Aligned is a company that focuses on accelerating and streamlining B2B buyer-seller collaboration and recently raised $5.8 million in a seed round of funding. To learn more about the company Pulse 2.0 interviewed Aligned founders Gal Aga (CEO); Gal Deitsch (CPO); and Yotam Sela (CTO).
Background Of The Founders
— Gal Aga (CEO & co-founder) comes from a track record of sales and RevOps leadership in various startup giants (Sisense, Syte, and others).
— Gal Deitsch (CPO & co-founder) comes from sales leadership roles in startup giants (Syte, Yotpo, and others).
— Yotam Sela (CTO & co-founder) comes from a proven track record of software engineering and led engineering and development teams in various companies.
Formation Of Aligned
How did the idea for Aligned come together? The idea for Aligned came together as a result of the founders’ shared experience and vision for a better way of doing B2B sales.
“I managed a sales department and saw firsthand the complexity and messiness of the process. I experienced the frustrations that came from dealing with multiple and hidden stakeholders, countless emails, threads, and too many channels of communication. I saw that buyers and sellers were lost in a sea of information and processes, and saw an opportunity to create a better way.”
— Gal Deitsch, co-founder & Chief Product Officer at Aligned
“I teamed up with Yotam, who comes from a tech background but had always been driven to make a positive impact in areas that need attention. As I learned more about the sales process, I realized the potential to create something big and meaningful. I recognized that the current sales process was outdated and inefficient, and I saw an opportunity to use technology to make a positive impact.”
— Yotam Sela, co-founder & Chief Technology Officer
Together, Gal Deitsch and Yotam Sela added Gal Aga as a third co-founder and CEO, who also comes from a sales leadership background. Gal Aga saw that these modern times presented a game-changing opportunity to do what companies like Slack and Zoom did to the way we connect, which is to make buying and selling more enjoyable and impactful for both sides.
In summary, the idea for Aligned came together due to a result of the founders’ shared experience and vision for a better way of doing B2B sales. And they recognized that the traditional sales process was outdated and inefficient, and saw an opportunity to use technology to make a positive impact.
The founders’ diverse backgrounds and experiences have allowed them to create a platform that truly meets the needs of B2B buyers and sellers, and they are committed to continuing to innovate and evolve the platform to meet the changing needs of the industry.
Favorite Memory Working For Aligned So Far
“One of my favorite moments is when I started to receive calls from our first clients, inquiring about an option to invest in the company. I knew then we had something extremely useful and unique going.”
— Gal Deitsch
Macroeconomic Climate
I asked the Aligned founders whether the tough macroeconomic climate is having an impact on the company
“The truth is that the economic downturn is actually helping us. Our product enables the sales team to close deals faster. Aligned shortens the deal cycle by 25-30%, and that’s what everyone is looking for – to be more efficient and have better ROI,” Aga acknowledged.
Core Products
What are Aligned’s core products and features?
“First and foremost, Aligned is proud to be the first and only network that is fully focused on improving the customer journey. Our platform is designed to make buying and selling more enjoyable and impactful for both sides, ensuring that all parties involved benefit from greater credibility and network effects. One of the innovative features that we have embedded into our platform is deal analytics. Our analytics provide unprecedented insights into the buyer journey, based on the activity and time spent in the shared ‘rooms’ by key stakeholders. This helps our clients better understand buyer intent and identify potential risks, enabling them to make informed decisions that lead to successful deals.”
— Yotam Sela
“Our shared “rooms” provide a collaborative space for sellers and buyers to share content, coordinate next steps and timelines, and build and sign proposals. This feature allows sales teams to work more efficiently and effectively, providing them with a single platform to manage all aspects of the sales process. It’s important to note that the Aligned platform caters to both internal and external use, benefiting all parties in the B2B selling and buying process. Our platform is designed to make the process of buying and selling as seamless and enjoyable as possible, allowing our clients to focus on what they do best. At Aligned, we are committed to providing our clients with the best possible buying and selling experience. Our platform is designed with the needs of our clients in mind, and we are proud to offer innovative features that set us apart in the B2B buying and selling space.”
— Gal Deitch
Evolution Of Aligned’s Technology
How has Aligned’s technology evolved since launching?
“Since launching, Aligned’s technology has evolved significantly to meet the changing needs of our clients and the marketplace. One of the most significant developments has been the embedding of even more innovative deal analytics and working on integrating platforms like Hubspot, Gong, Salesforce, Loom, and others, into the platform. Aligned is committed to constantly delivering more features based on client feedback, ensuring that our platform remains relevant and meets the changing needs of our clients. This has led to the development of more integrations, providing our clients with seamless access to the tools that can help them succeed.
We have also focused on creating an easier interface that is intuitive and user-friendly. One way this has been achieved is through the use of slicker templates that make it easier for our clients to manage all aspects of the sales process, from creating Mutual Action Plans to closing deals. These developments reflect our commitment to providing our clients with the best possible buying and selling experience, and we will continue to innovate and evolve our technology to meet their changing needs.”
— Gal Deitsch
Biggest Milestones
What have been some of Aligned’s most significant milestones?
“Raising our seed round ($5.8 million) from notable investors like Hetz Ventures and NFX. Our first clients, reaching 5,000 users, recruiting our first employee, our first news coverage, our first paying customer. So many milestones, I feel. It seems like everyday there’s another milestone that is exciting and challenging.”
— Gal Aga
Funding/Revenue Model
As mentioned earlier, the company raised $5.8 million in a seed round of funding. The founding round was led by Hetz Ventures and NFX, with participation from global strategic sales leaders and angel investors.
“Our model is subscription-based – every user can open up to 3 ‘digital rooms’ for free, no credit card needed, no trial period. Beyond that, we have the basic, pro and enterprise subscriptions, with different tiers, for different needs.”
— Gal Aga
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates Aligned from its competition?
“Well, our clients rave about our ease of use and time saving templates. We have analytics no one else has, and we’re proud to see we can provide never seen before sales insights. Our User Interface beats all competitors, our product is simple and fast to deploy, use and get value from. We have a solution that covers all of the deal cycle, from the first phone call to the continuous customer success efforts. All of these are major differentiators.”
— Gal Deitsch
Future Company Goals
What are some of Aligned’s future company goals? The team has been constantly looking towards the future and setting new goals to ensure that we stay at the forefront of the B2B selling industry. Some of the key future company goals include:
— Growing the size of the company – Aligned wants to be the biggest and best in their category: They believe that there is significant potential for growth in the B2B selling space, and they are focused on expanding reach to new clients and verticals, while also deepening the relationships with existing clients.
— Completely changing the way B2B selling is done – The company believes that the traditional B2B selling model is outdated and no longer effective, and they are committed to completely changing the way that B2B selling is done. Plus the company believes that the innovative platform has the potential to revolutionize the industry, and they are working hard to make this a reality.
— Making Aligned the best and largest platform for B2B deals – The company is dedicated to providing clients with the best possible buying and selling experience, and they believe that Aligned has the potential to become the go-to platform for all B2B selling needs. Plus the company is focused on expanding the platform and adding new features and integrations to make it the most comprehensive and effective platform for B2B selling.
“Overall, our future company goals are ambitious, but we believe that we have the vision, the team, and the technology to achieve them,” the team concluded.
