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20VC: Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz on Raising $300M+ at a $17BN Valuation | Deel vs Rippling: WTF is Going On | Management Lessons from Ben Horowitz and Nik Storonsky | Deel's M&A Playbook: Lessons from 13 Acquisitions: What Works & What Doesn't

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

20VC: Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz on Raising $300M+ at a $17BN Valuation | Deel vs Rippling: WTF is Going On | Management Lessons from Ben Horowitz and Nik Storonsky | Deel's M&A Playbook: Lessons from 13 Acquisitions: What Works & What Doesn't

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

Oct 22

20VC: Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz on Raising $300M+ at a $17BN Valuation | Deel vs Rippling: WTF is Going On | Management Lessons from Ben Horowitz and Nik Storonsky | Deel's M&A Playbook: Lessons from 13 Acquisitions: What Works & What Doesn't

20VC: Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz on Raising $300M+ at a $17BN Valuation | Deel vs Rippling: WTF is Going On | Management Lessons from Ben Horowitz and Nik Storonsky | Deel's M&A Playbook: Lessons from 13 Acquisitions: What Works & What Doesn't

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

Oct 22

Overview Shownote Highlights Transcript Chapters Pins

Shownote

Alex Bouaziz is the Co-Founder and CEO @ Deel, the $17BN global payroll juggernaut that just last week announced their latest $300M fundraise led by Ribbit, a16z and Coatue. Deel has been on the most insane journey, they do $1BN+ in ARR, they just had thei...

Highlights

In this episode, Deel's CEO Alex Bouaziz pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of one of tech’s most successful global payroll platforms, now valued at $17 billion. The conversation dives into leadership philosophy, strategic growth through acquisitions, and the long-term vision behind building a profitable, scalable company in a competitive landscape.

06:28

Deel reached a $100M revenue month in September and is profitable.

14:03

Being hands-on helps spot organizational gaps and shape company culture.

26:44

Ben Horowitz believes most CMOs are not good and should have an engineering mindset.

33:02

AI will most impact Deel's operations by automating manual tasks in customer service and compliance.

39:11

60% of revenue comes from cross-sell and expansion.

44:48

Deel can launch an acquired product in two months with rebuilt front-end and integrated sales

52:48

Not all acquisitions worked; the ones that failed were 'why not?' instead of 'hell yeah'.

55:45

Profitability makes Deel a trusted long-term partner for customers.

1:01:37

I see myself as a wartime CEO who enjoys fighting for better product outcomes.

Chapters

Deel's $17B Valuation and Profitability Reveal

00:00

Announcing $300M Fundraise at a $17BN Valuation

03:38

Rippling vs Deel: WTF is Going On? Where is the Lawsuit?

06:24

Why 1-1s Are BS and Leaders Should Stop Doing Them

14:01

Do Rich Leaders Make Better Leaders

17:31

Biggest Lesson from Ben Horowitz? Why Most CMOs Are Bad?

28:33

Lessons from Nik @ Revolut and Why Companies Need to Make Their Own Software

34:48

Deel’s Acquisition Playbook: Lessons from 13 Acquisitions

42:23

How to Price Acquisitions? How to Align Incentives with Founders?

45:17

Deel is Profitable and Growing Fast: When is the IPO?

55:45

Best Acquisition Ever + Worst Ever: What Did We Learn?

1:01:35

Transcript

Alex Bouaziz: I feel pretty confident that the same way we've been winning in the marketplace, we'll win in the court of law. So it's just, we just need to play it out. I think I'm in constant wartime, sadly. As well, that September was our first 100 milli...