Clay co-founder on finding PMF, 10x hyper-growth, commitment in life + career, & more

This Week in Finance Tech

Click here to watch a video of this episode.
In this episode of the Operators Only podcast, we sat down with Varun Anand, co-founder and head of ops at Clay, to discuss:

• His unconventional journey from political campaigns to tech startups
• The story of how he joined Clay, from advisor to co-founder
• Building and scaling Clay's unique go-to-market strategy
• Creating tight feedback loops in product development and team structure
• Clay's approach to hiring and building a culture of creativity and focus
• Balancing a high-stress startup life with personal relationships
• The importance of commitment and specialization in business and life
• Insights on trust-building and conflict resolution in professional partnerships

Varun shares his experiences working on Hillary Clinton's campaign, his instinct-driven approach to business, and how Clay is redefining B2B SaaS with its innovative product and culture. This episode offers valuable insights for founders, operators, and anyone interested in the inner workings of fast-growing tech startups.

CHAPTERS:

(00:00:00) Teaser
(00:00:54) About the Episode
(00:02:23) Introduction and Background
(00:03:59) Working for Hillary Clinton
(00:05:22) Joining Clay as Advisor
(00:06:33) Early Days at Clay
(00:08:45) Building Clay's Go-to-Market Strategy
(00:15:04) Clay's Growth and Evolution
(00:19:17) Becoming Co-Founder at Clay
(00:37:07) Balancing Work and Personal Life
(00:49:01) Sponsors: Outro

SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://www.operatorsonly.fm/

Twitter (Host): https://twitter.com/andrew__rea

Twitter (Co-Host): https://x.com/ramshe1000

LinkedIn (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrea1996/

LinkedIn (Co-Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/rameel-sheikh-051246a3/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Operators_Only

PRODUCED BY:

https://aipodcast.ing