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She’s Building A No-Code CRM And Workflow Automation Empire
In 2016, Svetlana Kostereva decided to leave her job at Oracle and start a new venture that would change the way businesses operate. She founded Creatio, an innovative no-code CRM and workflow automation platform. Her bold decision to bootstrap the company proved successful, laying a solid foundation for future growth.
Creatio eventually raised $68 million four years ago and followed up with an additional $200 million in June 2024, propelling its valuation to $1.2 billion. “We couldn’t be more impressed with the company’s growth and the impact that Creatio’s platform brings to its customer community,” said Sean Cantwell, Managing Partner at Volition Capital and a Creatio investor. “Creatio addresses the complexity and inflexibility of traditional software vendors and enables organizations to seamlessly replace legacy technologies, delivering market-leading ROI.”
Kostereva’s decision to bootstrap led her through what she describes as the most challenging period in Creatio’s journey. Bootstrapping meant operating with limited resources and relying on profits to fuel development, which required immense discipline, frugality, and a laser focus on delivering value to early adopters.
This phase demanded countless hours of trial and error, navigating a landscape where no-code workflow automation and CRM were still nascent concepts. The challenge lay in building a powerful platform that allowed businesses to build custom solutions without coding and identifying their ideal customer’s specific needs and pain points.
Kostereva had to persevere through doubts, setbacks, and the constant temptation to take the easier route of external funding. It tested her leadership, vision, and commitment to building a sustainable business that could transform companies’ operations. Ultimately, this bootstrapping phase forged a strong foundation for Creatio.
Source: www.forbes.com