Brand Intelligence Graph
Company Overview
About Pendo
Pendo is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based product experience platform providing product analytics, in-app guidance, user feedback collection, and product roadmap planning tools for software companies seeking to understand user behavior and improve product adoption. Founded in 2013 by CEO Todd Olson (former Rally Software VP of Product) and backed with $350+ million raised from Sapphire Ventures, Thoma Bravo, and Battery Ventures at a $2.6 billion valuation (2021 Series F), Pendo serves 8,000+ software companies including Salesforce, Zendesk, Citrix, and BMC Software across the enterprise and mid-market SaaS segment.
Business Model & Competitive Advantage
Pendo's no-code platform installs via a single JavaScript snippet and immediately captures all user click, navigation, and feature usage data without requiring engineering instrumentation of individual events — a significant adoption advantage over developer-instrumented analytics tools. The in-app Guide builder allows product managers to create contextual tooltips, onboarding walkthroughs, and feature announcements targeted to specific user segments without code deploys. The integrated NPS and feedback collection connects quantitative behavioral data with qualitative user sentiment. The Pendo AI layer (2023-2024) generates product health insights and suggests optimization actions from usage patterns.
Competitive Landscape 2025–2026
In 2025, Pendo competes in the product analytics and digital adoption market with Amplitude (NASDAQ: AMPL), Mixpanel, WalkMe (SAP-acquired digital adoption platform), and Gainsight PX for product management intelligence. Pendo's differentiator is the integration of analytics (understand behavior), guidance (change behavior), and feedback (understand why) in a single platform versus best-of-breed point solutions. Thoma Bravo's significant position (a leading enterprise software PE fund with deep SaaS portfolio) signals potential go-private or acquisition consideration. The 2025 strategy focuses on Pendo AI-powered product intelligence, expanding enterprise accounts above $1 billion in revenue, and growing Pendo Adopt as a direct WalkMe competitor for digital adoption in large enterprise deployments.
The Pendo Story
The Breakthrough Moment
Founded in October 2013 by product leaders and technologists from Red Hat, Cisco, Google, and Rally Software who combined their expertise to create a simple way to understand and act on what drives product success.
Original Mission
"Elevate the world's experience with software. Improve society's experience with software through a passionate and diverse team focused on helping companies bridge the gap between user expectations and actual software experience."
Founders
Recent Activity
View all →Company Timeline
Major milestones in Pendo's journey
Leadership Team
Meet the leaders behind Pendo
Todd Olson
Founder of Pendo in October 2013. Previously served as Vice President of Products at Rally Software. Holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University. Three-time entrepreneur with background from Red Hat, Cisco, and Google. Has authored 'The Product-Led Organization' and is a thought leader on product-led growth strategy.
Erik Troan
Co-founded Pendo in 2013. Previously led engineering at Red Hat as one of its first engineers, working on Linux, RPM, and Anaconda before the company's IPO. Founded rPath in 2005 which was sold to SAS in 2012. Earned B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from NC State University and M.S. in Economics from University of Virginia.
Trisha Price
Appointed CPO of Pendo with over 20 years of experience building great products. Previously served as Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Product Officer at nCino where she oversaw core and new product development before the company's IPO in July 2020. Also held leadership roles at Primatics Financial and Fannie Mae. B.S. in Mathematics from NC State University and M.L.A. in Software Engineering from Harvard University. Named Top 25 Women Leaders in FinTech of 2021.
Will May
Joined Pendo as CRO in September 2023, overseeing go-to-market function including sales, solutions, success, and services. Brings 15+ years of go-to-market leadership experience across high-growth SaaS companies. Previously served as CRO at ClickUp where he helped drive large customer growth by 82% YoY. Also held commercial leadership roles at Zscaler and AppDynamics. Graduate of Baylor University Hankamer School of Business.
Grad Conn
Joined Pendo as CMO in December 2024, responsible for global marketing and growth strategies. Extensive marketing leadership background including Chief Experience & Marketing Officer at Sprinklr and Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft US & North America. Previously CMO at Points.com where he created the world's first point/miles exchange. Started career at Procter & Gamble. B.Comm from Queen's University. Microsoft Founders Award winner and recipient of multiple creative and technology patents.
Ben Carey
Joined Pendo in November 2018 as VP of Professional Services before advancing to Chief Customer Officer. Oversees customer success, professional services, technical account management, customer education, and support. Previously served as Senior Director of Digital Advisory at CA Technologies and Senior Director of Global Success at Rally Software. B.A. in Management Information Systems from Marshall University. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Key Differentiators
Market Leader
Pendo is recognized as a market leader in the Product Management sector, demonstrating strong industry presence and customer trust.
Top 3 Ranked
Ranked #1 in the Product Management category, consistently recognized for excellence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Estimated Visibility Trend (Beta)
Simulated 8-week rolling score
Based on estimated brand signals. Historical tracking coming soon.
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