# Tim Zheng

> Tim Zheng is the co-founder and chairman of Apollo.io, the sales and go-to-market software company he launched in 2015 after building prospecting tools for his education startup, BrainGenie. An MIT-trained engineer, he led Apollo through a shift from sales-led contracts to lower-priced self-service software. Matt Curl succeeded him as CEO in February 2026; Zheng remains actively involved as chairman.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & Chairman at Apollo.io
- **Organizations:** Apollo.io, BrainGenie
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Mathematics; studied Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Built BrainGenie, which Apollo says reached one million users before acquisition., Led Apollo’s transition from sales-led contracts to a product-led self-service model., Co-founded Apollo, which announced $150 million in annual recurring revenue in 2025.

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Graduated from MIT; founded education startup BrainGenie.
- **2015** — Launched Apollo after developing internal prospecting tools at BrainGenie.
- **2019-2020** — Apollo faced stalled growth and limited cash; Zheng led a reset toward lower-priced self-service software.
- **2021** — Sequoia Capital began its partnership with Apollo.
- **2023** — Apollo announced a $100 million Series D at a $1.6 billion valuation on August 29.
- **2025** — Apollo reached $150 million in annual recurring revenue in May, according to the company.
- **2026** — On February 3, Matt Curl became CEO and Zheng continued as chairman.

## Achievements

- Built BrainGenie, which Apollo says reached one million users before acquisition.
- Led Apollo’s transition from sales-led contracts to a product-led self-service model.
- Co-founded Apollo, which announced $150 million in annual recurring revenue in 2025.
- Led Apollo through a $100 million Series D financing at a $1.6 billion company valuation in 2023.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Apollo appointed Matt Curl CEO effective February 3; Zheng continued as active chairman. Apollo reported approaching $200 million in ARR and nearly 100,000 paying customers.
- **2025-11** — Discussed Apollo’s growth, product strategy, and AI ambitions with Bain Capital Ventures partner Merritt Hummer at Slush.
- **2025-10** — Appeared at ApolloNEXT with CPO Bela Stepanova and discussed Apollo’s agentic go-to-market platform.
- **2025-06** — Appeared on Topline episode 114 to discuss Apollo’s move to product-led growth and its next revenue ambitions.

## Links

- Website: https://www.apollo.io
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-zheng

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tim-zheng
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20