Digitalization has been picking up significant momentum across countless industries for the last two decades. However, the recent global pandemic undeniably pushed things forward at a highly accelerated rate. Although businesses of all sizes can see the value in developing their online presence and utilizing fast-growing technologies, few of those businesses have the staff, skills, and resources to do so easily.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) sector has become an essential line of support in providing companies with the tools they need to succeed. In fact, according to Statista, the SaaS market is currently estimated to be worth $197 billion and is predicted to reach $232 billion by next year. It is also projected that by 2025, 85% of the software that organizations use will be via SaaS companies.
For business development and growth strategy expert Ankur Goel, the SaaS industry has been fruitful for innovation and leadership. In his own words, "I am passionate about scaling product led and SaaS businesses, and am experienced in leading high-performing teams that leverage data, insights and innovative technologies to drive business and revenue growth."
Getting Started at McKinsey & Co
Ankur was employed with McKinsey & Co for over six years. Although he started at an analyst level, he went on to work in a variety of positions and eventually took on the role of Senior Engagement Manager. Working with the leading global management consulting firm allowed him to get involved with a huge range of projects and technologies, making good use of the MS that he earned from Stanford University.
In addition to corporate strategy, supply chain redesign, and product development, Ankur became known for his particular expertise in operational transformations. He was key in many manufacturing and service-based businesses achieving scale and profitability, largely due to his ability to build operationally excellent teams with clear direction and delegation. One of his most significant projects was leading the strategic partnership between McKinsey and Afiniti, a technology firm that offers an intelligent pairing of callers and agents through applied AI. He developed their global Go-to-Market strategy, and it launched with great success.
Around 2012, Ankur decided that he needed to shake things up. He traveled back to his home country of India, taking a sabbatical from his company. It was incredibly eye-opening as he witnessed the myriad of ways that technology was creating evolution in even the most remote villages. Layering this experience on top of interning with the Planning Commission of India during his Stanford studies, Ankur felt deeply inspired to focus his career on more than just solving engineering problems - he wanted to tackle widespread systemic and societal problems that could have a much more significant impact. Eventually, this desire drove him to leave McKinsey to join the team at LinkedIn in 2017.
Finding Purpose at LinkedIn
LinkedIn was built with a very simple but clear mission: to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. For Ankur, this platform really resonated, as it did not discriminate by class or economic position and truly intended to help spread opportunity far and wide to all. He worked with the company for two and a half years as their Head of Business Operations for Global Customer Organization.
During this time, he worked with global cross-functional leaders across operations, sales, product, and engineering. He was responsible for developing long-term strategic plans for the company and quarterly performance monitoring, revenue improvement, and efficiency-improvement initiatives. It was a role in which he thrived, and the impact of his work was both tangible and fulfilling.
Ankur credits his confidence in problem-solving and strong collaboration skills to the prestigious exchange program he attended in France. He was the first of his family to travel abroad, and joining over 500 international students broadened his horizons immensely. He came to value his history and culture on a deeper level but also set his sights on continuing his studies in the US with a thirst for excellence on a global level. The seed has been planted.
Becoming a Changemaker at Confluent
Ankur left LinkedIn to join Confluent in 2019 as the Director of GTM Strategy and Operations. He shares the company's story: "Confluent provides a real-time data streaming platform that makes it easy for companies to connect apps, data systems, and entire organizations with real-time data flows and processing. The founders built the company out of LinkedIn, while trying to scale data infrastructure and created an open source software called 'Kafka'."
Although you may or may not be familiar with the company name, it is almost guaranteed that your life has brushed up against their technology. In our modern cloud-based economy, with tools and apps such as ride-sharing, bank fraud detection, and automotive sensor insights, Confluent's technology provides the foundation for many popular brands. The technology was even used to build applications that provided real-time information on vaccination status and infection proximity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Confluent has pioneered a fundamentally new category of data infrastructure focused on data in motion. Their cloud-native offering is the foundational platform for data in motion. It is designed to be the intelligent connective tissue that enables real-time data from multiple sources to constantly stream across the organization.
Since his original hiring, Ankur has since been promoted to Head of Business Operations and Strategy and, most recently, Head of Product-led Customer Growth GTM. He brings a unique vision and leadership style and recognizes that he is integral to creating something genuinely revolutionary. He led the company's transformation from on-premise to cloud, making it more versatile and accessible. He also led its shift from a subscription-based to a consumption-based GTM model, helping to instill more trust in customers who can more clearly recognize the value of their purchase.
Furthermore, during the four years that he's been with Confluent, Ankur helped scale the company to 6x in both revenue and employee size. He was also essential in enabling their transition from a private to a publicly traded company in 2021, making him one of the few experts in the industry who truly understand the consumption-based SaaS business model that allowed them to take this remarkable step.
Today, Confluent's technology is used by more than 100,000 organizations with over 5000 paying customers. Michelin, Walmart, Deutsche Bahn, and even the US Defense depend on Confluent's tools. For a man who dreamed of building a career that would positively impact a systemic and global level, it seems that Ankur has found his place as a leader with this incredible company.
