Particle
Industry Cloud
Growth
Particle
Particle
Particle

Tagline

Reprogram the world

Team

Zach Supalla, CEO

Location

San Francisco, CA

Partnered

2016

Status

Active

Exited

Bonfire Lead

Company description

Particle provides an integrated IoT Platform-as-a-Service that helps businesses connect, manage, and deploy software applications to connected devices - from edge to cloud and back. Our expertise goes beyond world-class technology - enabling next-generation business intelligence, insights, and expert customer support - to make sure IoT projects succeed and you can build the business of tomorrow, today.

Why solve this problem?

We want to make it possible for any company to build intelligent and interactive connected machines that generate unprecedented insights, transforming manufacturing businesses into the next wave of digital innovators.

Hardest thing about being a founder?

The weight of the world is on your shoulders and that feeling never goes away no matter how long you play this game.

Biggest piece of advice for aspiring founders?

I think that there are a lot of folks out in the world who would make great founders but never make the leap because inertia keeps them from leaving their company or breaking out on their own. So my biggest advice to aspiring founders is Just Do It, Take the Leap. If you find yourself on the precipice, no one is going to push you - you have to take the leap on your own. Take The Leap.

Most exciting moment so far?

Hosting our first user conference, Spectra, a few years back. So much of our business is online these days and we rarely have an opportunity to meet our customers in person, so having the opportunity to pull a couple hundred of our customers together and see everyone in the flesh was a spectacular experience.

Why did you choose Bonfire?

Deep expertise in B2B SaaS, which was a great complement to some of our other investors that were more on the hardware/industrial side. Jim and team have proven themselves to be extremely supportive, helpful investors.

What’s it like to work with Bonfire?

A little while back, I was working with my sales leader on figuring out what sales methodology we should follow. I felt like I didn’t have enough background to participate meaningfully in the conversation so I ended up getting on the phone with Brett, who gave me an hour-long rundown of all the top sales methodologies as well as pros and cons to each approach and advised me on what might fit for Particle. It armed me with enough info to have a good conversation with our VP of sales and ended up significantly influencing how we sell to our customers.

Favorite book, useful tool or app?

What You Do is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz