Deel CEO, Alex Bouaziz on Raising $300M+ at a $17BN Valuation

Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz announces $300M raise at $17B valuation, reveals 13-acquisition playbook and first $100M revenue month.

• Deel hit its first $100M revenue month in September 2025, profitable for 3 consecutive years at 15-17% EBITDA.
• Round co-led by Ribbit Capital (new investor Bouaziz pursued since Series A), a16z, and Coatue; Bouaziz says he could have raised more at higher valuation but chose specific investors.
• PaySpace acquisition (South Africa, 15-year-old payroll infra firm, paid over $100M) shortened Deel’s global payroll infrastructure timeline by 5+ years.
• Bouaziz raised ~$700M over Zoom from his Tel Aviv living room during COVID without meeting investors in person; Ribbit was the first closing dinner he ever had.
• Failed acquisitions shared one trait: ‘why not’ decisions instead of ‘hell yeah’ — now he just hires the person directly if the deal isn’t compelling.
• Bouaziz runs 20+ direct reports with no formal one-on-ones or performance reviews, using daily async messaging instead.
• IPO prep needs SOX compliance, leadership hires, and 4-5 clean quarters with the executive team — 12 months is too short.
• Bouaziz credits building owned employer-of-record entity infrastructure (overruling his father/CFO) as Deel’s best decision, now generating $25-30M/month.

2025-10-20 · Watch on YouTube