Apollo names Matt Curl CEO as co-founder Tim Zheng becomes chairman

Apollo announced on February 3, 2026 that Matt Curl had been appointed chief executive officer, effective immediately, and that founder Tim Zheng would continue as chairman of the board. According to the release, Curl began advising Apollo in 2019 before joining full time as chief operating officer, and the two have worked together for nearly six years. The company says that under Curl's operating leadership over the prior year it accelerated growth while improving margins. Apollo states it is approaching $200 million in annual recurring revenue and nearly 100,000 paying customers. Curl says the company is positioned to scale to $500 million in ARR. Zheng remains involved to support the transition.

The details

• Matt Curl is CEO effective February 3, 2026; he was previously chief operating officer.
• Tim Zheng continues as chairman of the board.
• Apollo reports approaching $200 million ARR and nearly 100,000 paying customers.
• The company says it has grown more than five times since its Series D.
• Apollo cites its strongest January, Q4 and year-to-date revenue growth.
• Curl names $500 million in ARR as the next scale target.

Context

This is the earliest Apollo item in our coverage. Later in 2026 Apollo launched a beta ChatGPT app on its MCP server in April, hired former Homebase CFO Phil Moon in May, added a Perplexity Computer connector in June, appointed Mark Sieglock as CPO in August, became a Salesforce Hunter data partner in September and launched its Intelligence Layer on September 30.

Not disclosed

• Who succeeds Curl as chief operating officer
• Changes to Zheng's operating responsibilities beyond chairman
• Audited revenue figures
• Board composition changes