By Remy Huff
Behind every great company is a story, and behind Seel is a visionary founder whose journey reflects ambition, resilience, and an unwavering belief in empowering people. From his roots in sales and entrepreneurship to his current role as a change-maker in the tech
ecosystem, Steven Kinvi’s story is one of dedication to making complex systems simpler and opportunities accessible to all.
Before Seel, Steven honed his skills at Hugo Boss, not as an executive but as a dedicated inside sales specialist. For seven years, he built relationships, delivered exceptional service, and even trained peers—all while attending college. This period taught him the art of people management, the nuances of exceeding expectations, and the discipline of balancing responsibilities.
But it wasn’t just about selling suits. It was about understanding people, their aspirations, and how a personalized approach could transform a simple transaction into a memorable experience. These lessons formed the foundation of his later ventures.
Fueled by a desire to innovate, he founded ActaFun.com, an activity-booking platform designed to simplify how people connect and create experiences. Over 4 years, ActaFun onboarded 500+ activity providers across 5 European countries and attracted thousands of users.
While COVID-19 eventually forced the platform to close, it didn’t diminish his entrepreneurial spirit. Instead, the experience of building, scaling, and pivoting through challenges shaped his approach to leadership and innovation. He realized that the intersection of technology and human connection was where real value could be created—a principle that remains at the heart of Seel.
His next chapter saw him dive deeper into the world of tech sales. At Datadog, he rose through the ranks to become Regional Team Lead, where he managed a high-performing team, spearheaded market expansion in the Middle East and Africa, and achieved incredible results like 250% of his sales targets.
This role was about more than revenue. It was about strategy, fostering partnerships, and leading with empathy to build a team culture where everyone thrived. These experiences gave him firsthand insight into the challenges sales professionals face, from lengthy decision cycles to the struggle of managing global teams.
In 2022, Steven took a leap of faith and founded Seel, a platform designed to revolutionize the sales process. Seel wasn’t just another tool—it was a solution to the challenges he’d faced throughout his career.
Leveraging cutting-edge AI and automation, Seel’s Mutual Activity Plan transforms how sales teams collaborate with prospects, reducing ghosting, eliminating inefficiencies, and accelerating deal cycles. The platform integrates seamlessly with Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and Teams, meeting salespeople where they already work.
His mission? To empower sales teams to focus on what they do best—building relationships and closing deals—while Seel handles the rest. And the results speak for themselves: companies using Seel see a 20% increase in revenue within the first year.
Even as a Strategic Advisor to Seel, his impact extends beyond the company. As Director of Partnerships at Techstars, he collaborates with governments, corporations, and
universities to build thriving startup ecosystems across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His efforts are driving innovation, creating jobs, and fostering entrepreneurship in regions often overlooked by the global tech community.
Steven’s journey is rooted in a belief that technology should make people’s lives easier, not harder. Whether it’s simplifying the sales process or enabling founders to realize their potential, his work is driven by three core principles:
His journey—from selling suits to building startups, leading teams, and creating platforms like Seel—is a testament to what’s possible when passion meets purpose. As Seel continues to grow, he remains focused on a single goal: helping others succeed.
Because for him, success isn’t just about numbers—it’s about impact. It’s about giving people the confidence to dream bigger, work smarter, and achieve more.
And that’s the story of Seel: a company born out of one person’s relentless determination to make the world a little simpler, a little brighter, and a whole lot more connected.