In 2014, Venezuela found itself at the epicenter of global attention due to widespread protests against government corruption and human rights violations. Amid the chaos, communication became a matter of survival.
Zello, a push-to-talk voice messaging app, emerged as a critical tool for protesters, allowing them to coordinate safely and efficiently. The app’s ability to bypass traditional communication barriers made it indispensable in the face of internet blackouts and government surveillance.
For Naruby Bollom, Zello’s impact in Venezuela was more than a headline.
Born and raised in Venezuela, Bollom had moved to the United States in 1997 but maintained deep ties to her homeland. The protests in 2014 brought Zello into her life in a profound way when her brother, a journalist, visited her in Austin and expressed interest in interviewing Zello’s founders about the app’s role in the protests.
Bollom reached out to the company, and her request led to a meeting with then-CEO Bill Moore and the team at Zello’s small office in Clarksville.
“We took Bill to lunch to thank him for Zello’s impact in Venezuela,” Bollom recalled, “but he insisted on treating us instead.”
This act of generosity left another lasting impression, foreshadowing the values and culture Bollom would later experience as a Zello employee.
Fast forward to December 2023, when Bollom was exploring new career opportunities. Learning about an opening at Zello, she immediately felt a pull toward the company. Soon thereafter, she joined the company as the global alliances manager.
“Joining Zello has been a full-circle moment,” she said. “It’s allowed me to support a mission that made a difference in my country and continues to enable critical communication worldwide. My journey with Zello began long before I joined the company, but formally becoming part of the team was an incredible experience.”
Zello’s onboarding process is designed to integrate new hires seamlessly into its mission-driven culture, and for Bollom, the most memorable aspect was the people.
“Everyone was so welcoming and passionate about the work,” she said. “It’s clear that the team is deeply committed to Zello’s mission of enabling real-time, reliable communication.”
Zello’s product continues to play a pivotal role in crisis situations, including natural disasters, emergency response and workplace communications. Its ability to connect people in real time without traditional cellular service has made it a lifeline for many communities around the world. For Bollom, being part of a company that stands at the intersection of technology and social impact is deeply meaningful.
Reflecting on her journey, Bollom sees her role at Zello as more than a job; it’s a way to give back.
“Zello’s mission resonated with me on a personal level long before I joined the team,” she said. “Now, I get to contribute to that mission every day.”
“Zello’s mission resonated with me on a personal level long before I joined the team.”
Built In heard more from Bollom about her journey to join the company and her plans for the journey ahead.
What pleasantly surprised you after you joined?
The breadth of learning that takes place in this company! I haven’t been through a learning curve like this one since the first semester of the MBA program at McCombs School of Business — hook ’em horns!
Not only was I learning a new industry and a new partner ecosystem, but also learning about all of the industries that Zello serves. In less than a year, I’ve been to an aviation summit, manufacturing industry conferences, a construction industry conference and even a conference targeting cruise lines — and next month I’m excited to attend NRF targeting the retail industry. It’s been fascinating to learn how Zello makes a difference for frontline workers in all of these industries.
When did you know you made the right choice in joining your company?
Very early on, leadership trusted my experience and expertise, and gave me ownership of our most strategic partner relationships. Managing these relationships while building a partner program that scales are my favorite aspects of the role.
When you lead partnerships, it’s just as important to build internal alliances as it is to build external ones. I have leaned on every single team within Zello at one point or other for partner initiatives. Everyone here is so smart and the team really comes together to support one another and move the ball forward.
How have you hit the ground running since you joined?
I hit the ground running by saying ‘yes’ to all partner-related questions, tasks, requests and meetings. It was the best way to learn all aspects of the business and become engrossed in the industry. Now that I have a good grasp on the business and the industry, I’ve developed a partner strategy focusing on the levers that will have the most significant impact on our growth. In the next year, I’m most excited to continue executing this strategy and significantly grow partner-sourced revenue at Zello.
What aspect of your professional growth are you most excited to evolve?
Zello has all of the ingredients needed to build a very successful partner program, and I’m very driven to bring them all together and make it happen.
One of those ingredients is data. I absolutely love how data driven Zello is. We have a very strong revenue operations/data team and I’m very excited to continue working closely with them to ensure we track all partner activity in our CRM, define metrics of success and accurately measure partner traction
