CNBC examines the Disruptor 50 companies, 10 years after their initial listing.

Aaron Levie is 37 and has held the exact same job almost his entire life. The CEO of a software company that facilitates collaboration, Levie BoxThe University of Southern California sophomore, He founded the company.

Box is far more than a dorm-room start-up. Box employs over 2,100 people today and generates nearly $900 million annually. annual revenue. Levie, despite being only 19 years old, is an expert in cloud software. SalesforceBox began with little else.

Levie has also been a Wall Street veteran, with the scars that prove it.

Since Box created CNBC, it has been a decade very first Disruptor 50 listThe company is a reputable and respected provider of a variety of services. delayed IPOIn order to correctsize its economics, there was a prolonged stretch of stock market underperformance. Last year, it had to deal with a heated battleStarboard Value was an activist investor. demandingThe company will either sell or find a buyer.

Levie remained in his position and an independent Box was created. victoriousIn its proxy battle with Starboard. Investors finally seem to like what they see.

Box was recently valued at more than its highest stock price in 2018, making it a great safe-haven for investors during the market crash that will begin 2022. Box, which is fourth in the Bessemer venture Partners Cloud Index’s 76 members, has been the best performer so far and it is one of the seven that are up this year.

Levie stated in an interview that “it’s a strange claim to fame.” “I have literally come to the opposite side of this, which is that having a healthy balance between growth and profit can actually be a very good thing.”

Through Wednesday’s closing, Box shares rose more than 5% while the Nasdaq dropped over 11%. Box published a March 17th press release that saw the stock rally. forecastAt its analyst day, it called for fiscal 2025 revenue to grow by 15%-17% and an operating margin to 25%-28%.

JMP’s analysts said that updated guidance “reflected strong execution and leadership in large markets as well prospects for continual financial improvement.”

But even with this recent momentum Levie may not be where he expected to be. He remembers the excitement around the company 10 years back, when it wasn’t a hot Silicon Valley start up. The company has a market cap of just under $4 billion today, which is a significant increase from the $1.7 million it had at its 2015 IPO. The company was valued at $2 billion by venture investors in 2013. Inc. MagazineLevie should be on the cover entrepreneur of the year.

Compare that with some of the most prominent names who joined Box from the Disruptor 50 List. AirbnbIs worth $106 Billion ShopifyAvailable at $83 Billion, Square (now Block), at $75 Billion and Atlassian at $73B. Box rival was also on that list. DropboxDespite its struggles since the 2018 IPO,, now trades at a mere $9 billion.

Levie explained that “Categorically we think we are undervalued.” The company purchased back shares, and at the analyst day increased its repurchase plans. $150 millionOver the course of the next 12 months.

Levie stated, “That’s what we are trying to convey.” Levie stated that the shares were attractive to him and that there is a lot of upside for his future.

Revenue growth is now accelerating, and that’s part of the upside. The January fiscal year’s revenue increased by 13% compared to the 11% in the previous year. Growth had stagnated for eight consecutive year prior to this, due to the introduction of low-cost productivity software that improved collaboration and file management tools. GoogleAnd Microsoft.

Box expects to achieve 17% growth in the next three years by making a shift strategically that includes providing more products and services for its customers.

What Box Does? IPO prospectusInvestors saw the signs that the business model was flawed when it landed in March 2014. In the latest quarter, operating costs were nearly twice as high than revenue. So Box delayed an offering. It raised $150m in private financing and 10 months later. hit the marketIts financials point in a better sustainable direction.

Box made significant investments in the subsequent years to transform itself from a product into a platform. Instead of selling collaboration software, it’s now offering what it calls the content cloud — a full suite of services for storing and sharing documents, managing workflow, securing files and integrating third-party tools. Box spent $55million on start-ups during early 2021. SignRequestIt will also add eSignature technology to its cloud.

Levie stated that a decade ago, all the company talked about was collaboration. He said that the company now has a “complete suite” of capabilities, rather than one, which was the driving force behind all the growth.

Box claims that 120 customers of the company’s 100,000+ clients spend more than $1 million annually. The company believes that its product will be more useful to employees if it has a greater user base. According to an analyst day presentation.

SaaS is software-as-a-service. Investors are familiar with the phrase “land and grow” in the industry. This refers to selling software to a few developers and marketers, then expanding the company’s adoption.

Box was able to work together, but the company still has some way to go before it can prove its platform is a crucial part of the enterprise stack. Although the stock has performed well, its forward revenue is still at four times, which puts it within the top fifth. BVP cloud Index.

Levie has good news: The activists are gone, metrics are improving. In 2022, free cash flow rose 41% to $170.2 million.

Levie stated, “I advise all founders that they focus more on cash flow.”

Levie is a father of two small children and has little time for coaching young entrepreneurs as they navigate current market conditions. However, he learned many things from his experiences in the type of struggles that most tech entrepreneurs avoid.

He also has some wise advice:

Levie stated that Silicon Valley is subject to fluctuations. He advised that you always look long-term and consider “how you are going to generate cash flow for the future”, because it might be faster than you realize.