GTM11 - Building, Scaling and Investing in HR Tech, with Chris Bruce, Co-Founder of Thomsons Online Benefits (now Darwin) and Pink Investment Club

It’s fair to say that Chris Bruce has had some interesting twists and turns in his career before he met his co-founder and created Thomson Online Benefits. In this podcast, Chris talks through the early days of the business, how they honed the value proposition and why they had to totally rebuild the tech for the next stage of growth. After some huge scaling, Chris describes how and why the business was acquired, and why he felt he had a duty to protect the amazing team he’d built and the culture they’d created. What’s impressive is just how many of the alumni have gone on to create the next generation of HR Tech, where Chris and his co-founder now spend their time to invest and nurture these new emerging companies. It’s great to hear a founder talk through the entire lifecycle of their company, and then talk about how they pay forward those experiences. A must listen for all Founders!

Highlights:
- The path for a Founder can take many forms
- How to rebuild your tech stack whilst scaling the revenue
- Going from the UK, to Europe, to the US to Global Fortune companies
- The emotions of selling your company and protecting its culture
- The importance of taking a break post company sale
- HR Tech and it’s move to the humanisation of work