Overview
Wade Foster is an American entrepreneur and CEO who co-founded Zapier in 2011, a workflow automation platform that connects over 7,000 applications and serves more than 3 million users worldwide.[4] Foster built the company from Columbia, Missouri, to a $5 billion valuation while maintaining profitability and pioneering remote-first operations.[8]
Foster conceived Zapier while working at Veterans United Home Loans, where he spent an hour daily copying data between customer relationship management and email marketing tools.[11] The company raised only $2.68 million in total funding before achieving profitability, an unusual path in Silicon Valley.[2] Under Foster's leadership, Zapier has grown to over 1,400 employees across 40 countries, all working remotely.[8]
Foster graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in industrial engineering and business administration before participating in Y Combinator's 2012 cohort.[11] He has been recognized on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list and named EY Entrepreneur of the Year.[13]
Early life and education
Foster was born in January 1987 during a snowstorm in Missouri and grew up in Jefferson City, where his father worked for the state and his mother was a pharmacist.[15] He attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, earning a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in 2009 and a Master of Business Administration in 2010.[11]
During college, Foster played saxophone in jazz bands and gained early exposure to the technology industry through a marketing internship at The Idea Works, Inc., a software company in Columbia.[15] After completing his MBA, he joined Veterans United Home Loans as a customer development lead and email marketing manager.[12]
Career
Veterans United Home Loans (2010–2011)
Foster's role at Veterans United Home Loans involved managing customer development and email marketing operations.[12] The position required him to spend approximately one hour each day manually copying data between the company's CRM system and email marketing tools, a repetitive task that would later inspire the creation of Zapier.[11] It was at Veterans United that Foster met his future co-founders, Bryan Helmig and Mike Knoop.[10]
Zapier (2011–present)
Foster co-founded Zapier in 2011 with Bryan Helmig and Mike Knoop to automate the data transfer processes that had frustrated him at Veterans United.[5] The company launched as "an IFTTT for business users," allowing non-technical users to connect different software applications without coding.[5]
Operating from Columbia, Missouri, far from Silicon Valley's venture capital ecosystem, Foster and his co-founders bootstrapped the company initially.[2] They participated in Y Combinator's 2012 cohort, which provided $17,000 in initial funding.[1] The company's early customers paid $20 per month for the service, and Zapier achieved 800 paid beta users before its official launch.[10]
Zapier raised a total of $2.68 million across multiple rounds before achieving profitability, an approach Foster describes as intentionally conservative.[8] The company reached profitability within four years and has maintained it since, allowing Foster to operate without external pressure for additional funding rounds.[2]
Under Foster's leadership, Zapier has grown to serve over 3 million users and connect more than 7,000 applications.[4] The company employs over 1,400 people across 40 countries, all working remotely—a structure Foster implemented from necessity in 2011 that became a competitive advantage.[8] By 2024, Zapier was valued at $5 billion.[8]
Recognition and public engagement
Foster was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in 2017 for his work building Zapier.[13] He received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2022.[16] Zapier has been included in Forbes' Cloud 100 list for five consecutive years, ranking as high as 13th in 2021.[6]
Foster regularly speaks at technology and entrepreneurship conferences, including serving as a keynote speaker at events such as Main Street Summit and Startup Weekend.[9][14] He has been featured in publications including TechCrunch, The Information, and First Round Review discussing remote work practices and bootstrapped growth strategies.[4][6][2]
Public statements
We have nearly four profitable years behind us. It's not only a point of pride, but a release. We feel like we determine our runway, versus build on borrowed time.
On Zapier's approach to profitability — First Round Review, 2023[2]
The path to getting good at something starts with being bad at something.
On entrepreneurial advice — University of Missouri Engineering, 2022[11]
Remote work wasn't really a thing back in 2011, 2012. We were doing it out of necessity because we couldn't afford an office, but it turned out to be one of our biggest competitive advantages.
On remote work strategy — TechCrunch, 2020[4]
References
- Learnings of a CEO: Wade Foster, Zapier — Y Combinator, January 2023
- How Zapier Pulled Off Its One-and-Done Approach to Fundraising — First Round Review, January 2023
- Zapier's CEO shares his personal AI stack — Lenny's Newsletter, January 2024
- Zapier CEO Wade Foster on scaling a remote team up to 300 employees — TechCrunch, March 2020
- Zapier: An IFTTT For Business Users — TechCrunch, June 2012
- Zapier's Unusual Path to Profitability — The Information, January 2023
- Wade Foster — Zapier, January 2024
- Zapier - 2026 Funding Rounds & List of Investors — Tracxn, January 2026
- Building Connections That Help Build Companies — Main Street Summit, January 2023
- 800 Paid Beta Users: How Zapier Got Early Traction — SaaS Club, January 2023
- 150 Years of Leadership: Wade Foster — University of Missouri Engineering, January 2022
- Mizzou Founder Features: Wade Foster — Mizzou Startups, January 2023
- Trulaske alumni featured in Forbes' 30 under 30 for startup Zapier — University of Missouri Business School, January 2017
- 6 Questions with Startup Weekend Fargo Keynote Speaker Wade Foster — Fargo Inc, January 2023
- About Wade Foster — Personal website, January 2024
- Wade Foster | Keynote Speaker — AAE Speakers Bureau, January 2024