{"podcast":{"title":"Hunters and Unicorns","slug":"hunters-and-unicorns-1378689","podcast_index_feed_id":1378689,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/huntersandunicorns/feed.xml","website_url":"https://huntersandunicorns.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/9005185/hu_podbean_logo_1600bfjow.png","author":"huntersandunicorns","episode_count":100,"summary":"Introducing ’Hunters and Unicorns’ – Your Gateway to Tech Leadership Insights! Are you hungry for the inside scoop on what it takes to lead in the dynamic world of technology? Look no further than our celebrated interview series, ’Hunters and Unicorns’! Join us as we dive deep into the journeys of the trailblazers who are shaping the future of the tech landscape. 🎙️ Unveil the Playbooks of Tech Titans! 🚀 Revealing strategies of tech leaders driving growth. 🔍 Dive into pivotal past experiences. 🌐 1M+ global downloads – a community of tech enthusiasts. 🎯 Insights from thought leaders, entrepreneurs, execs. 🔥 Ignite innovation, leadership, extraordinary achievements. 🦄🎉 Subscribe for transformative tech insights!","last_synced_at":"2026-06-18T00:17:43.678058+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hunters-and-unicorns-1378689"},"episode":{"title":"Stop Being Nice, Start Being Kind: The Cultural Shift That Built Kong","slug":"stop-being-nice-start-being-kind-the-cultural-shift-that-built-kong","published_at":"2026-01-14T14:54:03+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hunters-and-unicorns-1378689/stop-being-nice-start-being-kind-the-cultural-shift-that-built-kong","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hunters-and-unicorns-1378689","url":"https://huntersandunicorns.podbean.com/e/stop-being-nice-start-being-kind-the-cultural-shift-that-built-kong/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/244vyxt357m9gkb4/Hunters_VEGAS_25_Carl_M_audio8wwqt.mp3","summary":"In this episode, we sit down with Carl Mattsson, VP & GM EMEA at Kong, to discuss one of the most remarkable scaling journeys in the industry. Carl joined Kong when it was at just $1M ARR in the EMEA market and has since spearheaded its growth to nearly $100M ARR. We explore the unique sales principles that shaped the organization, the \"heart surrounded by science\" culture, and how Carl navigated the transition from a single-product company to a dominant AI-governance platform. Carl also shares the incredible story of a founder’s personal commitment that kept him at the company during a critical turning point. 🙌 Thanks To Our Sponsor! Aurasell AI: https://www.aurasell.ai 🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 - intro 02:30 - Joining Kong at $1M ARR 04:34 - Pivoting from Family to Team Culture 07:42 - Hiring for Character over Industry Experience 17:22 - The Open Source to Enterprise Transition 22:31 - The Pasta Story: A Founder's Commitment 31:46 - Kong’s Role as the AI Governance Layer 50:39 - Scaling Careers in 4-Year Increments 💥 3 Biggest Lessons: Hire Character, Teach Technology: In the early stages of a high-growth startup, it is more effective to hire for sales character and drive than for specific industry knowledge. Carl emphasizes that while API technology can be taught, the innate curiosity and grit required to traverse from developers to the C-suite cannot be coached. Heart Surrounded by Science: While many elite sales organizations focus 99% on \"science\" (metrics and process), Carl advocates for a culture of kindness over niceness. This means having the \"heart\" to challenge each other uncomfortably and care for the human, while using \"science\" to provide the repeatable structure needed for scale. The \"Because Of\" Journey: Carl encourages leaders and reps to seek o…","meta_description":"In this episode, we sit down with Carl Mattsson, VP & GM EMEA at Kong, to discuss one of the most remarkable scaling journeys in the industry. Carl jo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3212,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hunters-and-unicorns-1378689/episodes/stop-being-nice-start-being-kind-the-cultural-shift-that-built-kong/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hunters-and-unicorns-1378689/stop-being-nice-start-being-kind-the-cultural-shift-that-built-kong.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}