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Nov 11, 2021 · 27m · top-founders

Yva.ai Targeting $8m Raise for HR Tech Tool Competing with 15Five

David Yang · 15m spoken Nathan Latka · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this interview on Conversations with Nathan Latka, Yva.ai co-founder and CEO David Yang discusses the company's AI-driven continuous employee listening platform, its spinout from ABBYY, SaaS commercial mechanics, and plans for an upcoming $8 million funding round.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 32.7% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 5.4 Guest teaching 3.6 Guest disagreement 3.0 Nathan pushing back 4.9
05100:0010:0020:000:51–3:17 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Introducing Yva.ai: Value Proposition and Pricing Structure Nathan drills down methodically into customer sizes, seat counts, and pricing models ($5/mo per employee). David explains standard contract onboarding and seat tier structures cooperatively.3:19–6:44 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Platform Capabilities, User Reach, and Early Seed Funding Nathan presses on real-time customer counts and paid vs unpaid employee users. David dodges current numbers, stating he would rather skip disclosing current customer figures.6:49–8:57 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Origins at ABBYY and the Corporate Spinoff Story Nathan examines ABBYY's founding and the spinoff history. David corrects Nathan's assumption that he owns 100% of ABBYY, detailing early employee shareholding.8:57–12:11 · Nathan as informed peer 8/10 Debate on Fundraising Strategy versus Product-Market Fit David tries to dismiss early fundraising discussions in favor of product-market fit. Nathan directly pushes back, pointing out that David led with his upcoming Series A and notes many founders raise before PMF.12:11–14:53 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 AI-Driven Continuous Listening vs. Traditional HR Surveys David educates Nathan on passive vs active organizational signals and real-time AI surveys versus annual HR tech surveys. Nathan asks for concrete differentiation against competitors.14:57–18:55 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Sponsor Break: Flatfile Data Onboarding Solo host sponsor ad break for Flatfile data onboarding; no guest dialogue.18:56–24:16 · Nathan as informed peer 7/10 Clarifying Revenue Models and Customer Definition Nathan challenges David's customer definitions when David admits not all 496 are paying. Nathan asserts unpaid users are not customers, while David pushes back on Nathan's aggressive questioning before discussing valuation multiples.0:51–3:17 · Guest teaching 3/10 Introducing Yva.ai: Value Proposition and Pricing Structure Nathan drills down methodically into customer sizes, seat counts, and pricing models ($5/mo per employee). David explains standard contract onboarding and seat tier structures cooperatively.3:19–6:44 · Guest teaching 2/10 Platform Capabilities, User Reach, and Early Seed Funding Nathan presses on real-time customer counts and paid vs unpaid employee users. David dodges current numbers, stating he would rather skip disclosing current customer figures.6:49–8:57 · Guest teaching 4/10 Origins at ABBYY and the Corporate Spinoff Story Nathan examines ABBYY's founding and the spinoff history. David corrects Nathan's assumption that he owns 100% of ABBYY, detailing early employee shareholding.8:57–12:11 · Guest teaching 5/10 Debate on Fundraising Strategy versus Product-Market Fit David tries to dismiss early fundraising discussions in favor of product-market fit. Nathan directly pushes back, pointing out that David led with his upcoming Series A and notes many founders raise before PMF.12:11–14:53 · Guest teaching 7/10 AI-Driven Continuous Listening vs. Traditional HR Surveys David educates Nathan on passive vs active organizational signals and real-time AI surveys versus annual HR tech surveys. Nathan asks for concrete differentiation against competitors.14:57–18:55 · Guest teaching 0/10 Sponsor Break: Flatfile Data Onboarding Solo host sponsor ad break for Flatfile data onboarding; no guest dialogue.18:56–24:16 · Guest teaching 4/10 Clarifying Revenue Models and Customer Definition Nathan challenges David's customer definitions when David admits not all 496 are paying. Nathan asserts unpaid users are not customers, while David pushes back on Nathan's aggressive questioning before discussing valuation multiples.0:51–3:17 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Introducing Yva.ai: Value Proposition and