A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast For Founders podcast

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All About Change

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Professional football player Jonathan Jones: Mentorship and Making an Impact in Your Community 22:49

11 päivää sitten22:49

Toista Myöhemmin

Listat

Tykkää

Tykätty

22:49

Jonathan Jones is an NFL cornerback for the Washington Commanders who rose from the undrafted ranks to become two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, a businessman, philanthropist, and licensed pilot. In 2019, Jonathan founded the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation in 2019, a platform dedicated to empowering youth through education, professional development, and mentorship. The foundation works to alleviate food insecurity, promote women in stem and sports, and to promote professional development in the communities where he lives. Jay and Jonathan talk about investing in the communities they live in, acknowledging the people who helped you become the person you are, and paying that same investment forward to the next generation. Episode Chapters 0:00 intro 1:24 Building local connections 4:25 Jonathan’s mentors and mentees 10:54 Jonathan’s pride in his mentees’ successes 13:04 how Jonathan chooses his causes 14:08 Jonathan’s support for girls and young women 17:19: Jonathan’s passion for flying 19:40 The Next Step Foundation 20:29 Goodbye For video episodes, watch on www.youtube.com/@therudermanfamilyfoundation Stay in touch: X: @JayRuderman | @RudermanFdn LinkedIn: Jay Ruderman | Ruderman Family Foundation Instagram: All About Change Podcast | Ruderman Family Foundation To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/ Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight , in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at www.jayruderman.com .…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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Sarjan koti•Feed

Every founder has 1 goal: find product-market fit. We interview the world's most successful startup founders on the 0 to 1 part of their journeys. We've had the founders of Reddit, Gusto, Rappi, Glean, Cohere, Huntress, ID.me and many more.
We go deep with entrepreneurs & VCs to provide detailed examples you can steal. Our goal is to understand product-market fit better than anyone on the planet.
Rated one of the world's top startup podcasts.

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#Entrepreneur #Business #Mistral.vc #Tech Startups #Tech #Startup #Product Market Fit

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

15 subscribers

updated 16 tuntia sitten

Jaa

Sarjan koti•Feed

180 jaksoa

#Entrepreneur #Business #Mistral.vc #Tech Startups #Tech #Startup #Product Market Fit

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A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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1st-time founder grows AI headshot app from $0 to $10M ARR in 2 years—with no funding. | Wesley Tian, Founder of Aragon 53:26

16 hours sitten53:26

53:26

Wesley turned a simple AI headshot generator into a $10M ARR, profitable company—in just two years. He was fired from his job, broke in San Francisco, and, after getting rejected by 30 VCs, down to his last few thousand bucks. But Wesley saw a moment: generative AI was taking off, and no one was tackling AI headshots. Fast-forward two years, and he’s doing $10M in revenue, profitable, with just 10 employees. He shares every bold tactic—bundling random AI packs, hacking Google rankings, landing affiliates, and manually doing customer support until there was no time left. Wes shares insights that every founder should know, including how he navigated intense competition, handled burnout, and maintained growth without a sales team. You’ll walk away with clear, actionable strategies you can apply immediately. If you want a raw, practical take on zero-to-10M product-market fit in the AI era, this one’s unmissable. Why You Should Listen: • How Wes grew Aragon to $10M ARR—without burning any money. • The guerrilla marketing tactics Wes used to turn a $30 idea into millions of revenue. • Why starting early let him outrun lookalike competitors. • How one affiliate blog post drove more than 50% of early sales. • How he managed high early churn in the early days until the product improved. Keywords: AI startups, early-stage growth, product-market fit, AI headshots, founder stories, affiliate marketing, startup tactics, SEO for startups, guerrilla marketing, startup growth strategies (00:01:54) Zero to $10M in Two Years (00:02:34) Exploring Ideas Before AI (00:05:25) Discovering the AI Headshot Opportunity (00:07:37) How Getting Fired Led to a Startup (00:18:31) Doubling Down on Professional Headshots (00:24:11) Early Guerrilla Marketing and Traction (00:27:59) From $2K to $200K a Month (00:32:13) Affiliate Marketing as a Growth Lever (00:43:18) The Moment of True Product Market Fit (00:47:18) Surviving Near-Failure and Burnout Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He raised $30M & failed. Then raised $0 & grew to $550M in revenue. Here's what he learned. | Mike Salguero, Founder of Butcherbox 54:56

