Lara Caimi, Samsara

This season will feature conversations with key decision-makers who have to support the journey to a platform or any ecosystem. We will talk to C-suite executives, board members, investors, and others who must be brought into the platform journey. 

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In this episode, Avanish speaks with Lara Caimi, President of Worldwide Field Operations at Samsara. Lara brings nearly 25 years of experience to Samsara, where she is responsible for leading Sales and Customer Outcomes.

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Lara and Avanish discuss:

• The four distinct phases of software company growth and what each requires - from finding product-market fit ($0-100M) to demonstrating platform vision ($100M-1B) to scaling enterprise deals ($1B-5B)
• The critical importance of not neglecting your core business while scaling - how ServiceNow used tiered pricing models to continue monetizing their core products
• Why platform and ecosystem strategies are "two sides of the coin" but must be tailored to each company's specific situation - there is no one-size-fits-all approach
• The "win-win-win equation" that must exist for successful partnerships - creating value for customers, partners, and your company
• Creating cultural alignment around ecosystem strategy - including Dave Schneider's innovative approach of inviting partners to ServiceNow's sales kickoff
• How to avoid "throwing money against the wall" with partnerships that lack strategic foundation
• Building unfair advantages at scale through customer relationships, installed base data, and continuous innovation to stay ahead of imitators

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