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Interview with MuleSoft Founder and CTO, Ross Mason at SaaStr Europa

At the first SaaStr Europa, Harry Stebbings sat down with MuleSoft Founder and CTO Ross Mason to discuss the organization’s sales strategy, building a strong company culture, how to think about international expansion, and much more. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the event’s most popular sessions — and now, even if you weren’t with us in Paris, you can experience it all for yourself!

See everyone at SaaStr Europa 2024 on June 4-5 in LONDON!!

Check out the full video and transcript below:

Transcript:

Harry Stebbings: Tell me about the founding story of MuleSoft.

Ross Mason: MuleSoft works across many enterprises connecting applications, data, and devices. It came from pretty humble beginnings, making it easier for developers to connect things together.

Harry Stebbings: How has the industry evolved in your view?

Ross Mason: The biggest evolution is the understanding that software in a silo isn’t working for businesses. Cloud, APIs, and AI have been pivotal trends driving IT transformation.

Harry Stebbings: Should founders focus on quantity or quality of logos?

Ross Mason: We went with quality, targeting customers like HSBC and McDonald’s for large transformations based on the complexity of the problem we solve.

Harry Stebbings: What advice do you have for onboarding mega-corporates?

Ross Mason: Focus on presenting a strong vision and mission that customers can get behind, leading them down the path to transformation.

Harry Stebbings: What is good selling methodology to you?

Ross Mason: Good selling is about exceeding customer expectations, respecting their time, and challenging them with a provocative point of view.

Harry Stebbings: How would you advise founders struggling to close large accounts?

Ross Mason: Measure performance metrics throughout the sales cycle to understand what’s working and what’s not, especially in long feedback cycles.

Harry Stebbings: How have you seen the sales organization evolve as the business scaled?

Ross Mason: In the beginning, it was all me, but as the company scaled, we focused on creating reusable building blocks and challenging customers with thought leadership to drive efficiency.

Harry Stebbings: What is the key to scaling culture as you have done with MuleSoft?

Ross Mason: Maniacal focus on culture, hiring the right people, and retaining top talent have been essential in scaling the company’s culture.

Harry Stebbings: What makes a great board member?

Ross Mason: A great board member turns up on time, puts away their phone, and contributes valuable insights, whether operational, connector, or market-focused.

Harry Stebbings: What would you advise a European founder looking to scale like MuleSoft?

Ross Mason: Understand the different business model triggers in Europe, focus on dominating one market segment before expanding, and be prescriptive in your approach to growth.

Harry Stebbings: What’s in the roadmap for MuleSoft in the next five years?

Ross Mason: MuleSoft, part of Salesforce, aims to be the foundation of the integration cloud, enabling self-service capabilities in IT without compromising backend systems to drive innovation.