4 päivää sitten54:56

54:56

Mike first raised $30M for a marketplace that never truly had product-market fit. Then he bet only $10K on ButcherBox. A few years later, he's doing $550M in revenue and he's profitable. The difference is in his first startup he was just catering to investors— in his second one only to customers. If you’re an early founder chasing growth, listen to how Mike ditched vanity metrics, found sustainable traction, and grew ButcherBox past $500M in revenue—with no outside funding. ____ Why You Should Listen 1. Why not raising can often be a powerful forcing function. 2. Why what VCs want is often not the same as what customers want. 3. How to differentiate in what seems like a commoditized market. 4. Why there is no stronger force in startups than true product-market fit. ______ Keywords product market fit, bootstrapping, butcherbox, direct to consumer, CPG subscription, grass fed beef, founder lessons, Kickstarter, food startup, early stage founder _____ (00:00:00) Mastering the VC Game (00:01:45) How I Raised $30M Without Product Market Fit (00:08:21) Why my VC-backed Startup Failed (00:15:34) Growing Revenue but Losing Money (00:28:07) Early Signals of Real Product Market Fit (00:34:59) Solving Supply Chain to Scale ButcherBox (00:39:43) Bootstrapping to $550M (The Power of Constraints) (00:51:18) Product Market Fit from Day One (00:52:42) Why Founders Need a Lifestyle Plan Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He invested in 30 early-stage startups. Here's what he looks for in the founders he backs. | Gopi Rangan, Founder of Sure Ventures 35:57

8 päivää sitten35:57

35:57

Gopi Rangan has invested in 29 early-stage startups from scratch. He shares a simple but powerful approach to picking the right VCs, structuring your pitch (long-term vision + short-term plan + fuzzy mid-term path), and proving you are the sort of founder every pre-seed investor craves. If you’re raising a pre-seed or seed, Gopi’s tips will make your process faster, more targeted, and a lot less painful. ___ Why You Should Listen 1. The 2-minute test for "real" pre-seed investors – Spot VCs who truly lead early rounds vs. those who waste your time. 2. His 3-step framework for finding your perfect lead – Forget the 100 investor pipeline. Zero in on 10 prospects who’ll actually write a check. 3. How to balance short-term execution with a massive mission – Win over pre-seed VCs by knowing your next 6 months and your 10-year ambition. 4. Why "business acumen" beats everything – Gopi explains how it trumps domain expertise or brand-name credentials. 5. When to be fuzzy, when to be precise – The counterintuitive approach that shows you’re open to customer feedback while still having big vision. ____ Keywords Pre-seed Funding, Early-Stage VC, Business Acumen, Go-to-Market Strategy, Founder–Investor Fit, Strategic Networking, Seed Round Pitch, Warm Introductions, Mission-Driven Startups, Conviction Investing ____ (00:00:00) Why Ruthless Prioritization Wins (00:03:29) Why Investing at Pre-seed is Personal (00:08:36) Investing When There Are Still Typos in the Pitch Deck (00:12:23) Spotting Founders with Exceptional Business Acumen (00:17:21) Great Ideas in the Hands of the Right Founder (00:26:29) The Practical Guide to Raising Your Seed Round Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He raised $300M to prevent heart attacks. Here's how he got his health tech startup off the ground. | Dr. Min, Founder of Cleerly 43:22

11 päivää sitten43:22

43:22

Cardiologist Jim Min watched too many 50-year-olds die with no heart-attack warning. He co-founded Cleerly to automate detailed coronary scans—no invasive procedures, no endless manual work. Yet healthcare’s glacial pace, payers, and federal approvals all stand in his way. Hear how he’s testing AI across thousands of patients, fighting for universal insurance coverage, and coping with near-burnouts. If you’re a founder navigating hyper-regulated markets, Jim’s journey is the blueprint. ____ Why You Should Listen 1. Heart Disease Kills More Than All Cancers Combined – The staggering truth behind silent heart attacks (and why most diagnoses come too late). 2. Jim’s Big Bet on Early Detection – He’s using advanced AI to spot “dangerous plaque” long before a patient gets chest pain or drops dead. 3. A 10–15 Year Fight to Save Lives – The brutal reality of building a medtech startup in a system that moves slower than any other. 4. Surviving a 17-Day Runway – How his mission-focus (and supportive backers) pulled Jim’s startup back from the brink. 5. Why repeated failure drives game-changing breakthroughs ____ Keywords Heart Disease Detection, Medtech Startup, Coronary CT Angiogram, AI in Healthcare, Early Heart Attack Prevention, FDA Approval Process, CPT Code Reimbursement, Plaque Imaging, Cardiovascular Innovation, Clinical Trials ____ (00:00:00) Embracing Failure & Surviving Dark Days (00:01:56) From Cardiologist to Startup Founder (00:03:07) What Most People Don’t Know About Heart Attacks (00:06:39) Using AI & Imaging to Predict Heart Attacks (00:09:19) Why Cleerly Needed to Exist (00:16:34) The Reality of Healthtech (00:20:41) How Cleerly Built its First Product—and Why it Wasn’t an MVP (00:28:33) Raising $225M to Prove a Radical Idea (00:33:57) Finding Product-Market Fit & the Fight Worth Having Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He grew to $25M in ARR and $14M in annual profits—with no funding & no dilution. | Adam Robinson, Founder of Retention.com 52:10