Pricing Structure Nathan drills down methodically into customer sizes, seat counts, and pricing models ($5/mo per employee). David explains standard contract onboarding and seat tier structures cooperatively.3:19–6:44 · Guest disagreement 4/10 Platform Capabilities, User Reach, and Early Seed Funding Nathan presses on real-time customer counts and paid vs unpaid employee users. David dodges current numbers, stating he would rather skip disclosing current customer figures.6:49–8:57 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Origins at ABBYY and the Corporate Spinoff Story Nathan examines ABBYY's founding and the spinoff history. David corrects Nathan's assumption that he owns 100% of ABBYY, detailing early employee shareholding.8:57–12:11 · Guest disagreement 6/10 Debate on Fundraising Strategy versus Product-Market Fit David tries to dismiss early fundraising discussions in favor of product-market fit. Nathan directly pushes back, pointing out that David led with his upcoming Series A and notes many founders raise before PMF.12:11–14:53 · Guest disagreement 2/10 AI-Driven Continuous Listening vs. Traditional HR Surveys David educates Nathan on passive vs active organizational signals and real-time AI surveys versus annual HR tech surveys. Nathan asks for concrete differentiation against competitors.14:57–18:55 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Sponsor Break: Flatfile Data Onboarding Solo host sponsor ad break for Flatfile data onboarding; no guest dialogue.18:56–24:16 · Guest disagreement 6/10 Clarifying Revenue Models and Customer Definition Nathan challenges David's customer definitions when David admits not all 496 are paying. Nathan asserts unpaid users are not customers, while David pushes back on Nathan's aggressive questioning before discussing valuation multiples.0:51–3:17 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Introducing Yva.ai: Value Proposition and Pricing Structure Nathan drills down methodically into customer sizes, seat counts, and pricing models ($5/mo per employee). David explains standard contract onboarding and seat tier structures cooperatively.3:19–6:44 · Nathan pushing back 6/10 Platform Capabilities, User Reach, and Early Seed Funding Nathan presses on real-time customer counts and paid vs unpaid employee users. David dodges current numbers, stating he would rather skip disclosing current customer figures.6:49–8:57 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Origins at ABBYY and the Corporate Spinoff Story Nathan examines ABBYY's founding and the spinoff history. David corrects Nathan's assumption that he owns 100% of ABBYY, detailing early employee shareholding.8:57–12:11 · Nathan pushing back 8/10 Debate on Fundraising Strategy versus Product-Market Fit David tries to dismiss early fundraising discussions in favor of product-market fit. Nathan directly pushes back, pointing out that David led with his upcoming Series A and notes many founders raise before PMF.12:11–14:53 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 AI-Driven Continuous Listening vs. Traditional HR Surveys David educates Nathan on passive vs active organizational signals and real-time AI surveys versus annual HR tech surveys. Nathan asks for concrete differentiation against competitors.14:57–18:55 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Sponsor Break: Flatfile Data Onboarding Solo host sponsor ad break for Flatfile data onboarding; no guest dialogue.18:56–24:16 · Nathan pushing back 8/10 Clarifying Revenue Models and Customer Definition Nathan challenges David's customer definitions when David admits not all 496 are paying. Nathan asserts unpaid users are not customers, while David pushes back on Nathan's aggressive questioning before discussing valuation multiples.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 47.7% · guest 52.3%0:00 · Nathan 47.7% · guest 52.3%3:00 · Nathan 20.8% · guest 79.2%3:00 · Nathan 20.8% · guest 79.2%6:00 · Nathan 30.7% · guest 69.3%6:00 · Nathan 30.7% · guest 69.3%9:00 · Nathan 25.1% · guest 74.9%9:00 · Nathan 25.1% · guest 74.9%12:00 · Nathan 17% · guest 83%12:00 · Nathan 17% · guest 83%15:00 · Nathan 57.7% · guest 42.3%15:00 · Nathan 57.7% · guest 42.3%18:00 · Nathan 41% · guest 59%18:00 · Nathan 41% · guest 59%21:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%21:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%24:00 · Nathan 22.6% · guest 77.4%24:00 · Nathan 22.6% · guest 77.4%27:00 · Nathan 96.3% · guest 3.7%27:00 · Nathan 96.3% · guest 3.7%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 20:05 David calls out Nathan's aggressive insistence

