GoKawiilDatabricks co-founder details enterprise sales lessons from early growth
Arsalan Tavakoli-Shiraji, Databricks co-founder and SVP of field engineering, told TechCrunch Disrupt attendees that strong technology alone did not win enterprise deals in the company's early years. He described failed meetings, including one with UBS, and said partnering with Microsoft as an Azure cloud partner let Microsoft's sales team book meetings and advocate for Databricks under Microsoft's own contract terms.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The account suggests that smaller vendors can gain credibility and access to enterprise buyers by aligning with established cloud providers rather than relying purely on product quality. It also implies that legal, contractual, and security preparedness can be as decisive as technical capability when closing large deals, according to Tavakoli-Shiraji's own experience.
- Databricks, now valued at $190 billion, once struggled to land enterprise meetings as a startup.
- Partnering with Microsoft as an Azure cloud partner helped Databricks access enterprise clients like UBS.
- Tavakoli-Shiraji says people, processes, and readiness for legal/security scrutiny matter as much as technology.
Source: techcrunch.com — Julie Bort, 2026-10-26
Published there as: “Databricks co-founder shares his secrets for winning big enterprises customers”
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