15 päivää sitten52:10

52:10

Adam Robinson once struggled with a stagnant email SaaS stuck at $3M ARR, but he kept experimenting until he found how to solve a problem no one else was tackling—and everything changed. Suddenly, buyers were begging for his identity-based marketing tool—so he spun out Retention.com and grew it to $14M+ in annual profit with no outside funding. In this episode, Adam reveals why he ignored “scalable hacks” until his product proved undeniable, the two keys that finally unleashed product-market fit, and how he uses no-friction brand marketing on LinkedIn to sign up thousands of new leads. ____ Why You Should Listen 1. He chose profit over fundraising – Adam shows how ignoring “growth-hack hype” and focusing on real word-of-mouth built a wildly profitable SaaS. 2. Shocking pivot to product-market fit – A failed email tool spun out a game-changing identity product that users demanded . 3. The #1 trap killing early-stage founders – Why “growth hacking” tactics fail without genuine pull, and what to do instead. 4. Bootstrapping to $14M profit – His surprising path from 3M stalled ARR to unstoppable momentum (with a team of only six). 5. LinkedIn brand building done right – How to attract thousands of perfect-fit leads—no spammy sequences required. _____ Keywords Bootstrapped SaaS, Product Market Fit, Email Marketing Growth, Founder Lessons, B2B LinkedIn Strategy, High Profit Margins, Startup Pivot, Word-of-Mouth Marketing, Early-Stage Experimentation Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:57) A Bootstrap Story (00:06:33) Why Bootstrapping Often Means You Can't Lose (00:10:36) The downside of raising VC (00:19:53) A Case Study: Constant Contact (00:22:45) Find an Unsolved Porblem (00:32:06) PMF and Word of Mouth (00:46:45) Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He took a 97% downround—then grew to $400M ARR & a $575M valuation in 2 years. | Dan Park, CEO of Clutch 45:22

18 päivää sitten45:22

45:22

Dan Park joined Clutch when it was selling 20 cars a month . Then he grew it from $20M in 2019 to $200M in sales by 2022. He was one of Canada's fastest growing companies. Just as he was going to close a $100M round, the macro changed completely. Suddenly, he was left with only six weeks of cash. He was forced to go through a 97% down round at a $15M valuation. Just two years later, he not only grew right back to a $575M valuation, he also doubled revenue from its previous peak to $400M. This episode unpacks every near-disaster move, including turning off test-drives (and why it worked), re-engineering unit economics in real time, and renegotiating debt so Clutch could keep buying cars. Dan’s hard-won lessons will change the way you think about speed, iteration, and survival. _____ Why You Should Listen 1. He had just six weeks of runway – Find out exactly how Dan rescued Clutch from the brink. 2. Taking a car startup to $400M in sales – The surprising moves that made consumers buy cars online, sight unseen. 3. Cutting 75% of staff—then doubling revenue – The inside story of Clutch’s brutal pivot and swift rebound. 4. How to survive capital-intensive nightmares – Lessons on debt, term sheets, and crisis-mode fundraising. 5. Why fast iteration trumps everything – Dan’s secret to making big bets—then yanking them back if needed. ________ Keywords Used Car Marketplace, Capital-Intensive Startup, Near-Bankruptcy Turnaround, Automotive E-Commerce, Cash Flow Management, Startup Layoffs, Rapid Iteration, Debt Restructuring, Growth vs. Profitability, Founding Team Dynamics Timestamp (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:23) The Birth of Clutch (00:04:37) The Chicken and Egg Problem (00:08:31) How Do We Scale This? (00:14:21) Baby Steps and Achievable Milestones (00:22:45) Becoming Profitable (00:34:45) Do Whatever Makes Sense for The Business (00:37:29) Finding Product Market Fit (00:42:23) Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He bootstrapped to $4M ARR in 2 years. Here's his LinkedIn playbook you can't ignore. | Noah Greenberg, Founder of Stacker 47:34

22 päivää sitten47:34

47:34

Noah Greenberg grew a content-distribution product from zero to $1M ARR in just one year (and to $4M in 2 years) by focusing on a single channel most founders underrate: LinkedIn . He posted insights daily, highlighted key players in his industry, and made it impossible for prospects not to notice him. In this episode, Noah reveals the exact step-by-step playbook, including how to structure 3-month pilots for fast feedback, craft DMs that actually get replies, and pick the right content “watering holes” so your future customers come to you eager to sign. If you're a founder trying to figure out your go-to-market approach, you need to see what Noah did. ______ Why You Should Listen 1. Turning LinkedIn into a Free PR Engine – Noah shows how daily micro-posts drive high-value leads without needing to go viral. 2. Finding Your First 10 Customers with 3-Month Pilots – Short trials = instant feedback on who’ll stay and who’ll churn. 3. Never Stop Triangulating – How 50 customer conversations per month reveal the right product, price, and packaging. 4. Selling without Selling – The “this isn’t a pitch” call that makes prospects lean in and ask, “Wait, how do we buy?” 5. Earning Credibility at Scale – Noah’s “watering hole” posts spark real engagement from decision-makers (and reel in 5-figure deals). _______ Keywords B2B Sales, LinkedIn Strategy, Early-Stage Growth, Founders’ Playbook, Bootstrapped Startup, Content Distribution, Sales Prospecting, Pilot Contracts, Outbound Leads, Product-Market Fit Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:35) Stacker's Origin Story (00:06:00) How to generate warm leads (00:15:53) How to use LinkedIn for lead gen (00:21:42) No One Wants To Be Pitched (00:26:06) How to get feedback on pricing (00:38:08) LinkedIn Go-To-Market Strategy (00:42:20) Breaking Above The Noise Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He invested in 684 AI startups—& realized that quitters always win. | Jack Kuveke, Founder turned VC at Jabroni Capital 38:44

