer 00:06:00 - Sales Strategies: Spaceships vs. T-Shirts 00:09:00 - Navigating Enterprise Sales Cycles 00:10:30 - The Importance of Product-Led Growth 00:12:00 - Fundraising Dynamics: Seed vs. Later Stages 00:14:00 - Valuation Expectations in Different Market Conditions 00:16:30 - The Impact of Growth vs. Efficiency 00:19:00 - Balancing Growth and Profitability 00:22:00 - The Role of Continuous Curation and Inference 00:25:00 - The Challenge of Processing Large Data Volumes 00:28:00 - The Future of AI and Quantum Computing 00:30:00 - The Importance of Data Tiering 00:32:00 - Contrarian Conviction: Self-Awareness in Career Choices 00:45:00 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts Find Ozan Unlu online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozanu/ Twitter: https://x.com/Ozannlu Company: https://edgedelta.com This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/-us/ or the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/-the-cfo-team/ Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe 3m3p3s