Rippling

How Rippling Achieved $350M ARR with Breakthrough HR & IT SaaS

February 22nd, 2025

Founded By

Parker Conrad

Monthly Revenue

$29.2M

Starting Costs

$10

Days To Build

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Days To Build

Year Started

2016

Customer

B2B

Founded By
Parker Conrad: Monthly Revenue
$29.2M: Starting Costs
$10

Days To Build
18: Founders
2: Profitable
Yes

Days To Build
18: Year Started
2016: Customer
B2B

Who is Parker Conrad?

Parker Conrad, co-founder and CEO of Rippling, is a seasoned entrepreneur who previously founded Zenefits. He is an Amherst College graduate with a background as a product leader at various companies, showcasing a deep understanding of the HR and tech space. Originating from the San Francisco Bay Area, Conrad is known for his resilience, having launched Rippling after a challenging period at Zenefits, marking a significant comeback in his entrepreneurial journey.

What problem does Rippling solve?

Rippling simplifies the complex and time-consuming administrative tasks of managing HR and IT systems by providing businesses with a unified platform to handle payroll, benefits, onboarding, and device management, sparing companies from juggling multiple disparate tools. This all-in-one approach addresses the headaches of software overload, ensuring smoother operations and integration, which is particularly crucial for fast-growing businesses that need to adapt quickly without being bogged down by administrative detours.

How did Parker come up with the idea for Rippling?

After leaving his role as CEO at Zenefits, Parker Conrad initially seemed ready to step away from the startup world. However, his brief departure didn't last long, as he observed the pressing need for an efficient, integrated HR solution based on firsthand insights from his Zenefits experience. Recognizing the complexities small businesses faced with dispersed HR and IT systems, Conrad saw an opportunity to streamline these processes into a single platform.

Collaborating with Prasanna Sankar, who shared a keen interest in this venture, they poured their energy into building Rippling. They took a calculated risk by heavily investing in the development of a robust product from the outset, understanding the essential needs unmet by existing market solutions. Their strategy involved substantial upfront development efforts and rigorous product refinement to ensure they could offer an all-encompassing suite of features, from payroll to IT management, tailored for fast-growing businesses.

Despite challenges typical of creating such a comprehensive solution, such as substantial initial investment and launching a minimum viable product that demanded high user value, Conrad's previous experience equipped him to navigate these hurdles. The motivation to solve real-world inefficiencies and his commitment to creating a platform that addressed overlooked market gaps were key drivers in Rippling's inception.

How did Parker Conrad build the initial version of Rippling?

Rippling built their initial product by investing $10 million into the development of a comprehensive minimum viable product (MVP) over 18 months. This significant financial commitment was required due to the complex nature of creating an all-in-one HR platform capable of handling tasks like payroll, benefits enrollment, and integration with popular software like Slack and Office 365. The effort involved a large team, with half of the company's 200 employees being engineers, focusing on creating a highly customizable system for fast-growing companies. Building the product was challenging due to the vast scope and the need to integrate multiple features seamlessly, but this commitment early on allowed Rippling to develop what Prasanna Sankar, their CTO, described as the clearest roadmap possible, ensuring that they met market needs with minimal surprises along the way.

What were the initial startup costs for Rippling?

Product Development: Rippling founders spent $10 million to build the minimum viable product (MVP).
Funding: The company raised $65 million with a goal to either reach $100 billion or fail.

What was the growth strategy for Rippling and how did they scale?

Outbound Sales

Rippling focused on developing a strong outbound sales strategy early in its growth phase. Rippling’s outbound strategy revolves around a partnership between their sales and marketing teams. Marketing plays a crucial role by identifying intent signals from across the web, such as users visiting the Rippling website or those engaging with review sites. With this intelligence, sales teams can reach out to potential customers at the right time, offering personalized solutions. This integration ensures that Rippling’s sales teams are not only reaching out to a wider audience but are also targeting them with precision.

Why it worked: By leveraging marketing insights, Rippling's sales team can directly target companies that show an interest or a possible need for their services. This strategic approach helps streamline the sales process and reduce wasted efforts on cold leads.

Cold Outreach and Email Marketing

Rippling’s initial growth stages heavily relied on cold outreach for customer acquisition, targeting specific executives like founders, CEOs, and CTOs. As Rippling matured, their email marketing strategies evolved to focus more on HR decision-makers to match their expanding suite of products.

Why it worked: This method allowed Rippling to strategically target key decision-makers directly, bypassing generic company contacts. By doing so, they ensured that the most relevant individuals received communication about Rippling's value, which often led to successful leads and conversions.

Partnerships and Collaborative Efforts

Rippling utilizes partnerships for extending their reach and increasing market penetration. Notably, they work with external players such as insurance brokers and IT admins, who can become valuable allies in promoting Rippling’s services to their own clients.

Why it worked: Partnerships can significantly amplify a company’s reach and credibility. By aligning with professionals who already have a trusted relationship with the target clientele, Rippling can capitalize on these networks to foster growth. This strategy not only expands Rippling's sales funnel but also enhances trust among potential customers due to endorsements by their existing service providers.

Strong Client Relationship Management

Rippling emphasizes maintaining robust relationships with potential and existing clients. Even when a deal falls through, they focus on relationship building, providing exceptional customer service to keep communication lines open for future opportunities.

Why it worked: Building solid client relationships ensures that even if a potential client does not initially convert, they may return when they are ready to make a purchasing decision. This approach also encourages satisfied customers to recommend Rippling to peers, thereby enhancing word-of-mouth marketing.

What's the pricing strategy for Rippling?

Rippling offers a modular pricing strategy starting at $35 per month plus $8 per employee per month, with additional components like benefits and IT sold as optional add-ons, allowing businesses to customize according to their needs.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Rippling?

Outbound Sales is Essential: Rippling learned the hard way that relying solely on inbound leads is not enough for sustainable growth. Building a strong outbound sales function should be prioritized early to maintain a healthy pipeline.
Increase Prices Until You Find Friction: It's crucial to find the right balance in pricing. Rippling realized that not increasing prices to the point of generating some resistance means you're leaving money on the table.
Partner Closely with Marketing: A seamless partnership between sales and marketing is vital. At Rippling, marketing helps identify potential leads and assists with messaging, which enhances the effectiveness of outbound efforts.
Kill with Kindness: Losing deals can hurt, but responding with gratitude and open communication ensures the door remains open for future opportunities. Rippling emphasizes maintaining good relations with potential customers even after a lost deal.
Embrace Multi-Product Flexibility: Offering a wide range of interconnected services allows Rippling to meet diverse customer needs and cross-sell effectively. This strategy helps adapt to different customer requirements and expand product usage over time.

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