24 päivää sitten38:44

38:44

We break down the real startup playbook: fake users, fake traction, real secondaries. From starting a company with zero customers, to raising millions and launching a VC fund that's built to lose money, Jack shares the blueprint for getting rich (without working hard). Forget chasing product-market fit. Start chasing growth, money, and, most of all, hype. Why You Should Listen Why you need to spend most of your time fundraising. Learn exactly how to fake traction, drive FOMO and raise millions-- even with a terrible product. Get Jack's ultimate playbook for quitting early and winning big (without working hard) How secondaries can make you rich BEFORE your startup fails. Why League of Legends is the key to startup success Keywords startup fundraising, pivot strategy, early stage VC, founder mistakes, product market fit, startup advice, venture capital, startup growth, entrepreneur mindset, founder stories (00:00:00) Intro: Why Quitters Win and Fundraising Beats Traction (00:02:54) Ex-Googlers Can’t Hack It as Founders (00:03:12) Raising Money is Your Only Job (00:10:49) How to Fake User Growth & Create FOMO ( 00:14:18) Quit Fast, Pivot Faster (00:15:28) Jabroni Capital: The World’s Worst VC Fund (00:26:26) Hiring Hacks: How to Convince People to Join Your Startup (00:28:27) Adam Neumann: Hero or Villain? (00:38:16) The Real Jack Kuveke: Satire, Startups, and Why VC is Broken Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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The secrets to mastering product-led growth. | Wes Bush, Author of the #1 Bestselling Book on Product-Led Growth 40:58

29 päivää sitten40:58

40:58

Wes Bush wrote the original bestseller on Product-Led Growth —and then watched everyone try to copy Dropbox and Slack without truly getting it. Now, he’s here to break down exactly what goes wrong when early-stage founders jump into PLG, how to spot your product’s “million-dollar free problem,” and how to fix the three biggest onboarding gaps that sabotage new users. He’ll show you why some sales-led companies die when they try freemium, how to carve out a simpler “first strike” moment, and the reason you need bumpers (like an onboarding checklist ) to guide people to success. If you’re still using the “Request a Demo” button, this episode could totally transform your approach and give you a self-serve funnel that scales faster than any sales deck ever could. Why You Should Listen 1. Make Users “Smell the Cologne” – Learn Wes’s approach for letting users experience the core value before they buy. 2. Turning Complex Setups into a No-Brainer – How to map out product, skill, and knowledge gaps so anyone can get started. 3. Bowling Alley Onboarding – A framework to slash unnecessary steps, guide users to that “aha” moment, and cut churn. 4. Freemium vs. Free Trial vs. Reverse Trial – How to pick the perfect model for your startup. 5. Sales-Led to Product-Led – Why some founders fight this shift, and how to pull it off without blowing up your funnel. Keywords Product-Led Growth, PLG Strategies, SaaS Onboarding, Freemium Model, Free Trial Optimization, User Adoption, Customer Success, B2B SaaS Growth, Onboarding Framework, Go-to-Market Tactics Timestamp (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:27) What is Product Led Growth (00:04:37) When to use PLG (00:18:20) Why Simplicity is the key (00:20:15) Wes's Favorite Case Study (00:25:42) The Bowling Alley Framework for Onboarding (00:31:02) Free Trials Must Have Progression (00:36:28) Finding Those Ideal Limits on your Trials Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He sold SkipTheDishes for $200M—then grew Neo Financial to a $1B valuation. | Jeff Adamson, Co-Founder of NeoFinancial & SkipTheDishes 1:01:06

