In this candid conversation with Parna Sarkar-Basu, Manu Mathew, a serial entrepreneur, shared his journey from Zambia to the US, where he studied mechanical engineering and transitioned to marketing analytics. He founded Visual IQ, focusing on customer retention and growth, and later pivoted to media attribution, which became a major market. In this chat, Mathew emphasized the importance of adapting to market needs, building a strong team, and managing cash flow. He highlighted the challenges of long sales cycles in enterprise markets and the necessity of strategic partnerships. His advice to entrepreneurs includes staying financially prudent, listening to customers, and leveraging team strengths and weaknesses to achieve growth.
Key takeaways:
You Don’t Have to Start with Venture Capital
Before seeking VC funding, build early traction through partners, referenceable customers, and revenue. Visual IQ grew this way—proving value first and raising capital later.
Cash is King—Especially Early On
Cash flow dictates growth. Manu structured deals to collect payments upfront or on milestones—ensuring he could fund hires and product development without burning out.
Be Ready to Pivot
Visual IQ’s original product didn’t resonate. By listening to customers, the company pivoted to attribution analytics—a category they helped define.
Partner Smart, Scale Smarter
Strategic partnerships opened doors to major accounts like AT&T and Vanguard. Leverage your network to gain access—and credibility.
Learn to Sell Without Being Salesy
Founders wear many hats—sales being one of them. Manu emphasizes relational selling: educate, build trust, and don’t oversell. It’s not just about closing—it’s about sustaining.
Invest in a Core Team Early
Manu’s biggest growth enabler? A strong leadership trio: a product chief, revenue officer, and finance partner. Together, they solved challenges he couldn’t face alone.
Know When to Step Back and Let Others Lead
Founders don’t have to do everything. Recognizing personal gaps and hiring leaders with complementary skills is vital for scaling sustainably.
Market Signals > Founder Instinct Alone
Listen deeply. Customers won’t always tell you directly, but their pain points offer critical clues. Don’t be blinded by your own vision.
Enterprise ≠ Easy Revenue
Visual IQ chose enterprise over SMB. That meant longer sales cycles and more pressure—but also bigger contracts. Be sure your model fits your funding and growth stage.
It Takes a Village
Behind every success story is a core team aligned on vision, execution, and growth. Solo genius is a myth—collaborative leadership is key.
Bio: Manu Mathew serves as the CEO and co-founder of Cohora, a B2C customer retention and activation platform. Before spearheading Cohora, Manu held the position of president of the Americas for Ad-lib.io, a creative optimization SaaS business headquartered in the UK. His role included steering Ad-lib’s successful entry into the US market and orchestrating the establishment of US go-to-market operations. The remarkable growth in the US market eventually culminated in Ad-lib’s successful acquisition by Smartly.io in 2022.
Prior to these ventures, Manu co-founded and served as the CEO of Visual IQ, a market leader in the space of cross-channel marketing attribution targeted at the world’s largest advertisers. At the time of the acquisition by Nielsen in 2017, Visual IQ had been recognized with several awards for pioneering the attribution space boasting over 250 clients and 325 employees around the globe. Beyond his professional pursuits, Manu finds joy in cooking and is currently navigating life as an empty nester in his free time.