How Steven Hakami Built Wiza into a Modern Sales Data Powerhouse
From scrappy Chrome extension to global API. The journey of a self-funded founder who let the product lead.
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From scrappy Chrome extension to global API. The journey of a self-funded founder who let the product lead.
Steven Hakami didn’t plan on building one of the most trusted data tools in sales. He started his career cold calling for conference tickets. But necessity breeds innovation. What began as a simple LinkedIn email scraper evolved into Wiza, a self-funded SaaS company powering sales teams, GTM tools, and APIs used by platforms like Clay, Instantly, and more.
In this episode of Knocking to 10, Steven walks through his founder journey, why real-time data wins, and how Wiza scaled from side project to seven figures without outside funding.
Key Takeaway: If the tools in your stack can’t keep up with your pace, build one that does. Then test for broader demand once it works for you.
Steven’s first sales job required him to move fast. Selling B2B tickets to rotating conferences meant he had four weeks to build a prospect list in a new city and start generating results. Most databases were outdated. So he built a lightweight internal tool that exported LinkedIn Sales Nav searches, found emails via API, verified them, and returned a spreadsheet—charging just 15 cents per result.
“I just needed something that worked better than the tools we had. I wasn’t trying to start a company at first—I just wanted faster data.”
Key Takeaway: Before building a brand or hiring sales, look for signs that your product solves a real pain. Wiza’s early users didn’t need convincing—they just needed a link.
Steven launched Wiza on Product Hunt with modest expectations. But this time felt different. Unlike past projects, the traction was immediate. Real revenue started rolling in.
“I’ve got screenshots of us doing $60, $70 in a day and thinking, ‘This is insane.’ It wasn’t a ton of money, but it felt real.”
Wiza became a viral, word-of-mouth tool that gained thousands of users before the team was even in double digits.
Like many founders, Steven had a long list of failed product names. For Wiza, he started with "Wizard" but couldn’t get the domain. A developer pointed out the SEO nightmare of trying to rank for “wizard,” so he made up a name instead. Wiza.co was born. A few years later, they acquired the coveted wiza.com domain.
“I wanted to call it Wizard. My developer said, ‘No one will ever find us.’ So I made something up. Wiza felt right.”
Key Takeaway: Wiza doesn’t just store contact data like ZoomInfo or Apollo. It finds it in real time. That distinction is the product’s edge.
Unlike traditional databases that rely on static contact lists, Wiza verifies emails and phone numbers dynamically. It formats, validates, and corrects contacts as they’re requested.
“We describe Wiza as software that finds data, not a contact database. That lets us take more shots, get higher accuracy, and adapt to real-world changes.”
This approach means if someone leaves a job, Wiza’s system can detect the change, update the contact info, and deliver more reliable data.
Key Takeaway: Don’t overbuild a sales team until your product and pipeline are ready. Let PLG fund your roadmap. Then scale when the time is right.
Wiza’s early success came entirely from PLG and inbound. But once the product reached a maturity tipping point, Steven knew it was time to invest in sales. The sales team is now 10+ strong, with outbound, inbound, and PLG all working in concert.
“We waited until we were confident the sales team could scale. It took longer than we thought, but now that it’s working, it’s compounding fast.”
Key Takeaway: Strategic API partnerships with platforms like Clay helped Wiza grow its footprint and reputation faster than traditional channels.
Steven credits his VP of Marketing, Mike, for pushing to deepen Wiza’s integration with Clay early on. That led to millions of monthly API calls and recognition as one of the most accurate data providers in Clay’s ecosystem.
“They ranked us as the number one enterprise email provider they tested. That validation mattered and gave us a huge credibility boost.”
Key Takeaway: Wiza is a self-funded company, but it plays with scale. From hosting Tech Week parties in NYC to launching enterprise features like Wiza Monitor, Steven is building a lasting brand on his own terms.
The decision to stay self-funded (for now) was intentional. Wiza doubled year after year by investing only in what worked.
“We don’t spend where we don’t see ROI. That’s helped us stay lean, focused, and in control.”
What’s next for Wiza? More data signals. More precision. And more ways to help sellers find the right person at the right time.
Steven’s team is currently investing in:
And yes—they’re still planning a Knock2 x Wiza DJ party someday soon.
🔗 Learn more at wiza.ai
📨 Follow Steven Hakami on LinkedIn
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