5 weeks sitten1:01:06

1:01:06

Jeff Adamson co-founded SkipTheDishes , scaled it to 80% market share , and sold it for $200M —all before Uber Eats and DoorDash even got serious about Canada. He started with zero tech experience , got doors slammed in his face by restaurant owners, and had to personally place orders just to keep early partners engaged . Then, when Uber Eats launched in Toronto, backed by billions in funding , he thought it was over. Instead, Skip became Canada’s dominant food delivery platform and got acquired for $200M. Then Jeff did something even crazier—he decided to take on the banks . With Neo Financial , he’s tackling Canada’s most entrenched industry, building a modern, full-stack digital bank from scratch . He's raised $100s of millions at a $1B valuation. Why you should listen: How bootstrapped SkipTheDishes took on $10B UberEats How to build a three-sided marketplace. Why building trust with customers is key to long-term success. Why beginnings are always messy and more about grit than perfection. Why Jeff didn't stop after exiting for $200M. Keywords SkiptheDishes, Neo Financial, entrepreneurship, delivery service, startup journey, market competition, founding team, restaurant industry, business growth, feedback loop, three-sided marketplace, startup journey, Canadian startups, entrepreneurship, financial services, exit strategy, partnerships, growth strategies, advice for founders Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:00) Gotta Have Thick Skin (00:03:54) Skip's Origin Story (00:07:18) Competing with Uber (00:16:09) The First Few Restaurants (00:22:45) Initial Demand (00:26:28) Three-Sided Marketplace (00:38:38) The Original Mission (00:52:10) The First Year at Neo (00:58:40) Product Market Fit (00:59:55) A Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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How to tell if you have true product-market fit—& what to do if you don't. | Matt Watson, Host of Product Driven 27:31

5 weeks sitten27:31

27:31

One of the most common questions I get is 'How do I know if I have product market fit?" Especially when you're in that gray zone where things are kind of working but they're not really taking off yet, how do you know if you have product-market fit or not? That's exactly what we dive into here. Why you should listen: Why demo to close is an excellent leading indicator of PMF. Why NPS is not as good as Sean Ellis test to measure product-market fit. Why retention is the best long-term metric, but takes long. What qualitative signals you'll feel when you have true PMF. What to do if you realize you don't have real product-market fit. This podcast originally aired on Matt's podcast called Product Driven, because the topics were so relevant, I figured I'd post it here too. Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:55) How do you know if you have PMF (00:06:33) Why some problems are good (00:11:24) Solve a True Top of Mind Pain (00:15:54) Why timing matters (00:21:30) How to Know When to Pivot (00:25:00) Asking the Right Questions to Customers Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He got rejected by 40 VCs & had 6 months of runway—2 years later, he raised $100M from a16z. | Edo Liberty, Founder of Pinecone 1:02:14

6 weeks sitten1:02:14

1:02:14

Edo Liberty left a high-paying job at AWS—where he was building AI at the highest level—to start Pinecone, a company no one understood. He pitched 40+ VCs, got rejected by every single one, and nearly ran out of money. Then, he flipped the pitch, raised $10M, and built one of the most important infrastructure companies in AI. Then ChatGPT dropped. Suddenly, Pinecone was the must-have database for AI apps, with thousands of developers signing up daily. The company exploded, leading to a $100M round led by Andreessen Horowitz and a 10x revenue surge. If you’re an early-stage founder, this episode is a must-listen . Why you should listen: •How he went from from 40 VC Rejections to a $10M Seed Round • Why he quit a High-Paying Job at AWS to start a Startup • The game-changing shift that made VCs finally “get it” •What really happened inside Pinecone when AI took off •Why most founders misunderstand market timing and what to do about it Keywords AI, Machine Learning, Startups, Entrepreneurship, Vector Databases, Fundraising, SageMaker, AWS, Technology, Innovation, Pinecone, vector database, seed funding, ChatGPT, startup growth, business model, AI, infrastructure, early stage founders Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:07:50) Edo's Story (00:12:27) The Early Days of Machine Learning (00:32:23) Seed Funding (00:42:09) Unsustainable Scaling (00:53:41) Told You So (00:59:24) A Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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Post-YC, he split with his co-founder—then grew profitably to $2M ARR with just 5 people. | Jon Yoo, Founder of Suger 46:46

6 weeks sitten46:46

46:46

Jon Yoo’s startup wasn’t working. He pivoted mid-YC, spent five brutal weeks without signing a single customer , and then—right after raising his seed round—his co-founder left. Most startups die right there. Instead, Jon figured out how to land massive customers like FiveTran and Snowflake. He grew from $500K to $2M ARR in 6 months. Why you should listen: • Navigating a founder breakup – What happens when co-founders split and how to handle it. • The real YC experience – What worked, what didn’t, and how they pivoted mid-program. • Landing major customers – How they got big logos like Snowflake. • Fundraising insights – What really matters to investors at the seed and Series A stages. • Why startups need forcing functions – The tactics that drove fast product development. • How to know if you have product-market fit – The signals John saw at Sugar. • Burn rate discipline – Why they raised millions but barely spent it. Keywords entrepreneurship, startups, investment banking, Salesforce, Y Combinator, founder dynamics, product market fit, scaling, cloud marketplaces, business strategy, fundraising, startup, YC demo day, customer acquisition, product-market fit, founder dynamics, early stage startup, team building, scaling, challenges Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:07:55) The Origin of Suger (00:13:30) Going All In (00:19:08) The first 10 customers (00:24:20) The Hardest Pain Point (00:30:29) Becoming Profitable (00:37:05) Celebrate The Small Wins (00:39:56) Finding Product Market Fit (00:42:27) A Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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From mushroom-picking in Belarus to $200M/year. How he built Flo Health into a $1B health app. | Dmitry Gurski, Founder of Flo Health 1:13:34

