Zello
Zello is a walkie-talkie app that processes over 10 billion messages monthly, serving users in 200+ countries. The 199-person company raised $21M in a 2022 Series A.
The growth story
Zello grew from 96 to 199 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $21M along the way, most recently a Series A in June 2022.
About
Zello turns smartphones into push-to-talk devices with features like message replay and location tracking. It targets frontline workers and emergency responders who need instant voice communication over cellular or Wi-Fi networks.
The company has scaled globally since its 2012 founding, reaching its Series A funding 10 years later. Its Austin-based engineering team makes up 13% of staff.
Founders and leadership
Engineering is the largest department with 26 employees. Leadership includes alumni from Quorum Software and Avathon, where several early hires originated.
The Zello org chart
Alex Gavrilov (CEO & Founder) leads 36 mapped leaders with 5 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 33 (-8% YoY), Sales 32 (+88% YoY), Business Development 20 (+18% YoY), Operations 19 (0% YoY), Information Technology 10 (0% YoY), Arts and Design 9 (+29% YoY).
Talent flow
The team draws heavily from local Texas universities (13 UT Austin grads) and tech firms like Oracle and Apple. Alumni frequently start their own companies, with 7 Zello-founded ventures tracked.
Most common previous employers of Zello staff: Quorum Software (4), Avathon (4), Oracle (3), The University of Texas at Austin (3), Amazon (3), Apple (2). Former Zello employees most often moved to Amazon (2), Postman (2), Taiv (1), Prodcast Production (1), KA Works (1), Bestow (1).
Alumni worth knowing
The Zello mafia
Former employees launched 7 companies including Headquarters Health (12 staff) and Prodcast Production (6 staff). The startup rate suggests strong entrepreneurial culture.
7Orestis Skoutellas, was Product Manager until 2021Anna Naumova, was Senior Product Manager until 2022Ridwan Faniyi, was Senior Software Engineer - Android until 2022Maksim Bolotin, was Manager until 2020Kedaar C. Sridhar, was Product Advocate until 2023Alexander H., was Director of Customer Success until 2023
Veronika Zaslavskaia, was Co-founder and COO for Russia and Central Asia until 2019Hiring now
Web traffic
Traffic mix: 45% direct, 34% search, 3% social, 1% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Zello: Leadership (51), Management (42), Customer Service (40), Microsoft Office (38), Microsoft Excel (31), Sales (28), Project Management (28), Marketing (25).
Where the team actually sits
Zello people are concentrated in Texas, United States (49), Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area (17), United States (4), Arkansas, United States (2).
Search footprint
Zello attracts about 12,700 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $32K a month if bought through ads. It gained 836 ranking keywords and lost 638 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 4.00 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.50 / 5
- Senior management
- 3.40 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 3.90 / 5
Frequently asked
Zello has 199 employees as of September 2026.
Zello has raised $21M in total, most recently a Series A round in June 2022.
Zello was founded in 2012 by Alex Gavrilov, Eugene Mymrin.
Alex Gavrilov (CEO & Founder) sits at the top of Zello's reporting structure, with 5 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Zello staff are Quorum Software (4 people), Avathon (4 people), Oracle (3 people).
Former Zello employees most often move to Amazon (2), Postman (2), Taiv (1).
At least 7 companies have a founder who previously worked at Zello, including Headquarters Health, Prodcast Production, WhereT.
Zello attracts about 12,700 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $32K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Zello staff are Leadership, Management, Customer Service, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel.
Zello staff are concentrated in Texas, United States (49), Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area (17), United States (4).
Zello has about 33 people in Engineering, down 8% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Zello has about 32 people in Sales, up 88% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 85 current and 123 former Zello profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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