Not Another CEO Podcast

What’s it really like to build a SaaS company from scratch, not just once but twice? In this episode, David talks to Thomas Pedersen, the serial entrepreneur who co-founded OneLogin and now leads Bunny, a bootstrapped billing platform for B2B SaaS.

Thomas also opens up about co-founding two companies with his brother, surviving a major security breach, and how he’s approaching company-building differently this time around.

 
Takeaways:
  • Why Thomas Is Bootstrapping This Time: After raising $175 million for OneLogin, Thomas opted to bootstrap Bunny, focusing on control and long-term product quality. He discusses how this choice affects hiring, spending, and overall company culture.
  • Bringing the Band Back Together: Bunny’s small but mighty team includes engineers from OneLogin. Thomas shares why working with trusted colleagues has helped them execute quickly and avoid early hiring pitfalls.
  • The Grind Creates the Bond: Reflecting on the early OneLogin years, Thomas explains how hard work and shared struggle helped forge lasting relationships and why people often want to work with him again.
  • Building with His Brother, Again: Thomas co-founded both of his startups with his brother. He explains how they complement each other technically, navigate disagreements, and have grown even closer through the experience.
  • Remote from Day One: From commuting weekly between LA and San Francisco during OneLogin’s VC-fueled growth to now working from a boat in the Mediterranean, Thomas discusses why Bunny is remote-first and when in-person still matters.
  • Lessons from a Security Breach: A major breach at OneLogin could have destroyed the company. Thomas details how transparency and direct communication with customers helped them retain trust and bounce back.

Quote of the Show:
  • "It’s really hard to get a design partner… I wish every Saas or every startup could find a customer like that." - Thomas Pedersen

Links:

Ways to Tune In:

#NotAnotherCEO #BusinessSuccess #bunny

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:32 Building Bunny: Lessons from OneLogin
02:39 Team Dynamics and Hiring Strategies
05:59 Working with Family: A Brother's Partnership
10:55 Remote Work and Company Culture
16:40 Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital
23:37 Marketing and Personal Branding
28:46 Passion for Solving Business Problems
31:21 The Importance of Solving Business Problems
31:38 Challenges and Solutions in Billing
33:24 Early Days of OneLogin
33:40 Building SAML Integrations
36:20 Acquiring First Customers for Bunny
37:35 The Role of Design Partners
41:28 Handling Security Breaches
45:04 Transparency and Customer Trust
48:09 Future of Bunny
50:46 Entrepreneurial Journey and Background
54:45 Mentorship
59:13 Advice to His Younger Self
01:03:04 Outro

Creators and Guests

Host
David Politis
Producer
Alex Fischer
Guest
Thomas Pedersen

What is Not Another CEO Podcast?

Our mission is to bend the curve for Founders and CEOs.

At Not Another CEO, we know there’s no formula for running a business. Leadership is forged through unique journeys, real challenges, and hard lessons. Our exclusive content showcases unfiltered stories and practical guidance from those who’ve crawled through the trenches. Our platform offers the largest library of CEO insights and how-to guides, sourced directly from a diverse community of leaders.

Find our full video library, detailed playbooks, deep dives, and lessons learned on our Substack here ➡️ https://notanotherceo.substack.com/