Greetings, SaaS CFO Podcast listeners! In today's episode, we are thrilled to have Tom Hamer, the co-founder and CEO of Marqo, join us. Tom, who started his career as a software engineer at AWS and has been developing apps since he was just 14, shares his journey from his early beginnings to founding Marqo in 2022.  

Marqo offers an end-to-end vector search platform powered by the latest AI models, designed to revolutionize information retrieval. Tom discusses the unique qualities of Marqo , including its open-source and cloud platform offerings, and how it's being used by diverse industries from ecommerce to government.  

He also delves into their fast-paced growth, fundraising journey, and plans to scale further with a focus on customer success. Stick around for insights into their innovative approach and the exciting road ahead! 

Show Notes:  

00:00 Vector databases revolutionize information retrieval with AI. 

04:10 Marko powers e-commerce search and recommendations. 

08:08 Open source community with users and talent. 

11:55 Open source growth led to strong commercial interest. 

13:17 Open source accelerates growth and developer trust. 

16:22 Build connections, engage investors, gradually lead fundraising. 

19:52 Promoting Marqo AI on LinkedIn, appreciated. 

Links: 
 
SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/marqo-closes-12-5-million-in-series-a 

Tom Hamer’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-hamer-%F0%9F%A6%9B-04a6369b 

Marqo AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marqo-ai/ 

Marqo AI’s Website: https://marqo.ai/ 

To learn more about Ben check out the links below:

Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page

SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/

Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout

Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray