Stop Selling Features, Start Selling Outcomes w. Pedro Arellano

In this episode of How They Scaled It, I sit down with Pedro Arellano, Co-Founder and CEO of Wallabi. He shares how his 25-year journey through the data and analytics world led him to build a new kind of business intelligence platform. Listen now to learn how AI, accessibility, and empathy intersect to drive better business outcomes, and why simply having more dashboards doesn’t equate to impact.00:00:13 — Pedro introduces himself and credits his team00:00:51 — Courtney introduces Wallabi and Pedro’s background00:01:55 — From WarGames to coding on a Commodore 6400:02:45 — Discovering a passion for data in college00:03:35 — Early BI landscape: IT-controlled and exclusive00:04:45 — Two big disruptions: self-serve tools and generative AI00:06:47 — Why LLMs are the next wave in BI00:08:11 — The persistent issue of accessibility in analytics00:09:41 — Grounding product in real user problems00:11:08 — How to find valuable problems worth solving00:13:11 — The gradual “aha” that led to launching Wallabi00:15:33 — Moving from data access to contextual intelligence00:18:29 — Helping users act on insights, not just see them00:20:11 — What makes Wallabi exciting: solving existential business questions00:22:15 — The first customers: direct sales and digital marketing00:24:18 — Translating geek speak to real user pain00:26:58 — Balancing vision with user feedback00:28:56 — Avoiding the “order taker” trap00:30:01 — Thinking through fundraising and growth pace00:32:05 — Staying grounded as a founder00:36:37 — Human-first culture in a tech-first space00:38:11 — Pedro’s advice to new founders00:41:48 — Where to find Wallabi