7 weeks sitten1:13:34

1:13:34

This is one of the wildest founder journeys you’ll ever hear. Dmitry Gurski went from growing potatoes and picking mushrooms on a farm in Belarus to building Flo—a billion-dollar company with 75M monthly users that dominates the health and fitness category worldwide. He started Flo in a market already controlled by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin’s startup , which had $30M in funding from a16z. Today, Flo is 100x bigger than its once-dominant rival. Dmitry shares raw, unfiltered startup truths —like why he got rejected by 200+ VCs , why 90% of startup failures are team-related , and why most founders are delusional about product-market fit . He breaks down how simplicity beats complexity in product , why retention is everything , and how deleting features can actually boost revenue . If you’re a founder, this episode will fundamentally change how you think about perseverance, pivots, and building something that lasts . Listen now—you’ll be referencing this one for years. Why you should listen: Why big market beats niche – How Flo won because it targeted all women’s health while competitors focused only on fertility. How Retention is the real test – A product with natural recurring use cases (like periods) has built-in retention, unlike fitness or productivity apps. Why simple wins – The first version of Flo was less complex than competitors but had far better predictions— accuracy mattered more than features. Fundraising is brutal – Flo got 300+ investor rejections before raising $300M. Many VCs just didn’t “get” the space. Keywords startup, entrepreneurship, product design, user retention, Flow app, health and fitness, early stage founders, product market fit, simplicity, user engagement, retention, user case, app development, entrepreneurship, product market fit, mobile apps, business strategy, team dynamics, failure, success, risk, uncertainty, decision making, market demand, competition, product-market fit, fundraising, entrepreneurship, startup success, female health Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:09:10) Why you Need to Keep it Simple (00:13:10) Why B2C is All About Retention (00:19:05) Why you Need to Delete Features (00:24:14) PMF is about the Shape of the Curve (00:39:17) When to Persevere, When to Pivot, and When to Quit (00:42:22) More attempts = more success (00:51:34) The Idea for Flo (00:59:05) Finding Product Market Fit (01:02:07) Advice for An Early Stage Founder (01:10:22) A Potato Story Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He started Groupon for SMBs, grew to $36M ARR—then exited for $170M. | Saurav Chopra, Founder of Perkbox 53:00

7 weeks sitten53:00

53:00

Saurav started a Groupon-like offering for SMBs in 2011. He quickly learned it wasn't going to work. He and his team pivoted and started driving leads to suppliers using Facebook ads. It worked and they generated revenue—but they were becoming a digital advertising agency. It wasn't at all what they wanted to build. So they pivoted again. They used the cash from that business and built Perkbox. The idea was a subscription-based offering that that gave perks to SMB customers. Telcos started buying it and attaching it to their products to drive sales. Then, they pivoted again, this time moving away from customer perks and to employee perks. This time, it worked. They grew from $2M in ARR to $14M in just 2 years. They kept growing and hit $36M in ARR. Then he sold the business to PE for $170M. It took longer than expected. There were more pivots than expected. But it was a huge success. Here's how it happened. Why you should listen: How to use new social media channels to drive growth. How to leverage partnerships to get end user adoption. Why having a profitable agency can be a great way to get started. Why capital efficiency can be a huge edge. Rebranding can help clarify market positioning. What it feels like to make $10s of millions in one day. Keywords PerkBox, Groupon, startup journey, business model, SMB market, marketing strategies, recurring revenue, partnerships, entrepreneurship, exit strategy, venture capital, entrepreneurship, startups, employee benefits, social media marketing, capital efficiency, business growth, acquisition, rebranding, emotional marketing, lessons learned Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:48) The origin of Perkbox (00:04:52) Going after SMBs (00:12:16) The Pivot (00:26:35) Creating Viral Ads (00:32:28) Demo to Close Rate (00:40:12) Selling to PE Firms (00:49:38) A Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
It took him 7 years to hit $1M ARR—now his $1B public company does $1M every day. | Noah Glass, Founder of Olo 1:10:28

8 weeks sitten1:10:28

1:10:28

In 2005 most people didn't even have cellphones yet. Those who did used flip phones. That's when Noah started Olo, a webapp to let people pre-order coffee from nearby shops. Users had to login on web, add a credit card, create pre-made orders and then send a text to a preset number when they wanted to pre-order. It was way, way ahead of its time. Noah and his team 7 years to hit $1M in ARR. In the meantime, they raised a round with 50% dilution the week before the financial crisis, went on live TV to an audience on 6M viewers and had to pivot from a marketplace to B2B SaaS. But overtime smartphone penetration increased, on-demand ordering became a trend, and then, one day, Starbucks launched their app. All of a sudden, every single restaurant in the world wanted a way to let their users pre-order. And there was Noah and his team at Olo. Today, Olo is a public company worth over $1B and generating nearly $300M in sales. Here's the story of how it happened. Why you should listen: How to use guerrilla marketing tactics to get early growth. Why PR can move the needle but not in ways you expect. How to pivot from a marketplace to B2B SaaS. Why it often takes much longer than you might hope to hit an inflection point. Why fundraising was so hard, even though Olo became a $1B+ public company. Why Noah thinks founders should embrace challenges and adversity. Keywords Olo, Noah Glass, entrepreneurship, product-market fit, restaurant technology, mobile ordering, startup journey, business challenges, marketing strategies, innovation Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:20) Building an app in 2005 (00:13:20) The Burn the Boats Moment (00:16:31) Building A Network Business (00:26:08) The Cold Start Problem (00:30:33) A Happy Accident (00:36:55) Going through the 2008 Financial Crisis (00:51:20) Finding Product Market Fit (00:57:20) Blueprint of Values (01:05:11) Best Piece of Advice (01:06:08) A Big Milestone Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
He interviewed users, built a waitlist & raised $1.1M—but it still didn't work. | Frankie Le Nguyen, Founder of Staging Labs 38:58

