Startup companies are on a continual mission to create, define and own the category in which they operate within, Riddhiman Das noted, and to do so — startup founders must build a proficient team.
“If you’re not the category-defining company, then it’s not as big a win. Categories are typically defined at the global level, so you need extremely smart and capable people who can attack a global market on your team,” said Das, the co-founder and CEO of TripleBlind.
Greg Storm and Riddhiman Das, co-founders of TripleBlind
Click here to read more about TripleBlind, one of Startland News’ Startups to Watch in 2021.
In his previous startup ventures, Das recalled being able to regularly travel across the globe for business trips; because of the pandemic, it’s not as easy for one person to physically connect with the global market, so he has built a team that can share that responsibility.
“We’ve hired all around the world,” he said, noting that TripleBlind has more than doubled its team in the past year with 35-plus employees located across 17 U.S. states and several countries.
Although TripleBlind’s team is spread internationally, its leadership has provided quarterly on-site opportunities in Kansas City, Das added.
“Typically we meet [on-site] for two to three days; we present an update of where the company’s at, and then do specific breakout sessions per department and team-building events,” Das explained. “We found that to be a very powerful way to build team culture in the remote world that we live in now.”
Building a team that is skilled and diverse in thought is one of the most important tasks a CEO should accomplish, Das said.
“If all of your company has come from the exact same set of experiences, you risk groupthink — which is detrimental to a startup,” Das shared. “So from that perspective, we’ve got folks who have come from larger companies, small companies, IT or clinical product companies. It allows for vigorous discussions from different perspectives.
“… Everybody at TripleBlind is better than me — I’m very proud of the fact that it’s not an echo chamber,” he continued. “It’s a group of people who are highly capable and have done this before; and I get to work with them.”
Next stage of growth
Already providing solutions in the healthcare and financial fields, TripleBlind is getting ready to push a third solution in an unannounced field, Das teased.
“We’re getting pulled into a very large market; we’re excited about 2022 being the year we get to enter that market,” he said.
Click here to read about TripleBlind’s oversubscribed Series A funding round, led by Mayo Clinic.
As TripleBlind’s market reach expands, the team is also set to grow, Das said — noting that they are actively hiring for several positions.
“Part of what 2022 will be is us bringing on deeper domain-based experts into the company to propel us forward. For example, we’ll hire people who have specific expertise in healthcare or financial services,” Das said. “I would selfishly love for a lot of them to be Kansas City or Midwestern folks, but we’re looking all around the country and world.”
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
