CloudZero
cloudzero.com · Software Development · Founded 2016
CloudZero is the leader in proactive cloud cost efficiency. We enable engineers to build cost-efficient software without slowing down innovation. CloudZero's next-generation cloud cost optimization platform automates the collection, allocation, and analysis of cloud costs to uncover savings opportunities and improve unit economics. We are the only platform that enables companies to understand 100% of their operational cloud spend and take an engineering-led approach to optimizing that spend. CloudZero is used by industry leaders worldwide, such as Coinbase, Klaviyo, Miro, Nubank, and Rapid7.
Built AI-Native People Platform from Scratch to Transform Development Culture at CloudZero
As the AI era fundamentally reshaped how we work, I recognized an urgent need to reimagine our people programs at the intersection of human and machine. As VP of People & Culture at CloudZero, I saw that traditional approaches to employee development, mentorship, and performance conversations were no longer sufficient. The challenge was clear: how could I leverage AI to amplify our people initiatives and create a culture where employees took greater ownership of their growth, engaged meaningfully with their managers in developmental conversations, and accessed mentorship at scale? I threw myself into the uncomfortable and designed an entirely new AI-native platform to foster these behaviors. Starting with a clear vision of how employees and managers needed to interact—from quarterly developmental touchpoints to ongoing mentorship connections—I taught myself Claude Code and began building. Over four weeks, I partnered cross-functionally with Revenue Engineering to brainstorm feature solutions and deploy code, while collaborating with our Security team to ensure safe architecture throughout the platform. I learned to integrate code and feature updates into GitHub, committing and pushing 48 pull requests from concept to launch. The results were transformative: 100% of employees and their managers now conduct quarterly developmental 1:1s (Touchpoints) through the platform, and 100% of people leaders have completed their mentor/mentee profiles within the mentorship module, ready to be paired. What began as an experiment in building at the intersection of people practice and AI became a fundamental shift in how CloudZero approaches employee development—proving that HR leaders can be builders, not just buyers, of the technology that shapes workplace culture.
Built CloudZero's People Function from Scratch to Support Hypergrowth
When I joined CloudZero in May 2024, the company had reached 65 employees with strong market traction and headcount growth signals—but no dedicated HR leadership. The people function had critical gaps: no performance management system, compensation philosophy, talent strategy, career frameworks, structured onboarding, or repeatable hiring practices. Founders were spending valuable time on people issues rather than product and strategy. The company needed modern, scalable people practices to support its next phase of growth. I began with a comprehensive listening tour across employees and leadership to understand pain points and priorities. From there, I developed and launched a full People Strategy anchored in creating a high-performing, inclusive, and highly connected workplace. I prioritized building foundational infrastructure: a compensation framework and Total Rewards strategy rolled out in Q3 2024, a structured onboarding program, and a new ATS to standardize hiring. Critically, I led with a recognition pillar first—establishing trust, respect, and psychological safety as the foundation for all subsequent initiatives. In June 2024, I launched a peer-to-peer recognition program tied to company values, integrated it into Slack, and trained managers on reinforcing desired behaviors. The results have been significant. Despite substantial organizational transformation and multiple product strategy pivots, employee engagement scores (eNPS) have consistently ranged from 82-85%. The recognition program achieved 98% adoption within 90 days and drove a 12-point increase in our Recognition survey metric. Operationally, time-to-hire remains under 30 days across all departments, with new hires reaching meaningful impact within just 14 days. I built a scalable people infrastructure that not only freed leadership to focus on strategic priorities but positioned CloudZero to attract, retain, and develop talent through its next growth stage.