8 weeks sitten38:58

38:58

Frankie lost $10K in a crypto transaction—so he started Staging Labs to find a way to help others prevent crypto scams. He was head of an incubator called Entrepreneurship First and had seen dozens and dozens of founders build startups. He knew exactly what to do—and he did everything right. He found a co-founder, built an MVP, did customer discovery, checked willingness to pay—but he still failed. The world changed when crypto crashed in late 2022. The people who were originally interseted in paying for crypto insurance nolonger were. And by the time Frankie realized it, it was too late. Here's how it happened—and how he was able to sell his startup even though the product wasn't working out. Why you should listen: How to sell your startup even when it's not working out. Why sometimes the best ideas come from personal struggles. Why you need to constantly validate willingness to pay. Why you can't treat lean startup as a series of checklists. The last 10% of execution is often what determines success or failure. Partnerships can be a double-edged sword in startup strategy. How aligning personal values with customer needs is essential for founders. Keywords entrepreneurship, startups, crypto scams, fundraising, product launch, market timing, personal experience, validation, community building, business challenges, willingness to pay, user experience, scams, customer alignment, market cycles, acquisition, strategic partnerships, investor relations, startup lessons Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:25) The Idea & The Origin of Staging Labs (00:08:07) Next Steps & Pre-Seed Fundraising (00:13:27) Why you should never depend on partnerships (00:18:28) How to create urgency (00:24:55) Pivoting (00:28:43) Trying to sell the business (00:35:55) Biggest Lessons Learned Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
He got rejected by 50 VCs & had 4 months of runway—3 years later, he's at $150M ARR & profitable. | Hussein Fazal, Co-Founder of Super.com 1:02:07

9 weeks sitten1:02:07

1:02:07

Hussein's travel startup was doing $10s of millions when COVID hit. His revenue didn't just go to zero, it went negative. There were more customers asking for refunds than new sales. He was 4 months from running out of money. He ended up making a complete pivot, he changed the company's name from SnapTravel to Super.com. He went from travel to fintech and launched a banking card. It seems like a strange pivot —but through deep research he'd realized what his customers truly needed. They needed more money—not for travel or vacations—but for every day life. The new card helped customers earn points and rewards, it helped them save on everyday expenses. The pain was so acute and the solution so perfect, that just 3 years later, Super.com is doing $150M in ARR. Like Hussein said, he got 50 'no's from VCs for every 'yes' he got. He saw his business grow and then crumble over night. He was literally going to zero. But he turned it all around. Now he's not just growing, he's profitable now. And here's how it went down. Why you should listen: How to think from first principles to figure out the right product expansion. Why cross-selling is much harder than you think, and how to make it work. Why finding an unfair advantage is key to scaling a startup. How to use actual customer behavior to understand what customers truly want. Why testing and validating ideas through smoke tests is essential. Keywords Super.com, SnapTravel, COVID-19, travel industry, pricing strategies, customer needs, market fit, entrepreneurship, AI, business growth, COVID-19, resilience, travel industry, financial innovation, membership model, customer insights, entrepreneurship, investor relations, business strategy, cross-selling Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:39) The original startup: Snap Travel (00:08:40) Why a great user interface is a big edge (00:11:26) How to acquire customers (00:13:30) When your entire hypothesis is wrong (00:22:52) Meeting Steph Curry (00:29:03) Nearly crashing to zero-- and going bankrupt (00:33:51) Starting over and rebranding (00:42:42) Creating the Fastest Growing Membership Program (00:52:17) Finding Product Market Fit (01:00:00) One Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
Amplitude is now a $1.5B public company. Here's how they beat competitors with a 10x cheaper product. | Jeffrey Wang, Co-Founder of Amplitude 57:20

