One.io

Yossi Berger founded One.io in 2011 to solve a critical problem he saw in enterprise IT: large organizations needed to integrate tools and processes across departments like customer service, HR, and finance, but couldn't afford the massive MuleSoft or enterprise-grade integration platforms. These business support functions had tight budgets and lacked the technical resources to build custom integrations. One.io positioned itself as the affordable, approachable alternative for automating integration delivery and management.

For years, the company operated with a traditional channel model, partnering with large enterprises like Fujitsu to distribute the product. However, Berger realized that approach had fundamental flaws: when channel partners represented a relatively small portion of their business, they didn't prioritize One.io customers. By the time of this interview, the company had shifted to a hybrid direct-sales and digital-first model, allowing them to maintain control of customer relationships while still leveraging channel partners at a 30% first-year commission and 10% for years two and three.

The results speak for themselves. One.io grew to 65 customers generating approximately $250,000 in MRR (nearly $3M ARR) with an average revenue per account of $45,000 annually. Real customers included Adidas and Schindler, using the platform to integrate systems like Salesforce for customer service requests and connect external suppliers to centralized IT infrastructure. The sales organization grew to 6 quota-carrying reps under a strong VP of Sales, supported by a 32-person team (including 15-20 engineers and product/R&D staff).

The unit economics looked strong: customer acquisition cost averaged $67,000, but with a payback period of 14-15 months and an LTV/CAC ratio of 3.9x, the model was sustainable. Net revenue retention hit an impressive 102% (negative 2% churn), indicating solid expansion revenue. However, with monthly burn of $80,000 against roughly $300,000-400,000 in bank reserves, the company had 4-6 months of runway.

In early 2020 as the pandemic emerged, Berger was actively fundraising for a Series A—targeting $6M at a 20-25M pre-money valuation that he expected would need to be revised downward. With VCs still actively deploying capital despite market turmoil, discussions were ongoing. To extend runway, he identified immediate cost cuts: eliminating trade shows and reducing travel. Personnel reductions would take longer due to Nordic labor laws. He had support from existing investor Inventure, a Nordic VC firm that had backed the first $1.4M raised to date.