Scale Like a CEO

Transforming Business Communication: Insights from Relayto CEO Alex Shevelenko

• Justin Reinert • Season 1 • Episode 39

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Static files don’t just slow you down—they mute your best ideas. We sit down with Alex Shevelenko, founder and CEO of Releto, to unpack how turning PDFs and PowerPoints into interactive, nonlinear experiences can unlock attention, shorten sales cycles, and finally show what your audience is engaging with. Alex shares the moment he realized great strategy was dying in folders, then walks through a practical path to adoption: keep the tools teams already use, upgrade the output, and remove change management friction.

The conversation also dives into the messy middle of hiring and scaling. Alex breaks down why scrappiness can only take you so far, how the “Interimpreneur” pipeline filters for curiosity and execution, and when to stop hedging and bring in specialists who’ve done it before. He’s candid about delegation, too: how an EA, content operators, and even “Alex GPT” help him scale without sacrificing clarity, and why most delegation fails when outcomes aren’t defined. Expect concrete signals he uses to hire—product fluency, get-it-done bias, and being a good human—and the blunt cultural norm that keeps the bar high.

Looking ahead, Alex explains why regulated, complex industries are the real proving ground for AI. Instead of tossing sensitive material into a generic model, Releto starts from approved content and uses regenerative AI to build interactive, auditable experiences at scale—exactly what compliance-heavy teams need to modernize safely. If you care about sales enablement, buyer experience, or content operations in finance, healthcare, or pharma, this is a roadmap you can actually use.

If this conversation sparked ideas, tap follow, share it with a teammate who lives in decks, and leave a quick review—what would you transform first: your sales playbook, onboarding, or customer education?

Alex:

And so we we're kind of looking for good humans. They need to be ambitious, they want to do something meaningful, they want to leave a bunch of cracks in the universe when they're done, but they can't be assholes. So we I borrowed that one from Laura Thalgard for my work Success Factors, and we had a we had a my perfect entry to interview there that there was an awful kind of rules, and one of them is like, you can have an asshole, just don't be one. And I thought that's pretty funny, and that brings you more and it kind of communicates the point.

Speaker 00:

Welcome to today's episode where we dive into the world of digital transformation with Alex Shevelenko, founder and CEO of Relato. Alex's company is revolutionizing how businesses communicate by transforming static PDFs and PowerPoints into dynamic, interactive experiences that truly engage audiences. From his days as a management consultant at top-tier firms to building a pioneering startup, Alex brings unique insights into the challenges of conveying complex ideas in our digital age. In this conversation, we'll explore his entrepreneurial journey, the art of building and scaling a startup team, and how Releto is helping companies break free from the limitations of traditional document sharing. Let's jump into this fascinating discussion about innovation, leadership, and the future of business communication.

Justin:

Alex, thanks so much for joining me on Scale Like the CEO. Just to get us started, if you wouldn't mind, give us a 90-second intro to you and your business.

Alex:

You bet. So my background is a board in the undergrad Stanford MBA that thought he was really smart and was gonna conquer the world with his ideas and consulting and helping grow um pioneering SaaS companies, software as a service companies. And it turned out that my ideas weren't lending as well as they thought they were, or I wasn't as smart as they thought I was. And one of the culprits that I came across on that journey is that all the big important complex ideas get stuck into PowerPoints and then shaved off as PDFs and then shared either in kind of websites with a bunch of download PDF links or zip folders or file sharing folders. Download's not getting the message across. So that's the idea behind relate to AI. We take important ideas that are packaged in these improved formats and turn them into all-seeming, all dancing, interactive experiences that actually connect to the humans that are supposed to engage with these ideas, help them get the most value from it, and get the get the sales if you're driving revenue, get the customers and beyond.

Justin:

So, Alex, what makes you unique in the way that you're helping your clients?

Alex:

So, what makes us fundamentally unique is that when you go in the in the storytelling mode and you're trying to say, hey, we have a new format to engage with your ideas, you essentially start saying you have to do a lot of change management. You have to throw out the tools that you're already using and use our new and shiny tool, like build websites for people that don't normally build websites. And so what we're doing is we're fundamentally saying, hey, you could still use the tools that you're familiar with. You don't have to worry about that change, but we can transform your PDF into an interactive site. We can transform your PowerPoint into a nonlinear journey that is living and is not just a file that gets shuffle to Media. So we allow people to have what they're comfortable with and at the same time reach new heights in terms of how they engage with their audience.

Justin:

That's great. So I'd love to hear a little bit about pivot a little bit and think about early days of the business and you're starting to start to grow. What are some of the challenges you encountered as you pivoted from co-founder to really building and hiring in the business?

