A Slice on Daniel Graff-Radford, CEO of Allbound
Daniel Graff-Radford received a phone call that would change the course of his career. He was having fun working in various technology companies, when Jim Armstrong, Founder and CEO of JDA Software, called and asked him to lead a startup called Allbound. Graff-Radford loved the idea behind Allbound and wished he had been able to use it earlier in his career (or come up with it first himself) so he accepted the position and got right to work. Operating as a Partner Relationship Management (PRM) Software, Allbound aims to be transformative for companies as it provides partner onboarding, support, marketing collaboration and enables partners to learn from one another’s successes. Instead of waiting for quarterly or annual business reviews to make a change, partners are able to quickly pivot in real-time, learn on the go, have access to channel insights, all wrapped up in an easy user experience. Allbound has raised a total of $9.4M in funding over 7 rounds.
Forging ahead as CEO, Graff-Radford is charged with fundraising for the startup, which isn’t all that daunting for him, based on his positive experiences with investors in the past. “Working with investors that you have a great relationship with is one of the most important lessons… this can’t just be about check writing to get money back because you guys are going to face difficulties together.” Graff-Radford went on to say that it’s important to know when to bring in money, from where, and at what time. Of course, there are a multitude of ways to finance a company, but with venture capital, the expectation for startups is accelerated growth.
In spring 2020, at the height of the global pandemic, companies everywhere faced new fears coupled with harsh realities. Graff-Radford, adjusting to his new reality, watched as Allbound’s sales began to decline. Rather than panicking like his competitors, he saw this as an opportunity to implement new strategies within the company. First, he leaned into how they could be impactful, how they could provide unique solutions to those stuck at home. In a fully virtual world, partners still needed to interact with one another. Secondly, for those who had been laid off and were looking for work, Graff-Radford implemented a new service as part of Allbound’s offerings. He started profiling and putting up people’s resumes so they could quickly find new employment opportunities. Next, he put money previously allocated for in-person activities into things that could accelerate a remote business environment. He boosted morale by encouraging his team to engage in fun and creative activities together.
Unlike the companies that were unable to survive the pandemic, the changes Allbound made have led to increased sales. Graff-Radford, encouraged by the progress, hopes to see Allbound emerge as a trusted voice for channel sales. He envisions greater overall market success as the demand for PRMs grows.“As we become a resource and really knowledgeable about these things at the same time, I think the whole market grows in a really successful way.” Radford understands that with such aspirational goals, comes great responsibility. He looks forward to learning and facilitating different ways people can partner together.
Throughout his last 20 years in the technology industry, Graff-Radford has been able to witness innovation firsthand and doesn’t see it slowing down. Rather, he sees technology as the vessel that will provide the greatest opportunities for future generations. Following these advancements, he foresees technology bringing improved financial stability, greater skills, and a better quality of life to those in the industry. Graff-Radford is motivated by his aforementioned vision for the future and is excited for Allbound to be part of the global change to come.
Founder Bio
Daniel Graff-Radford is passionate about creating and growing technology companies. He has led OnSolve, PGi, Omnilink Systems, Lanta Technology Group, and is now CEO of Allbound. Connect with Graff-Radford on LinkedIn.
