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My first interview with Shuo Wang, Co-Founder & CRO of Deel.
Shuo Wang, Co-Founder and CRO of Deel, shares how they built the fastest-growing SaaS company in history, reaching $1B ARR in just 5 years. The conversation covers Deel's global-first strategy, opening 100+ entities across 80 countries during COVID, their 'Deel Speed' culture focused on execution and problem-solving, and tactical insights on sales capacity modeling, hiring processes, and maintaining efficiency while scaling. Wang emphasizes the importance of being close to customers, solving real problems over chasing trends, and building repeatable systems through data-driven decision making.
Wang explains Deel's vision to enable global hiring and their strategy of establishing entities in 150+ countries. During COVID, they opened 100+ entities across 80 countries in one year despite government shutdowns, including a two-week sprint to open an entity in Hungary to secure a critical hire.
Wang breaks down Deel's analytical approach to sales, including capacity-based quota setting (6 meetings/day × 30 days × 60% conversion × 30% close rate = 22 logos/month). She shares tactics like emailing 100 prospects daily with 2% response rates and interviewing every YC batchmate to find product-market fit.
Wang and Alex personally handled all customer support in early days using Intercom, learning that workers depended on Deel for weekly rent payments. This direct customer contact revealed the critical importance of payment reliability and compliance, shaping Deel's product roadmap and mission.
COVID created a 'lifetime opportunity' as companies realized remote work enabled global hiring. Wang told the team this was their moment to execute, leading to hypergrowth. They took 20 meetings per day, worked 20-hour days, and quickly built support infrastructure to handle demand.
Deel's core culture of 'Deel Speed' focuses on fast execution and problem-solving. When bureaucracy crept in with management layers, they created 'Ghostbusters' - special project teams reporting directly to founders who identify inefficiencies across departments and solve problems without adding headcount.
Wang and Alex interviewed the first 400 employees personally (thousands of candidates total) to establish culture. They screen for 'default optimism' (happy people who see solutions not problems), curiosity, and problem-solving ability. 60-70% of first employees still at Deel with strong career progression.
Deel solved complex compliance challenges like enabling USD salary payments in countries with weak currencies (Argentina, Brazil). This required navigating local labor laws, obtaining special licenses and permits, giving clients competitive advantage in hiring top talent in those markets.
Deel's 17 products aren't a distraction but a series of solutions built from client feedback. Started with contractor payments, added EOR for full-time employees, then entity setup services when clients 'graduated' from Deel. Each product creates a new growth curve while serving the same mission.
Wang grew up in China with grandparents (doctors), moved to US at 16 not speaking English, got obsessed with math, studied mechanical engineering and robotics at MIT after car accident inspired interest in prosthetics. Built hardware company in Beijing (sold to iRobot), then started Deel wanting to build something global.
Wang emphasizes high risk tolerance but warns against chasing trends. Founders should focus on their vision and customer problems, not what's popular. Build long-term solutions with patience and belief. Her algorithm: understand problems deeply (not just solutions), stay focused on mission, and execute consistently.
The Fastest Growing SaaS Startup In History: $1M to $1B Revenue In 4 Years | Shuo Wang, Deel
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