Our digitalised society wouldn’t function as we know it without APIs. Put simply, APIs are the digital contracts that underpin modern software – governing how systems and organisations exchange data. Yet as digital infrastructures grow more complex, APIs alone are no longer enough. Increasingly, technology is being built on event streams, real-time data, and AI agents – and all of it needs to be managed with the same rigour, ensuring things like security, discoverability, and observability.
That’s where Gravitee comes in. The company has grown from four people and half a million dollars in revenue to over 130 employees and more than $25 million in revenue. Today, it is recognised as a Gartner Leader in API Management. We spoke with CEO Rory Blundell about Gravitee’s journey, its values, and what it takes to scale a company built for the long term.
Q&A with Rory Blundell
What does Gravitee do, and why does it matter?
Gravitee is the leader in agentic API and event management. At its core, an API is a formal agreement – a contract – that governs how data is exchanged between different systems or parties. The role of an API manager is to oversee and enforce the rules of this exchange, much like a host regulating access and privileges in a home.
Imagine if every time you entered a room, your entry depended not just on your arrival but on where you’d come from. Perhaps you’d be allowed into this room up to five times a day if you’d visited a grocery store, but only three times if you’d come from a pharmacy. Additionally, your path inside the house might vary; those arriving from the grocery store could access the kitchen, while pharmacy visitors could only enter the living room.
Think of the API manager as the intelligent front door of this house, discerning who should be let in, how often, and which rooms they may enter. Just as the door enforces these personalised rules, so too does an API manager carefully control, track, and optimise the flow and access of information between systems, ensuring security and consistency throughout every interaction.
Traditional API management focused on request-response interactions. Today, organisations need the same security, discoverability, and observability applied to real-time data streams (such as tracking an Uber driver or Deliveroo food delivery) and AI agents. This is another layer of complexity. Gravitee provides a single pane of glass that makes this possible in a simple, integrated way.
What type of companies use Gravitee’s services, and what would you say makes Gravitee stand out?
Our customers are typically mid-to-large tech-forward organisations in Europe and North America. Examples range from major sports organisations, which use Gravitee to monetise live player data for betting insights, to charities, where Gravitee underpins life-saving alerts at sea, and strong brands such as Swiss Post, Eurostar and Michelin.
I’d like to call out two things that set Gravitee apart. The first is our ability to provide consistent security, discoverability, and observability across APIs, event streams, and AI agents all through a single pane of glass. And we do it in a way that’s simple and seamless, not a Frankenstein patchwork of different acquisitions. That ease of use, combined with true technical differentiation, is what makes Gravitee unique.
The second thing I’d like to highlight is that we genuinely care about our customers. I can’t stress enough how much I personally care about their success. It’s vital to us as an organisation. I still make the time to be deeply involved in customer interactions by visiting them in person, understanding their challenges, and making sure we deliver. You could call it a white-glove approach, but really it’s about a simple philosophy: if our customers succeed, we succeed. That commitment is what truly sets Gravitee apart.
How would you describe your leadership style, and what does culture mean at Gravitee?
My leadership style is direct, results-oriented, and action-oriented. That carries through into our culture, which we’ve distilled into three values: passion, hold nothing back, and professionalism.
I want to see passion in our people. Whether it’s for APIs or skiing, passion drives energy and hunger. “Hold nothing back” means delivering for customers no matter what it takes. And professionalism underpins everything: honesty, candour, and respect in how we operate.
We’ve built Gravitee as a global, distributed organisation. To succeed, you need standards of communication, respect for different perspectives, and the willingness to over-communicate when needed. That’s how we’ve grown so rapidly.
How do you think about partnerships and support on the growth journey?
Growing at speed inevitably brings challenges, and it’s important to have partners who will be direct and honest when it matters. For that to work, you need a foundation of trust – the willingness to challenge each other and the shared goal of getting better. At Gravitee we’ve built that environment, operating with complete candour both within the leadership team and at board level. My view is that anyone in a senior role, or on the board, should be able to sit alongside the leadership team and roll their sleeves up.
Take our Series C, for example. It was a six to seven month process — lengthy, complex, and full of negotiation. Having partners who leaned in, helped sharpen the story, and worked with us to secure the right outcome was invaluable.
What advice would you give entrepreneurs when it comes to choosing investors?
Choose investors you can be open with. Growth means tough conversations, and you want people around the table who don’t shy away from candour. The best relationships are the ones where you can challenge each other in an environment of trust.
Gravitee has scaled rapidly – what are you most proud of?
Five years ago we were four people and half a million dollars in revenue. Today we’re one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the UK, with $25 million in revenue and 200+ customers worldwide. But what I’m most proud of isn’t the numbers, it’s that we’re building something truly differentiated and sustainable.
Looking ahead, what excites you most about Gravitee’s future?
APIs, event streams, and AI agents are converging. Organisations want consistent, secure, and observable ways to manage all three. Gravitee is uniquely positioned to deliver that. What excites me most is not just the growth opportunity, but the chance to build something solid. Our ambition is to be a company that lasts, not just one that grows fast.
Key lessons & learnings from Gravitee’s journey
- Update the model: what worked for APIs 20 years ago must evolve for event streams and AI.
- Culture drives scale: passion, candour, and professionalism sustain growth.
- Customer success is company success: high-touch engagement creates long-term impact.
- Alignment matters: shared values and trust enable tough conversations and better outcomes.
- Think long-term: build companies that endure, not just grow fast.
