Windsurf (previously Codeium) is one of the fastest-growing startups in the AI coding assistant space, having scaled its go-to-market team from 3 to 75 … in just under a year (!).
Recently valued at over $1 billion, Windsurf is proving that AI-driven software development is not just the future—it’s the present. In our most recent episode of CRO Confidential, hosted by Sam Blond, Graham Moreno, VP of Worldwide Sales at Windsurf, shared invaluable insights on what drove this growth, the challenges they faced, and how other B2B and B2D companies can replicate this success.
5 Interesting Learnings About Codeium
- Founder-Led Sales Drove Early Traction Before Scaling: Codeium’s rapid rise to a $1B+ valuation wasn’t just about AI hype—it was built on a strong foundation of founder-led sales. Before hiring their first sales reps, the founders personally closed millions in revenue. This early hands-on approach helped them deeply understand their ideal customer profile (ICP), pricing strategy, and product-market fit, creating a solid launchpad for their go-to-market expansion.
- Hypergrowth Requires Aggressive but Smart Hiring: Codeium scaled from 3 to 75 go-to-market hires in under a year, an astonishing pace for any startup. Their strategy? Hiring trusted, proven talent from companies like MongoDB, Grafana, Airtable, and Snowflake—individuals who had already experienced hypergrowth environments and had a proven track record with the incoming sales leadership at Codeium. This ensured that the team was both high-performing and culturally aligned from day one.
- Compensation & Performance Metrics Fuel a Culture of Winning: Codeium structured its compensation and quota models to create immediate success. A staggering 7 out of 10 early sales hires exceeded their annual quotas, and some reps are on track to earn seven figures in their first year. This deliberate investment in making early hires successful created a powerful flywheel effect, attracting more high-caliber talent.
- AI-Powered Coding is Driving Massive Productivity Gains: Codeium’s AI assistant is not just a flashy tool—it’s fundamentally transforming software development. Their first product generates 45% of the code written by developers, and their newest agentic IDE, Windsurf AI, allows non-technical users to build applications in minutes. The real impact? Some users report tasks that once took four weeks now taking just six hours—a game-changer for software engineering.
- Early Investments in Enablement & RevOps Unlock Sustainable Growth: While many fast-growing startups delay RevOps and enablement hires, Codeium prioritized them early, ensuring that their sales processes, training, and data-driven decision-making were world-class from the start. This proactive approach prevents inefficiencies and helps maintain scalability as they grow from $10M to $100M ARR.
From Startup Chaos to Structured Scaling
When Graham joined Codeium in early 2024, the go-to-market team consisted of just three individual contributor sellers. The company had achieved impressive initial traction—roughly 200 customers and low single-digit millions in revenue—but lacked structured sales processes.
One of Graham’s first moves was identifying what was working well—primarily strong founder-led sales that had driven the company’s early momentum. However, there was a lack of formalized discovery processes, defined ICPs (Ideal Customer Profiles), and sales qualification methodologies. By tightening up these areas, Codeium significantly reduced sales cycle times and increased close rates.
Key Growth Drivers
1. Strategic Recruiting and Team Expansion
Scaling a sales team at this pace requires aggressive yet strategic hiring. Moreno emphasizes that foundational hires should come from personal networks, where there is already established trust. The initial team at Codeium included talent from MongoDB, Grafana, Airtable, and Snowflake—people who knew what hypergrowth looked like.
Beyond personal networks, Codeium utilized external recruiters sparingly, ensuring that cultural fit and performance track records were meticulously vetted.
“90% of the 75 people we hired came from referrals and direct outreach from our leadership team,” says Graham. “Top sales talent wants to work for leaders they trust, who care about their growth, and where they see an opportunity to succeed.”
2. Developing a Culture of Pipeline Ownership
A critical element of Codeium’s success was fostering a culture where reps owned their pipeline.
“If you don’t own your own outcome, you’re going to struggle long term,” says Graham. Codeium implemented weekly pipeline generation days to make prospecting a team event, ensuring accountability and momentum.
3. Early Investments in Enablement & Revenue Operations
Codeium didn’t just focus on adding headcount—it ensured new hires ramped quickly and effectively. One of the earliest investments was in a best-in-class enablement leader, who had previously built programs at MongoDB and Datadog.
For revenue operations, the team focused on data-driven decision-making early on, avoiding common pitfalls where companies delay RevOps investments until inefficiencies become critical roadblocks.
“If you’re scaling fast, don’t throw sand in the gears,” says Graham. “You need RevOps and Enablement early to ensure you don’t hit avoidable roadblocks down the line.”
4. Setting Up the Right Compensation & Incentives
Codeium ensured early sales hires were set up to win, both in terms of ramp expectations and compensation structure. This built a culture of winning, making the company an attractive destination for top talent.
“7 out of our first 10 sales hires are already over their annual quota,” Graham notes. “We have reps on track to make seven figures in their first year.”
This kind of success creates a flywheel effect, where top performers attract other high-caliber talent.
The Challenges of Scaling at Hyper-Speed
Despite its success, scaling from 3 to 75 in under a year comes with its own set of challenges. Here are a few key areas Codeium continues to optimize:
1. Territory Management & Segmentation
With rapid expansion comes the need for effective territory planning. Initially, Codeium’s territories weren’t as data-driven as they could be, and the company is actively working to refine these strategies.
2. Continuous Enablement in a Rapidly Evolving Market
With AI evolving at an unprecedented pace, ongoing enablement is critical. Codeium has implemented daily trivia games, founder-led enablement sessions, and periodic re-training programs to ensure sales teams stay ahead.
3. Managing the Psychological Aspects of Hypergrowth
Growth at this pace can be overwhelming. Maintaining a transparent, communicative culture and ensuring the team stays aligned and motivated is an ongoing challenge and priority.
Key Takeaways for SaaS Founders & Sales Leaders
For SaaS companies looking to scale their revenue teams, Codeium’s approach offers a clear roadmap:
- Start with strong founder-led sales to establish initial traction before scaling the team.
- Hire from trusted networks first to ensure early team quality and cultural alignment.
- Invest in enablement and RevOps early, rather than waiting until you hit bottlenecks.
- Foster a culture where sales reps own their pipeline and celebrate pipeline generation.
- Make compensation plans competitive and attainable, so early reps succeed and attract others.
- Expect to iterate—the biggest challenges in a hypergrowth environment will shift every few months.
With AI-powered software development surging in demand, Codeium’s trajectory suggests it’s on the path to becoming a household name. As a $1B+ valuation company, it has proven that with the right team, strategy, and execution, hypergrowth is not just possible—it’s achievable.
