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Brian de Haaff

Co-founder and CEO at Aha!

Brian de Haaff is the co-founder and CEO of Aha!, a cloud-based software company that provides product development tools.12 He has been in this role since April 2013, leading the company to become a successful enterprise software provider with over 700,000 users.12

Aha! offers a suite of products including Aha! Roadmaps, Aha! Ideas, Aha! Whiteboards, Aha! Knowledge, and Aha! Develop, which are designed to support product managers, engineers, and product development teams in their innovation and product management processes.24

Prior to founding Aha!, Brian had extensive experience in the tech industry:

  • VP of Product Line at Citrix (Online Services Division)
  • Co-founder and CEO of Paglo (acquired by Citrix)
  • CEO of Network Chemistry (acquired by Aruba Networks)
  • VP of Product Management and Marketing at Network Chemistry
  • Senior roles at Netli, RouteScience, and Concentric Network1

Brian holds an M.S. in Marketing from Northwestern University and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from U.C. Berkeley, where he graduated cum laude.1

Under Brian's leadership, Aha! has grown to be a profitable, self-funded company with a fully remote workforce. The company is recognized for its unique approach to business, championing the Bootstrap Movement and contributing to charitable causes through Aha! Cares.13

Brian is also an author, having written the bestselling book "Lovability" about product and company growth.3 He is known for his commitment to building a company culture that prioritizes sustainable happiness and work-life integration rather than traditional work-life balance.3

Highlights

Mar 18 · twitter

I often worried that I did not have a technical degree.

That passed over time as I realized my value was understanding what customers needed and being able to position it in market in a differentiated way.

And now I can actually build applications. Who would have guessed? Strange times – especially for all the kids who got a liberal arts degree and their parents wondered what they would do with their life. We are doing just fine, thank you

Mar 16 · twitter

We started Aha! almost 13 years ago.

And every day now feels more like those early days than ever before. Customer enthusiasm for our vision of the future of product development assisted by AI is energizing. I was just on two calls where customers are already making their business cases to use Aha! Builder.

We are bootstrapped and profitable. And remote-first. No VC pressure. No drama. We build to create value for customers and the team.

It is an exciting time. We are hiring across product, engineering, customer success, and marketing: https://t.co/zgTbWpF9bg

Jan 1 · aha.io
Aha! company history
Aug 28 · aha.io
I am happy to be a founder again - Aha!
I am happy to be a founder again - Aha!
Sep 8 · en.wikipedia.org
Aha! (company) - Wikipedia

Related Questions

What inspired Brian de Haaff to start Aha!?
How did Brian de Haaff's experience at Citrix influence his leadership style at Aha?
What are some key achievements Brian de Haaff has accomplished at Aha?
How does Aha!'s approach to product development differ from other companies?
What are the main features of Aha!'s product development software?
Brian de Haaff
Brian de Haaff, photo 1
Brian de Haaff, photo 2
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Location

Palo Alto, California, United States