Uncovering the Enduring DNA of Zuora: Zuora’s Rise from Startup to Unicorn Required a Deep Understanding of Who They Were

Like many start-ups, Zuora began as a small team where communication was organic and personal and the synthesis of ideas to action occurred quickly. As it grew to over 200 employees and a full management team, differing perspectives on the company’s strategic goals began to translate into varying and disconnected approaches to operational responsibilities. Zuora was going through growing pains: everyone was working hard but not necessarily moving in the same direction.

When we were smaller, the DNA of the company simply flowed from me, since I could reach everyone. But when the organization passes a certain threshold, that's no longer possible. VMCL was invaluable for me to create structures and concepts that allow 1000 employees to come together every day without a strong central control function.

Zuora contacted us hoping that our VMCL systems leadership framework (Vision, Mission, Capacity, Learning) could help them to: (a) get more clarity around its vision and mission, (b) get everyone in the organization “reading off the same map” and (c) clarify its organizational capacity and learning systems. Zuora could see the future of their expansion, and they sought to resolve the tension between their increasing headcount and the scrappy start-up attributes of speed and adaptivity.