In this month’s edition of Tech-for-Good, we are THRILLED to announce that one of our incredible clients has been acquired!
FigBytes, an all-in-one sustainability platform, has been acquired by Irish environmental solutions company, Advanced Manufacturing Control Systems (AMCS).
About FigBytes
FigBytes was co-founded by Ted Dhillon and Sonam Devgan in 2014 in response to their first-hand experiences witnessing the devastating impacts of the global climate crisis. They saw enterprise organizations and governments moving towards corporate social responsibility, but tracking and quantification were lacking. FigBytes was the solution. Their software platform helps companies track and report on ESG reporting targets in areas like carbon accounting, supply chain activities, and more.
Our Partnership Origin Story
It’s a bit unique - our own founder, Kristina and Sonam are neighbours! Casual drive-way chats about Sonam’s quickly growing startup eventually led to a more formal conversation about the key leaders he and Ted would need to scale quickly and sustainably. Ted and Sonam were wearing all of the hats and it was time to hand a few of them off.
Partnership Case Study
In the fall of 2020, we conducted two critical searches in parallel: VP Sales and VP Marketing, followed shortly after by a search for a VP Customer Experience.
VP Sales (first sales leader)
Ted and Sonam needed a player-coach. Someone who could still be a hands-on seller while also determining a strong and repeatable sales process and, eventually, building a team.
Jean Aouad was “the one.” He’d spent 5 years at a US-based FigBytes competitor and knew the sustainability domain. He was still quota-carrying while simultaneously scaling a global division from scratch to 25+ people.
VP Marketing (first marketing leader)
Ted and Sonam needed a marketing leader to make FigBytes a recognizable company. About to undergo a rebrand, they needed someone to take on all things brand and messaging, while also taking on lead generation and partnering closely with sales. Again, we needed a player-coach who could jump back and forth between strategy and tactical work seamlessly.
Lyndsay Deckert knew the domain and was a skilled enterprise B2B marketer with a background in product marketing, data, content and brand. She and Jean had worked together previously and already had a strong partnership. It was a unique way to de-risk these first two hires. The relationship between sales and marketing is critical, and Lyndsay and Jean already knew how to work well together.
VP Customer Experience
Customer experience was one of the first teams to scale at FigBytes. A strong team of 6 was already in place when we started the search. They needed a leader to bring structure to their customer experience organization and determine how it should scale, all while being front and centre with enterprise customers from pre-close through to renewal.
Selin Jessani had already helped grow a company adjacent in domain experience from 35 to 500+ employees. She’d started in implementation and onboarding before her management purview expanded to include support, success, renewal and onboarding…essentially, anything a customer touched. She missed the early days of scaling, which made FigBytes a perfect fit!
In the spring of 2021, as FigBytes raised its Series A, we began to round out the rest of the org chart. First, with a Senior Manager, HR, and then a Fractional CFO.
Senior Manager, HR
FigBytes needed HR hire number one. Someone who could tactically develop HR policies and programs from scratch while strategically planning and implementing talent management practices, employee relations, organizational development, recruitment, and more.
Kaitlyn Buse was accustomed to being the only HR person reporting to a CEO, and so she understood the meaning of ‘fast pace’. She balanced FigBytes’s need for administration and strategic HR efforts. Plus, her passion for creating a people-focused organization was clear right from the start. She’s now the Director of HR!
Fractional CFO
FigBytes needed a process-heavy B2B SaaS finance leader to ensure they were managing funds, sales compensation, budgets (and more) the right way.
Darren Anderson was already supporting multiple high-growth tech startups and had successfully helped multiple companies prove results for their next raise. His preference for working with founders and early management teams made him a great fit and he eventually transitioned into a full-time CFO at FigBytes!
We are thrilled and proud to say that all of these leaders, along with Ted and Sonam and the rest of the incredible “Figgies,” brought FigBytes to a successful acquisition. We can’t wait to see where their journeys take them next.
In conclusion...
At Artemis, this is our ‘why:’ partnering with companies motivated by a mission and then helping them build the teams necessary to realize that mission. We’ve loved cheering this incredible team on from the sidelines. They are good humans and excellent leaders who came together to build a successful tech company that makes the world a better place.
And so, as we close out this special edition of tech-for-good, we want to thank Ted, Sonam, Jean, Lyndsay, Selin, Kaitlyn and Darren for their ongoing trust and partnership. It’s been quite the ride!
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Artemis Canada is a boutique executive search firm specializing in placing top talent in the tech sector across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Our team of experienced recruiters has a proven track record of finding exceptional candidates for a variety of roles, from C-suite positions to high-demand individual contributors. For more information on our services, please visit our website at https://www.artemiscanada.com/