SaaStock speaker
Tope Awotona
Founder / CEOCEO & Founder, Calendly
- Appearances
- 2
- Years
- 2017–2021
- Main stage
- 1
- YouTube views
- 9,304
Tope Awotona, CEO & Founder at Calendly has made 2 SaaStock appearances between 2017 and 2021, speaking at SaaStock Remote 2021, and SaaStock Europe 2017. Talks include "From Self Funded Startup to Profitable Unicorn. Tope Awotona & Blake Bartlett [SaaS Revolution Show]", "Lessons in Building a Successful Hybrid B2B/B2C SaaS Model". This page collects every recorded SaaStock keynote, fireside chat, panel, and podcast appearance by Tope Awotona.
Most-watched talk
Lessons in Building a Successful Hybrid B2B/B2C SaaS Model
Keynote · SaaStock Europe 2017 · Dublin · 6.6K YouTube views
Hi everybody you guys hear me all right well I'm Tope Awotona I'm the founder of Calendly and I'm excited to share with you guys how we pivoted our business from one that primarily attracted individuals to one that attracted to one that became a business that attracts individuals and businesses alike. So that's what we'll be talking about today but first a little bit about. The company well I guess before that a little housekeeping so really excited to present on this today. But also excited to…
About Tope Awotona
Who is Tope Awotona?
Tope Awotona is the founder and CEO of Calendly, the scheduling platform that automates the back-and-forth of booking meetings. He built the company the hard way — self-funding it rather than waiting on outside investors — and turned it into a profitable, category-defining business that grew into a SaaS unicorn.
Awotona's origin story is one of conviction over comfort. He decided to pursue the Calendly idea in early 2013, but found few people willing to fund a company still at the idea stage, and his search for a technical co-founder dragged on far longer than he expected. Rather than wait indefinitely, he got anxious, went to his bank in April 2014, and backed himself to get the product built.
He is a recurring voice at SaaStock, where he has shared the unvarnished founder's view of bootstrapping, the discipline of building toward profitability, and how Calendly evolved its go-to-market model over time. This page collects his recorded SaaStock keynote and interview appearances, with transcripts.
About Calendly
Calendly is a scheduling automation platform that removes the email ping-pong of finding a time to meet. Users share a link, invitees pick an open slot, and the meeting books itself — a deceptively simple product that became indispensable across sales, recruiting, customer success, and everyday professional life.
What makes Calendly notable in SaaS circles is how it was built. Awotona funded the early company himself rather than raising at the idea stage, and grew it into a profitable business before it was widely known — the kind of self-funded path to a unicorn outcome that runs counter to the venture-fueled norm.
The product started by attracting individuals and, over time, deliberately expanded to serve businesses as well — a hybrid B2C and B2B model where bottom-up adoption by individuals seeds broader use across whole organizations. That pivot from individual-first to individuals-and-businesses-alike is a central theme of Awotona's SaaStock keynote.
Key lessons from Tope Awotona's talks
Back yourself when no one else will. Awotona couldn't find early-stage funding or a technical co-founder, so rather than stall, he went to his own bank to finance the idea. His story is a case study in moving forward under uncertainty instead of waiting for permission or the perfect partner.
Profitability is a strategy, not a fallback. Calendly's self-funded route forced discipline early, and Awotona reframes the bootstrapped-to-profitable-unicorn path as a deliberate way to build — one where staying close to revenue and customer value shapes the company rather than chasing growth at any cost.
Pivot the go-to-market, not just the product. Calendly began by primarily attracting individuals; Awotona's central lesson is the intentional shift to a model that attracts individuals and businesses alike. The hybrid B2C/B2B motion let bottom-up adoption flow naturally into organizational and enterprise use.
Persistence beats the idea stage. The hardest part of Awotona's journey was the early period — no funders, no co-founder, just conviction. His talks underline that the gap between an idea and a fundable, growing company is crossed by founders willing to absorb the risk and keep going.