Alex:

Well, we went through a number of challenges. So one, I think we we tended to be scrappy. We had agency heritage, so there was there was sort of a bottom line impact on how much we could bootstrap the business. And so we tended to give a shot to people that maybe didn't have the previous background in the in the in the startup world, like like I did, or my co-founder. And sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. And the lesson from that is that we needed to test whether it's gonna work more deliberately if we were taking these chances. And so we productized that over time. We we created a program for interns, which we called Interimpreneur, and some of those interns joined us as full-time team members, and they didn't have the background, and we took a bet on them. But it it wasn't a consistent program until we allowed, we had a testing period and we kind of were weeding out who's gonna waste a lot of time or who's gonna go and try to figure out stuff on their own and then be successful in a startup environment.

Justin:

I really like that for a way to build your talent pipeline is those types of internship programs where you can, for lack of better terms, try it before you buy it, right? We can try out folks and see how they're doing and then bring them into the organization and roles that that you know we can already see that they they would thrive in. At what point did you decide it was time to start hiring? Like, how did you know we've got we've got enough revenue in the bank that we can start hiring and and let's go?

Alex:

It was a combination that the scrappy approach wasn't meeting our goals. So, for example, we're I tried to become a product designer and UX designer, but there's a limit to what I could do with my technical co-founder could do. And we tried the interns that were kind of providing some or or kind of two-year UX folks that were providing some good feedback, and then we brought on a you know a pro and we saw the difference. I still think we could we had kind of a mindset of an arbitrage, we hire and bring on folks that are in emerging economies versus sitting in Palo Alto. But I think in general, it was a failure to reach success around things that were important, and that's when we needed to bring in specialists that could help us.

Justin:

Yeah, I've heard that story, similar story a few times around trying to hire hire maybe inexperienced talent where there are certain very specific skills or talents that you need and just the night and day difference of when you get that right skilled talent in and how they how they can thrive.

Alex:

I'm yeah, and I'm just saying to build on that journey like in my previous hat, where for example, at Success Factors, which was hyperscaling, I think we had a very different dynamic where we really needed to upskill and bring in new people that were ready for the next phase of hyperscaling growth in the enterprise SaaS business. And that was a very methodical process. And some people, the kind of culture carriers, you know, I put myself in that category. We could have managed to take on new roles, stay in more entrepreneurial roles, move regions, move themes, and move functions. But in general, we kind of saw that you know, in in certain areas, you just need to have at least some people who've done this thing before in a similar environment so they could provide guidance on how you build scalable processes. And so I think it's a little looser in the early stage startups, but you still have that challenge sooner or later.

Justin:

Yeah, most definitely. So, what are some of the key qualities that you're looking for when you're bringing on new folks?

Alex:

So we are a very, very dual company in terms of one, you gotta dig in and figure out the product. So we're kind of product we we may not be like pure play product blood growth, but we are product driven, and you need to be excited about the product and figure out how to use it. So one of the things that we do is we invite people to a trial version of the platform and we ask them to create something in that product, sometimes even before we talk to them. So that is sort of a way to isolate the BSers from the doers, and are they able to dig into the product? And then obviously, if they dig in, we could see the output. And so in our case, they would kind of create some sort of transformed site. And sometimes they they come at come in and they have amazing insights on like what worked, what didn't work, how they think how they would think about it, and they basically create an opportunity for themselves if that's what they're doing. Or if we have to pull it out of them, that that's another sign that they're just they haven't like a wrestled, they don't have the entrepreneurial DNA of being in an early stage environment. So the product is really core. I think the related to that, and you could sort of see throughout this, is the value of get shit done. So I used to be a management consultant, so I'm particularly sensitive to people who come back with very smart ideas but can't execute on them because you this is almost a skill that you have to untrain from people who were kind of in that background. And and I think it's also just being very pragmatic, practical, kind of thinking and quick wins without forgetting the big picture strategy. And so we could we could structure more deliberate themes around that. And then lastly, we we while we are aggressive, we we sort of believe that there is a cultural fit, and so we we're kind of looking for good humans. They need to be ambitious, they want to do something meaningful, they want to leave a bunch of cracks in the universe when they're done, but they can't be assholes. So we I borrowed that one from Laura Falgard for my work Success Factors, and we had a we had a when I perfect entry to interview there that there was an OL kind of rules, and one of them is like you can have an asshole, just don't be one. And uh and I thought that's pretty funny, and that brings humor and it kind of communicates the point. And so we we have that as uh as kind of as another theme. Like it's not very politically correct, obviously, and so but we're early stage and uh we like to mix it up.

Justin:

Yeah, I like that. And I and I also like the you know getting people just to get into the tool and explore around and and using that as a way to assess are they interested in getting to know this product, and and I would assume it also shows a bit of um curiosity. I think that you to to jump into a tool like that with no instruction and to figure something out and build it shows a definite need for curi uh curiosity and wanting to grow. So I love that. So as you grew the business, oftentimes founders reach this challenge where things are growing and they need to start delegating, but it's hard to let go of certain tasks or things. Um tell me about how how you've gone about delegation and kind of making sure that you're not taking on everything yourself.

