How Sharpening Our ICP Took Us from 3 Customers to Cloudera Acquisition
- David Bitton
- Apr 23
- 4 min read
ID 125069928 @ Designer491 | Dreamstime.com
What every founder should know about refining their Ideal Customer Profile before scaling
When I joined Octopai as the first salesperson, we had a powerful platform, a big vision, and just 2 or 3 customers. Like many early-stage startups, we assumed our ICP was any mid to large enterprise needing better metadata management.
It made sense. But it was wrong—or at least, too vague to scale.
As we pushed forward, we saw that our broad targeting was costing us time, budget, and momentum. So we took a step back and dug into the data. What we found changed everything: our most successful customers consistently came from just three verticals—healthcare, insurance, and finance.
That insight sparked a company-wide pivot. We focused all our GTM efforts on those segments. We tailored our messaging, built use-case-driven sales plays, and transformed our trial process to highlight value faster.
The result? We grew from 3 customers to over 160, achieved industry-leading conversion and retention rates, and eventually scaled to the point where we were acquired by Cloudera.
Here’s how we did it—and how you can too.
Why “Spray and Pray” Is Dead
In today’s market, broad messaging doesn’t cut it. Startups that treat every buyer the same are wasting precious time and CAC. Your prospects are overwhelmed and underwhelmed—unless you hit them with precision.
Relevance wins. Clarity converts.
If your ICP is a paragraph long and ends with “and anyone else who might benefit,” it’s not an ICP—it’s a wish list.
Our Wake-Up Call: Letting Data Tell the Real ICP Story
At Octopai, we initially believed we were selling to “any enterprise with BI tools.” It was partially true, but dangerously generic.
After analyzing our early wins, we noticed something critical:
70% of our customers were from healthcare, insurance, and finance.
They weren’t the largest enterprises—they were mid-market companies with lean but ambitious data teams.
Most had the same urgent trigger: a compliance audit, an M&A event, or a new regulation.
We saw it in the sales cycle. We saw it in retention. We saw it in deal size.
That was our real ICP.
So we pivoted:
Vertical-specific messaging: Built campaigns that spoke to regulatory pain points and internal data chaos.
Use-case selling: Focused demos and content on audit readiness, data lineage for compliance, and post-M&A integration.
Trial reformatting: Replaced open sandbox trials with guided reviews tailored to each use case (more on this below).
Turning the Sales Process Inside Out
Once we had ICP clarity, everything got sharper. We used that insight to overhaul the full GTM motion, from first call to renewal.
1. Fixing the Trial Funnel
Originally, we offered month-long trials. The problem? Most users logged in only in the last two days. They didn’t see the product’s full value—and often made poor decisions based on partial impressions.
We changed that completely:
Moved from self-serve trials to live, guided evaluations.
Conducted 90-minute demo sessions centered on customer-defined KPIs.
Took control of the trial-to-close process, ensuring no step stalled due to customer bandwidth.
It worked. We hit trial-to-close rates of 70%, and in some cases, even 100%.
2. Messaging That Matched the Market
Instead of listing features, we led with customer problems:
“Struggling to meet your next compliance audit?”
“Need end-to-end lineage after merging datasets post-acquisition?”
“Your BI team stuck untangling legacy reports?”
By showing we understood their world better than they did, we earned trust—and the meeting.
The ICP Framework You Should Steal
If you’re scaling your startup right now, here’s the ICP refinement framework that worked for us:
Step 1: Run a Revenue Retrospective
Look at your last 12-18 months. Group customers by:
Industry
Company size
Trigger event (why they bought)
Time to close
ACV and expansion potential
Find patterns. That’s your starting point.
Step 2: Interview Your Best Customers
Ask:
What was going wrong before you found us?
What convinced you to move forward?
What value did you see post-purchase?
Bonus: Use their words in your outbound scripts.
Step 3: Segment and Tier
Not all customers are created equal.
Define:
Tier 1 ICP: High-revenue, fast-closing, strong retention
Tier 2: Good fit but slower cycle
DQ: Low engagement, long sales, low ROI
Step 4: Align Sales, Marketing & Product
Get everyone in the loop. Build:
Campaigns per vertical
Sales sequences per use case
Product roadmap aligned to Tier 1 ICP needs
Step 5: Operationalize and Revisit Quarterly
ICP isn’t one-and-done. It evolves.
We updated ours quarterly based on:
New deals closed
Lost deal analysis
Market shifts
The Results We Drove
Scaled from 3 customers to 160+ globally.
Maintained 90%+ retention, thanks to true fit.
Achieved industry-defying conversion rates at every step of the sales process.
Built a GTM machine that helped us land a strategic acquisition by Cloudera.
Lessons for Every Founder
Let the data tell the truth. Your gut is helpful, but data confirms the real opportunity.
Focus beats flexibility. You can’t win every deal. Pick the ones you should win, and double down.
ICP is a team sport. Align sales, marketing, and product around the same profile.
Speed = control. Own the buying journey. Don’t leave it to trial logins and passive interest.
Retention is a growth strategy. Right-fit customers stay, expand, and refer.
How MarketFit Sales Partners Can Help
The same principles that scaled Octopai are baked into everything we do at MarketFit.
We help early-stage Israeli startups:
Nail their real ICP (not their wishful one)
Build repeatable GTM playbooks
Fix broken trial processes
Increase conversion and retention
Align sales, marketing, and product around one revenue goal
Whether you're just getting traction or looking to scale fast, we’ve done it—and we’ll help you do it too.
Want to explore how this could look for your team?
FAQ: Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
What is an ICP? Your Ideal Customer Profile is the type of company most likely to see value fast, buy quickly, stay long, and grow with you.
How often should we update our ICP? At least every quarter, or anytime you launch a new product, enter a new market, or close 5+ deals.
What if our product works for lots of industries? Great! But start with one. Focus = clarity = revenue. You can layer later.
Is it OK to have more than one ICP? Yes, but only if you have the resources to build separate plays for each. If not, start narrow.
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