GTM platform Apollo.io is making changes at the top

AI-native go-to-market platform Apollo.io has announced that, after years of working together, Matt Curl is stepping up to take the CEO role from founder Tim Zheng. The change is effective immediately, with Zheng sticking around as board chair. Curl’s involvement with the company began with advising duties in 2019: He later became chief operating officer.

Zheng said this is the best moment to make the transition, as the business is strong and its direction for the future is clear.

“Apollo is in the strongest position it’s ever been—following our best year, best quarter, accelerated growth, and having established a clear AI-driven future and our leadership position in agentic GTM,” Zheng told Revenue Brew via email.

According to a press release, Apollo.io is approaching $200 million in annual recurring revenue and nearly 100,000 paying customers.

As Curl steps into the CEO role, he said the company will continue to rely on the core principles that have gotten it to where it is as a product-led growth (PLG) business.

“Where I am pushing is in making AI practical, not performative…AI should not simply recommend, it should take action, and Apollo does both,” Curl told Revenue Brew via email.

Apollo’s growth has been steady since its founding in 2015. In August 2023, it announced that it had raised a $100 million Series D led by Bain Capital Ventures, bringing its valuation to $1.6 billion. The company has positioned itself as an all-in-one platform for everything from prospecting to deal automation and analytics.