Karthik Chakkarapani
The Neon Show
How Startups Can Sell to Big Companies Ft. Karthik Chakkarapani, Zuora
- Published
- November 27, 2025
- Duration
- 1h 2m
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Aug 23, 2026
Discusses If you’re a startup selling to enterprises, understanding how a CIO discovers and evaluates you can …
Summary
If you’re a startup selling to enterprises, understanding how a CIO discovers and evaluates you can change everything. Most founders believe that cold emails and polished decks drive attention, but Karthik Chakkarapani, CIO of Zuora shares that nearly 80% of the startups he evaluates are found through outbound - while researching solutions, through peers,…
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Show notes
If you’re a startup selling to enterprises, understanding how a CIO discovers and evaluates you can change everything. Most founders believe that cold emails and polished decks drive attention, but Karthik Chakkarapani, CIO of Zuora shares that nearly 80% of the startups he evaluates are found through outbound - while researching solutions, through peers, or even on LinkedIn. For many startups, this alone can reshape how they think about go-to-market.How does an enterprise decide whether to buy