Meet Noelle London from Illoominus
Q: Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your startup, Illoominus?
A: I’m Noelle London, the founder and CEO of people insights platform Illoominus. Our focus at Illoominus is to empower leaders with HR data insights to make strategic, dynamic business decisions and create people-first workplaces. Illoominus is the turnkey solution for integrating disparate HR data from various systems that typically don’t communicate with each other. We consolidate this data to serve up cross-system and cross-company learnings. Illoominus equips HR leaders to unlock the full value of their existing tech stack to understand the entire employee journey through sourcing, hiring, engagement, promotions, and retention.
Q: What inspired the creation of Illoominus?
A: My inspiration for Illoominus came from my experience in the corporate innovation space, specifically while leading the Accenture Ventures program. My role there involved making enterprise technology investments for Fortune 2000 clients, and I was deeply involved in HR technology partnerships.
While mapping out the HR technology landscape, I noticed a significant issue: most tools were standalone, point solutions, not designed to communicate with each other, resulting in a lack of cross-tech-stack learning and lots of manual reporting for already strained HR teams.
Recognizing this gap and seeing the opportunity to help organizations become people-first, I launched Illoominus in 2022. Illoominus started gaining attention from customers who needed better visibility and understanding of how their HR strategies were performing.
Our customers use Illoominus to address critical issues such as solving quick quitting, retaining high-performing talent, and improving employee experience to better serve customers.
Choosing Plug and Play Accelerator
Q: What led you to choose the Plug and Play accelerator?
A: We participated in the Enterprise Batch of Plug and Play in summer 2023 and were also a part of the Plug and Play Drive program in Q4 2022. As a fully remote team spread across North America, with our base in Atlanta, expanding our network was a primary goal in joining Plug and Play. We had already experienced the benefits of an accelerator program through Techstars in Atlanta. Given my background in enterprise sales at Accenture, I understand the importance and challenges of building relationships with customers, especially considering the lengthy sales cycles in enterprise environments.
Plug and Play offered an excellent opportunity to expand our reach beyond my predominantly southeastern network and to build a broader national network as we grew into the enterprise segment, establishing connections with larger companies.
Illoominus’ Application to Plug and Play
Q: Could you briefly describe your experience with the application process for Plug and Play?
A: Reflecting on the application process for Plug and Play, I recall it being notably straightforward and less formal compared to other accelerators. It wasn’t a lengthy process that demanded extensive details about our company’s history or exhaustive data points.
What stood out was the significant amount of time we spent in discussions with the Plug and Play team. These interactions were more about mutual understanding rather than filling out complex forms. The team was keen to understand our growth ambitions and how we envisioned our journey. Their primary focus seemed to ensure that if we were to join their program, they could effectively assist us in our growth trajectory.
Daily Life in the Plug and Play Program
Q: Can you describe what a typical day in the Plug and Play program was like?
A: Plug and Play presented a unique experience, more of a self-serve, less structured approach, focusing primarily on go-to-market strategies and sales.
The program offered excellent sales coaching, which I found extremely valuable. This kind of specialized guidance was a standout feature and significantly beneficial for our team.
Plug and Play provided a library of content too. The non-structured nature of the program meant that as our company continues to grow, we can revisit this library to get what we need.
Another key component was the mentorship aspect. Unlike programs where you are assigned dedicated mentors, Plug and Play’s approach was more ad hoc. They provided a list of mentors whom we could book time with, allowing for more flexibility and less formal involvement in the overall program.
Lastly, Plug and Play is renowned for their summits, which are pivotal to the program’s value, and I’ve attended a couple. These events bring together hundreds of corporate innovation leaders from around the world, offering an incredible opportunity to connect with potential customers and build relationships. While these leaders might not be direct buyers, the networking opportunities they present are still worthwhile for a company at our stage.
Funding Aspect of Plug and Play
Q: Did Illoominus receive any funding as part of the Plug and Play program?
A: My understanding is that Plug and Play typically does not take any equity for participation in their program, which allows startups to participate in multiple programs without worrying about equity implications. While Plug and Play doesn’t automatically invest in every company that participates, they do have a separate venture arm that evaluates and considers investments in participating companies. In our case, we did receive some non-dilutive capital through the program.
Key Benefits of Plug and Play Program
Q: Reflecting on your experience, what aspect of Plug and Play did you find most valuable?
A: Looking back, the most significant aspect of Plug and Play was its focus on sales. Plug and Play’s emphasis on go-to-market strategies and sales was particularly beneficial. For an early-stage startup, establishing credibility and forging new business relationships can be daunting. This is where Plug and Play truly excels — they offer a unique platform that facilitates the building of these critical relationships and helps startups gain credibility in a highly competitive environment. Their ability to bring together these connections is what makes the program exceptionally worthwhile.
Illoominus’ Progress Post-Accelerator
Q: Can you share the current status of Illoominus and its achievements since completing the Plug and Play program?
A: Coming out of the Plug and Play program, we successfully raised a $500k pre-seed round, which was a crucial step for us. We’ve seen substantial growth, and our revenue quadrupled since we started engaging with the Plug and Play program. These developments are indicators of Illoominus’ growth and potential, and we are just getting started.
Networking Benefits from Plug and Play
Q: How did participating in Plug and Play impact your professional network?
A: The expansion of our professional network through Plug and Play has been helpful. The Plug and Play Summits were particularly instrumental in this regard, providing the opportunity to interact with hundreds of relevant business leaders in a short period. The ability to meet new contacts at a three-day summit led to us establishing champions at prospective companies, which helped us navigate and close new deals. Plug and Play gave us the opportunity to build relationships, not necessarily with direct buyers, but with individuals who provided critical insights about potential customers.
Vectors to Growth and Advice
Q: What have been important vectors to Illoominus’s growth?
A: One key strategy that has significantly contributed to our growth is our community events and webinars. We’ve built a community of people leaders who regularly come together to exchange best practices and offer mutual support. These events, especially when they feature experts, provide immense value and learning opportunities for people leaders, who are often asked to do more with them. Click here to register for one of our upcoming community events or webinars!