David pushes back against Nathan's line of questioning, stating Nathan is overly insistent on numbers they do not disclose.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 19:26 Nathan denies non-paying users are customers

Nathan immediately rejects David's framing of customer metrics, telling him flatly that non-paying accounts are users rather than customers.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 13:54 David explains passive network analytics in HR tech

David explains how passive listening through Slack and Microsoft Teams provides continuous behavioral signal unlike legacy annual survey competitors.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 9:29 Nathan catches David contradicting himself on fundraising

Nathan counters David's claim that fundraising is the last thing founders should think about by pointing out David opened the interview highlighting his upcoming Series A.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Introducing Yva.ai: Value Proposition and Pricing Structure 6314 Nathan drills down methodically into customer sizes, seat counts, and pricing models ($5/mo per employee). David explains standard contract onboarding and seat tier structures cooperatively.
Platform Capabilities, User Reach, and Early Seed Funding 6246 Nathan presses on real-time customer counts and paid vs unpaid employee users. David dodges current numbers, stating he would rather skip disclosing current customer figures.
Origins at ABBYY and the Corporate Spinoff Story 6424 Nathan examines ABBYY's founding and the spinoff history. David corrects Nathan's assumption that he owns 100% of ABBYY, detailing early employee shareholding.
Debate on Fundraising Strategy versus Product-Market Fit 8568 David tries to dismiss early fundraising discussions in favor of product-market fit. Nathan directly pushes back, pointing out that David led with his upcoming Series A and notes many founders raise before PMF.
AI-Driven Continuous Listening vs. Traditional HR Surveys 5724 David educates Nathan on passive vs active organizational signals and real-time AI surveys versus annual HR tech surveys. Nathan asks for concrete differentiation against competitors.
Sponsor Break: Flatfile Data Onboarding 0000 Solo host sponsor ad break for Flatfile data onboarding; no guest dialogue.
Clarifying Revenue Models and Customer Definition 7468 Nathan challenges David's customer definitions when David admits not all 496 are paying. Nathan asserts unpaid users are not customers, while David pushes back on Nathan's aggressive questioning before discussing valuation multiples.

Statements from this episode (14)

Disclosure
Yang: Yva.ai charges about $5 per month per employee
“It's a four to nine dollars per employee per year. Basically it's about five dollars per month per employee.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 2:31
Disclosure
Yang: Yva.ai clients expand company-wide within 3 to 6 months
“It's initially it kind of starts with hundreds to a thousand between 101,000 employees depending on the size of the organization. And in three, six months, they typically expand to sometimes to the whole population.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 2:45
Assertion Not checkable as stated
David Yang: Yva.ai can predict employee resignations before decisions are made
“This technology can predict employees' resignation even before employees actually decided to resign.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 3:35
Assertion Not checkable as stated
David Yang: Over 200,000 employees are connected to Yva.ai
“It's right now it's already above 200,000 employees.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 4:07
Assertion Not checkable as stated
David Yang: Yva.ai grew to 496 connected organizations in 2020
“We started actually we started sales end of 2019. We had only 49 paying customers in the beginning of last year, but we grew up we grew a hundred, excuse me, 10 times during last year and ended up with 496 No employer co connected organizations end of last yea…”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 4:13
Disclosure
David Yang: Yva.ai raised $12M to date and is targeting $8M round
“So far we raised twelve million dollars and we will be raising eight million dollars in our current upcoming current round.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 6:04
Assertion Supported
David Yang: ABBYY employs 1,300 people with 50M global users
“My largest organization called ABBYY.com. It's a leading company 1300 employees fifty million users worldwide.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 6:55
Disclosure
David Yang: Yva.ai spun out of ABBYY with $3M in funding
“Eva started as a design lab inside ABBYY. And when we spun off the company, it was just three million dollars we received right away when we spun out the company.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 7:07
Assertion Contradicted
Yang: Yva.ai is probably only HR tool integrating collaboration sources
“We are the only company in the world, probably, at least I don't know anyone else, who connects system to collaboration sources like Microsoft Teams, Select, Jira, GitHub, and other collaboration circles.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 13:58
Disclosure
Yang: Yva.ai employs 65 to 68 people and will surpass 100 soon
“We are 65 about right now we're drawing, it's maybe 68 and we're going to be over a hundred employees soon.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 16:07
Insight
Yang: Toxic managers and resignation risk become acute at 100+ employees
“The actual pain points with informal leaders, Detached to you leaders, toxic managers, no resignation prediction, all that starts playing when you are a hundred or a thousand employees and above.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 18:30
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Yang: Not all 496 Yva.ai customers at year-end 2020 were paying
“496 customers we had by the end of last year, not all of them were paying.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 19:16
Disclosure
Yang says Yva.ai requires a refundable 12-month deposit for free trials
“We provide three months for free. So it's they for, from some amount we require a 12 months deposit, which is A hundred percent refundable if company is not decided not to continue after the three months of free.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 19:44
Opinion
David Yang: $3M SaaS revenue can fetch a $100M+ valuation
“Three million dollar revenue would give you in many cases even more than a hundred million dollar valuation.”
David Yang Nov 11, 2021 ▶ 23:40
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