)
A Melbourne-based start-up that recruits Salesforce experts to solve complex or urgent issues for businesses has secured $712,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by DJ Kim – a former teacher-turned-customer who never planned to become an investor.
Founded by Michael Joo, Yomi Joseph and Luke Sheehan, Balo allows businesses to find expert advice for roughly 14 Salesforce products, specify the type of support they need and by when it is required.
For experts to join the platform, they must undergo a vetting process that involves automated assessments, approval board reviews, reference checks and live interviews prior to being accepted. Once approved, they are evaluated through client reviews and ratings.
To connect, Balo allows clients to join a video call with the expert to receive consultation, with the service charged by the minute after the first 15 minutes of receiving help.
"When Salesforce customers need hands-on support that is high-quality, fast, and affordable, it's super difficult to find the right experts, and the traditional methods take weeks or months to get started," Joo said.
"The problem we have set ourselves to solve existed 13 years ago when I started my Salesforce journey as a customer, and it's now even bigger as the technology is more complex and widely adopted.”
Since launching the platform six months ago, Balo has attracted more than 100 companies seeking Salesforce expertise, with roughly 200 vetted experts across 26 countries available to help clients.
Balo’s development pipeline also includes AI integrations, specifically AI agents to assist both users and experts. However, the focus will remain on the human expertise, with 460-plus Salesforce experts on Balo’s waitlist and 32 agencies signed up to pilot the platform.
"Our vision at Balo is to unlock every enterprise software with a 24/7 help desk powered by the top experts in the world," Joo said.
Founder of tuition college Matrix Education, DJ Kim enlisted the help of a former student - Michael Joo - to assist his team with Salesforce implementation after a consulting partner abandoned the incomplete project.
"I didn't set out to become an investor. I was just a frustrated Salesforce customer,” Kim said.
“I wasn’t investing based on a pitch deck. I was investing based on lived experience and belief in the vision - the clarity, confidence, and real impact Balo delivered at speed."
The founding team comprises Joo, who previously led over 200 Salesforce implementations, and Joseph, who also serves as the CTO, bringing over 10 years of experience in building digital products for major Australian brands, including Target and Tabcorp.
In addition, the recently appointed chief growth officer, Luke Sheehan, brings over 10 years of experience leading the small medium business sector at Salesforce before joining Balo.
Joo added that the founders made a deliberate choice not to take VC funding outside of an initial Antler investment secured over a year ago because they were focused on bringing in investors who could offer more than capital.
“We wanted people around the table who deeply understand the problem we're solving; people who've lived the Salesforce experience as customers, operators, and insiders,” Joo said.
)
