Kong hires Bruce Felt as Finance Chief for growth push

Kong has appointed Bruce Felt as Chief Financial Officer, adding a finance executive with experience in public listings at software companies.

Felt joins the software group from Domo, where he served as Chief Financial Officer and worked on the company's move into the public markets. Earlier in his career, he held the top finance role at FullTime Software and SuccessFactors, and was involved in acquisitions, strategic transactions and international expansion.

The appointment comes as Kong expands its API and AI connectivity software business. Felt has led finance teams at companies ranging from early-stage operations to larger global organisations.

His track record includes taking three companies public as Chief Financial Officer: FullTime Software, SuccessFactors and Domo. That gives Kong a finance chief with direct experience scaling software businesses through periods of organisational change.

Before joining Kong, Felt built a broader portfolio of board roles across listed and privately held companies. He currently serves on the boards of Veradigm, Human Interest, Betterworks and Cambium Networks, and has also held board and audit committee leadership positions.

Finance role

The Chief Financial Officer oversees budgeting, financial controls, investor relations and capital planning. At software companies looking to broaden their market reach, the role often grows in importance as they add products, enter new geographies or consider strategic transactions.

Kong did not disclose financial terms of the appointment. It described the move as part of a broader effort to strengthen its leadership team as the business develops.

"Bruce has repeatedly helped high-growth software companies scale through transformative periods, pairing operational discipline with strategic insight and several crossings into public markets. As Kong continues to expand its leadership in API and AI connectivity, his experience building durable, globally scaled organisations will be a unique asset in our next journey," said Augusto Marietti, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Kong.

"He brings the right mix of operational rigor and public company experience, while keeping a growth-oriented profile. We're extremely excited to welcome Bruce onto the Kong team, and I look forward to partnering with and learning from him," added Marietti.

Company context

Kong develops software used to connect, manage and govern application programming interfaces and AI-related traffic. Businesses use such tools to oversee how software services and models communicate across cloud environments and internal systems.

The market for API management and related software continues to draw interest as companies integrate more applications and AI services into daily operations. That has increased attention on vendors that can provide a common layer for security, administration and monitoring across different systems.

In that environment, finance leaders are expected to support not only reporting and compliance, but also decisions on investment, hiring and the pace of expansion. Software groups often recruit executives with public company experience as they mature and face more complex operating demands.

Felt's career reflects that pattern. At Domo, he was part of a cloud software business focused on analytics and business intelligence, and his earlier roles placed him at companies moving through important phases of growth and capital markets activity.

He has also worked in environments ranging from early-stage companies to larger enterprises with global operations. That mix of experience suggests Kong is seeking financial oversight suited to a business balancing growth ambitions with tighter operational control.

The appointment also underlines demand for senior finance executives with both transaction experience and board-level credentials. Felt continues to serve on several boards, including Veradigm, Human Interest, Betterworks and Cambium Networks.

His record includes three stock market debuts as Chief Financial Officer: FullTime Software, SuccessFactors and Domo.