Company
Calendly — at a glance
| Company | Calendly |
|---|---|
| Founder & CEO | Tope Awotona |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Category | Scheduling / meeting automation software |
| Model | Hybrid B2C and B2B SaaS |
Figures are drawn from Tope Awotona's SaaStock talks and public company information.
Topics covered
What Tope Awotona speaks about
- Bootstrapping
- Self-funded startups
- Path to profitability
- Building a unicorn
- Hybrid B2B/B2C SaaS
- Product pivots
- Finding a technical co-founder
- Scheduling software
In their words
Top quotes from Tope Awotona
“Rather than wait indefinitely I got anxious and I just went to my bank in April of 2014.”
— SaaStock Remote 2021
“I'm excited to share with you guys how we pivoted our business from one that primarily attracted individuals to one that became a business that attracts individuals and businesses alike.”
— SaaStock Europe 2017
Keynotes
Tope Awotona keynotes at SaaStock
Lessons in Building a Successful Hybrid B2B/B2C SaaS Model
SaaStock Europe 2017 · Dublin · Keynote · 6.6K YouTube views
Founder & CEO, Calendly (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
Hi everybody you guys hear me all right well I'm Tope Awotona I'm the founder of Calendly and I'm excited to share with you guys how we pivoted our business from one that primarily attracted individuals to one that attracted to one that became a business that attracts individuals and businesses alike. So that's what we'll be talking about today but first a little bit about. The company well I guess before that a little housekeeping so really excited to present on this today. But also excited to…
Interviews & podcast appearances
Tope Awotona interviews and podcast appearances
From Self Funded Startup to Profitable Unicorn. Tope Awotona & Blake Bartlett [SaaS Revolution Show]
SaaStock Remote 2021 · Online · Podcast · 2.7K YouTube views
CEO & Founder, Calendly (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
Not fast forward to late early 2013 i decided that i was going to pursue the idea and. Once i got to that point i couldn't wait to get started but what i found was really there are. Not a lot of people who are looking to fund companies that are still in the idea stage and. I was also trying to find a technical co-founder that was taking a lot longer than i thought it would. And rather than wait for rather than wait indefinitely i got anxious and i just i went to my bank. In april of 2014 of abou…
All appearances
Every SaaStock appearance by Tope Awotona
| Year | Conference | Talk | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SaaStock Remote 2021 · Online | From Self Funded Startup to Profitable Unicorn. Tope Awotona & Blake Bartlett [SaaS Revolution Show] | Podcast |
| 2017 | SaaStock Europe 2017 · Dublin | Lessons in Building a Successful Hybrid B2B/B2C SaaS Model | Keynote |
FAQ
Frequently asked about Tope Awotona
Who is Tope Awotona?
Tope Awotona, CEO & Founder at Calendly has made 2 SaaStock appearances between 2017 and 2021, speaking at SaaStock Remote 2021, and SaaStock Europe 2017. Talks include "From Self Funded Startup to Profitable Unicorn. Tope Awotona & Blake Bartlett [SaaS Revolution Show]", "Lessons in Building a Successful Hybrid B2B/B2C SaaS Model". This page collects every recorded SaaStock keynote, fireside chat, panel, and podcast appearance by Tope Awotona.
How many times has Tope Awotona spoken at SaaStock?
Tope Awotona has spoken at SaaStock 2 times between 2017–2021 — including 1 keynote, 0 fireside chats and panels, and 1 podcast interview.
What did Tope Awotona speak about at SaaStock?
"From Self Funded Startup to Profitable Unicorn. Tope Awotona & Blake Bartlett [SaaS Revolution Show]" at SaaStock Remote 2021; "Lessons in Building a Successful Hybrid B2B/B2C SaaS Model" at SaaStock Europe 2017
What is Tope Awotona's most-watched SaaStock talk?
"Lessons in Building a Successful Hybrid B2B/B2C SaaS Model" delivered at SaaStock Europe 2017 has 6,596 YouTube views.