Alex:

Always thought about predictivity, like if if you think the CEO is the the the most valuable seller and the most valuable kind of scarce resource in the company at the early stages, so you you kind of want to maximize the CEO activity on things that are value added while at the same time showing that nothing is being used to anyone in the company, right? So to be sure at the beginning I was like Mr. QA and I was doing demo prep and everything that had to be done. And then I think over time we definitely migrated to having an EA that's doing some of the scheduling support. We have for some activities on social. We have a wonderful, wonderful team member who enables me to be to be more at scale, so where I could at least have if if it requires my approval, there's something that I can work with, so it's kind of like reduces friction for for communications. We got to a point where the podcast episodes, I just record them, and then magic happens. So speaking of podcasts, I don't have to get involved in anything. We've created Alex GPT that creates sort of my voice and so allows the team to communicate the way that I would. So I think that has been kind of another lever of kind of being seen everywhere, but not at the same time, like allocating time to things that other folks could produce on. And and broadly just bring in senior leaders who are capable of kind of think being like CEOs. So we're we're thinking of ourselves as a company of founders. So that's sort of back to this entrepreneur test, or who's like it's everybody wants to be the founder. Not everybody can take on the risk, maybe all at once, but in terms of mindset, the more you have people that can take holistically control of the problem, the more the easier it is to delegate to them. And and so I don't need to get me into micromanagement mode. And when I do get into micromanagement mode, it's typically whether the task was or the process was not really worked out well. And so I need to go back and work work out what actually good looks like, and hope that's probably my fault at delegating something before we knew what success could look like. Or gave it, give it to a person who's not an expert in the space to figure it out completely on their own. So that's sort of where sometimes I've delegated something and people were more confused, was it? So then I had to go back and partner with them in figuring out what a success look like. And probably the last piece where and I'm still working on is really communicating more explicitly with what what the delegation process could look like, right? At least in terms of the desired goals and outcomes, if not specifically telling people what to do, because smart, capable people don't want to be told what to do, but we're introducing an idea like that. And that I could I could do better with. I think that's that's kind of good management hygiene. Sometimes you rough too much and you think you've communicated, but you haven't really. And so can we have uh we have the team team-wide communications where we check in and like if something if I drop the ball in communications and acknowledge it, and people help me say, hey Alex, this is really confusing and looks like we're gonna waste a lot of time trying to do something. And so that's sort of been a learning point, I would say, where I think I delegated too fast without clarity to to in some cases, and so I needed to get my own clarity of thinking on whatever is being delegated.

Justin:

Well that's great that you're open to that feedback. It's so critical when when we're trying to communicate something that we're moving really fast and we think we got the message across, and it's great that the team is willing to say, hey, this doesn't make sense. I need more information.

Alex:

Well, you need to encourage people to make sense. I think we had a few situations where people wasted cycles and came up with something that was sub sub sub-ideal for everyone. And so so I'm encouraging everybody to, hey, I'm a human, I screw up, I rushed things, I have typos, which is kind of pretty pretty embarrassing. That caused people to like decipher stuff. So I don't want anybody to be afraid of saying, hey, I didn't really follow what what's done there. And so then sometimes in a rush, I think you can the the delegator could be a problem. Even with best intentions if there's a lack of clarity.

Justin:

Yeah. So Alex, what does the future look like at Relato?

Alex:

We're we're changing the world of most important ideas. One document, one presentation, one content hub at a time. So typically the AI in the regulated and complex content is more problematic to use than it is in just very simple, simple communications. So we are very deliberate at applying what we call regenerative AI to generate interactive and engaging experiences at scale from approved content. And I think that's a problem that not commonly accepted right now. People are going for the lowest common denominator, which could be my daughter using open AI for her own work and me using the same platform for some executive functions, but in regulated compliance-heavy sectors, that doesn't work. And so that is the sweet spot that we see, and that's actually a huge opportunity because those sectors are typically late technology adopters, and they have the biggest opportunity with AI to transform how they do things, but they are hindered by by the way regulatory content is being handled.

Justin:

Great. So, Alex, your podcast is called Experience Focused Leaders, right? Yeah. Okay, great. And it's available kind of everywhere you can get podcasts.

Alex:

Everywhere you can get podcasts, it's authentic conversations, there's no structure, and we just get great, great founder CEOs of publicly listed or unicorn companies, and then thought leaders who have written books on topics like customer experience communications, and and we even had a Nobel Peace Prize winner recently.

Justin:

Incredible. Great. Well, so other than the podcast, then if folks want to reach out and get in touch with you, what's the best way to do so?

Alex:

Linton, last name Shevelenko, S-H-E-V-E-L-E-N-K-O. Alex. There's the more there's the more famous Shevelenko, my brother, who is the Chief Business Officer at Perplexity. But but there's not that many Shevelenko's out there, so do connect, follow us, and uh sign up to Relate so if you are interested in bringing your ideas to life.

Justin:

Great. Well, thank you so much, Alex.

Alex:

Thank you. This is a great chat, Justin.