FINANCE DERIVATIVE INTERVIEW Q&A WITH ULF ZETTERBERG

Ulf Zetterberg,Co-founded, Seal Software

 

  1. Can you tell us a bit more about Seal Software and your role at the company?

Seal Software created the contract analytics market. It was the first business to use an AI-powered platform with intelligence, automation, and visualization capabilities to enhance the management of contract data. Seal leverages elastic cloud scalability, multi-instance data security, and rapid virtual deployment to support contractual processes at all scales. Machine learning and natural language processing capabilities enable the software to find contracts across networks quickly, and to understand the risks and opportunities hidden within those contracts. The software is applicable in multiple use cases from compliance and NDAs, to M&A and procurement.

With regards to my role, I co-founded Seal Software in 2010, together with Kevin Gidney, who was the CTO. As CEO, I oversaw the rapid growth of the company from start-up to market leading provider for contract analytics. I then oversaw the acquisition by DocuSign for $188 million.

 

  1. What do you believe were the main factors behind the success of Seal Software as a business?
Ulf Zetterberg

Key to Seal’s success was its customer-first approach. Seal was a platform specifically designed for enterprises. As such, it was essential for us to collaborate closely with our enterprise customers to build out a solution that worked for them. This close collaboration allowed us to really understand how we could best automate our customers’ work and provide support across multiple use cases.

 

  1. What are the key challenges facing enterprise software companies looking to scale?

In order to scale and access new markets, enterprise software companies need to make sure their solution is easy to use and that it creates instant value for the customer. Gaining a deep understanding of the day-to-day challenges that customers face is crucial if you are going to provide real value.

As well as making sure your product is accessible and solves a problem for your customer, you need a clear mission. Having a clear value proposition and ROI will allow you to scale your organization rapidly and effectively, in multiple regions and countries simultaneously.

 

  1. What benefits can enterprises gain from scaling internationally? 

As enterprises scale, they gain access to greater pools of resources and knowledge. Sharing experiences and learnings, both internally and externally, across a scaling enterprise allows you to build and share best practices. Similarly, as an enterprise grows, it will gain access to a larger talent pool, meaning it can hire the best people to help build on its success and drive the business forward.

Although there will be differences across an organization that has reached international scale, the world is smaller today than it was ten years ago, so customers in different countries have more and more things in common. As a result, enterprises can draw on these similarities to deliver a solution that solves a universal problem faced by customers around the world.

 

  1. What insights have you gained from being involved in several software and analytics businesses simultaneously, whether that be as an investor, advisor, or board member? 

I currently have over 25 years of experience in enterprise software and services. At present, I am fortunate to hold multiple roles across several software and data analytics businesses. I am President and Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of Time is Ltd., a productivity analytics company which seeks to create a new market for analyzing how organizations operate and collaborate. I am also investor and advisor to several other software companies, and I have recently taken on the role of board member at Sinequa, a leader in enterprise search.

My key takeaway from the varied experience I have had throughout my career is that the organization, management, leveraging, and protection of data is the lifeblood of most companies. It is the effectiveness of data management that determines a company’s level of success.

 

  1. What experience are you going to bring to your new role as board member at Sinequa and how will that shape your role? 

Sinequa is at an important stage in its growth as it seeks to accelerate its international expansion. The company achieved a strong performance last year, despite the circumstances of the pandemic. It increased its total customer billings by 30 percent and signed new logos across the globe, from global pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), to the second largest energy and power company in the world, Électricité de France (EDF).

I have been impressed by the company’s resilience, and there are hopes that there will be continued growth this year, so I will be looking to help build on its success in my new role. As a board member, I will be drawing on my experience of scaling enterprises to provide guidance and expertise on how to drive global growth, and a key part of this will involve building effective go to market strategies for new growth regions for the business.

 

spot_img

Explore more