Dialpad's CEO Is Racing Past Tech Giants With A Gumball Rally Lesson

Start-up CEOs sometimes juggle their company vision to match their competition if the competition changes their roadmap. Craig Walker, CEO of the $2.2 billion cloud communications company, Dialpad, has had his fair share of experience in that arena, having previously sold ventures to tech giants such as Yahoo and Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google.

The serial entrepreneur says don’t change your vision to mimic competition. Here's how he came to that idea revelation and why it matters.

1. A Lesson from a '70's Racing Comedy

Drawing inspiration from an unlikely source, a 1970s racing comedy "The Gumball Rally," Walker said a quote from the movie pretty much underscored his philosophy: "What’s behind you is not important."

2. Staying Unique Amid Big Players

His company, Dialpad, operates in business communication software, a saturated market filled with competitors such as Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT Teams, Zoom Communications Inc ZM, and RingCentral Inc RNG. Still, Walker’s two-decade experience in internet communications showed him the pitfalls of mimicking competitors, a mistake he told CNBC he sees entrepreneurs often fall into.

3. From Securities Attorney to Tech Titan

Walker's journey is far from ordinary, originally a securities attorney, his close encounters with early internet companies ignited a passion to be on the entrepreneurial side.

An opportunity presented itself in 2001 when an internet company he'd backed faced troubles. Under his leadership, the company rebounded, bringing in 14 million customers and catching Yahoo's eye.

4. Riding the Google Wave and The Need to Pivot

Post the sale of his second venture, GrandCentral Communications, to Google, Walker experienced the life of working in a tech mammoth for four years. Though initially alluring, the startup spark in Walker reignited, leading him to start Dialpad in 2010.

Dialpad has raised $450 million in funding, according to CNBC, including a funding round led by ICONIQ Capital in 2021 that gave the company its $2.2 billion valuation.

5. Eyes on the Future, Not on The Competition:

Walker told CNBC that he is excited about Dialpad's new generative AI platform, DialpadGPT, which promises to revolutionize business communication.

Rather than worrying about rivals, Walker's advice is clear: "Stick to your mission,” he says.

This story is part of a series of features on the subject of success, Benzinga Inspire.

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