9 weeks sitten57:20

57:20

When Amplitude launched Mixpanel was the big game in town. They were first to market, had raised more money, and had a well-known brand. VCs passed on Amplitude because it seemed like just another Mixpanel. Today, Amplitude is a $1.5B public company—they're about 2x bigger than Mixpanel. Mixpanel's marketing spend helped educate the market. But before buying an analytics solution most businesses do market research. That's when they'd find out that Amplitude had several features Mixpanel lacked—and they were much, MUCH cheaper. It's not cool to win on price, but it works. It worked for WalMart, CostCo, Shein, and it worked for Ampltiude. Here's the story of how it all happened. Why you should listen: How to use cheaper prices to win in a crowded market. Why you often need 12 hour days to win in Startupland. Why even massive $1B+ successes often have trouble raising early rounds. How pivoting can often be the key to finding real market pull. Why big competitors can often be a huge tailwind. How to use storytelling to raising bigger rounds. Keywords startups, entrepreneurship, analytics, Amplitude, pricing strategy, market positioning, data processing, voice recognition, technology pivot, competitive advantage, market dynamics, differentiation, product-market fit, storytelling, fundraising, startup challenges, customer relationships, analytics tools, business strategy, entrepreneurship Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:06:13) A cool demo-- but a bad business (00:18:36) Why funding was so hard (00:25:43) Why lower prices are a big differentiator (00:40:50) Working 24/7 (00:50:35) Product Market Fit Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
This 1st time founder raised a $38M Series A—after taking over 2 years to launch. | Chris Ellis, Founder of Thatch 55:54

10 weeks sitten55:54

55:54

This first time founder just raised a $38 million Series A. The crazy part is that for all of 2021, 2022, 2023, he had almost no revenue. He spent all that time building and pivoting. Finally he launched in 2024—and it blew up. I saw his LinkedIn post and his revenue chart doesn't look like a hockey stick... it looks like straight a vertical line. He built a health benefits platform—it doesn't get less sexy than that. And yet, it absolutely exploded to millions in ARR in less than a year. All because he figured out how to make something that every single company in the U.S. needs, exceptionally simple. Here's the story. Why you should listen: Why choosing the right co-founder is the most important thing. Why having a mission is crucial to make it through the ups and downs. How to listen to and understand customer pain points. Why pivots are not a bad thing, and can actually be the key to crazy traction. How to use external deadlines to drive urgency and focus . Keywords Thatch, startup journey, co-founders, healthcare innovation, product market fit, venture capital, entrepreneurship, health benefits, business challenges, pivoting, healthcare, startups, product development, market demand, customer needs, external deadlines, product market fit, scaling, company culture, founder intuition Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:27) Finding the Right Co-Founder (00:10:23) Why You Need to Go All In (00:16:20) The Seed Round & Pivoting From the Original Idea of Thatch (00:30:08) How to use external deadlines to drive focus (00:37:55) The Growth in 2024 & The Business Model (00:42:16) The Benefits of Forcing Functions (00:45:58) How Many Customers are Using Thatch Today? (00:47:50) Finding True Product Market Fit (00:52:10) People Didn't Believe in Thatch Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
Why new Carta data shows bridge rounds might be worse than you think. | Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta 31:17

10 weeks sitten31:17

31:17

Carta just released their report for Q4 2024. Peter is Head of Insights at Carta, and the person who owns their data practice. We sit down to talk about the largest trends he saw across fundraising, industries, graduation rates and even hiring practices. Carta data shows that graduation rates from Seed to A are much lower for companies that have raised a bridge round. We analyze why that might be and what that could mean for early-stage founders. VCs read and understand all this data. If you want to operate on equal footing— you should too. Why you should listen: The role of AI in the venture capital landscape. Why there are a trend of larger funding rounds going to fewer companies. Why so much capital is being allocated to AI companies. Valuations for seed and early-stage companies are on the rise. Why bridges and extensions have become so popular. Why bridge rounds have lower graduation rates to Series A. What the data shows about how hiring practices are changing. Keywords venture capital, AI, fundraising, market trends, valuations, startup ecosystem, early stage, late stage, investment, venture capital, bridge rounds, seed extensions, startup growth, hiring practices, AI impact, early stage funding, market trends, valuations, exits Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
He exited for $335M—& felt "emptiness". So he quit, gave up millions in earnout, & grew to $1M ARR in 6 months. | Alon Arvatz, Founder of IntSights & PointFive 51:43

11 weeks sitten51:43

51:43

Alon was a hacker for the Israeli Defence Forces' cyber department. There he saw the most advanced methods used in cyber warfare. So when he left, he started IntSights-- a company that helped enterprises defend themselves from cyber attacks. He was a first-time founder who didn't even know the word 'unicorn'. He made all the mistakes you could make. But he had real, undeniable pull. He grew to $1M ARR in a year and to $4M a year later. By the end of it, he was doing $30M in revenue and exited for $335M. But when I asked him what it felt like to sell for hundreds of millions, he said it 'felt like emptiness'. Alon is a builder—that's all he wants to do. So he quit post-acqusition and left millions of dollars on the table. Money he was guaranteed to make if he just stayed in his role. Instead, he started PointFive to help enterprises reduce wasted spend on cloud infrastructure. He know nothing about the space. One year in, he's raised $36M and grown to millions in ARR— even faster than IntSights. Here's the story. Why you should listen Why Alon felt empty after exiting for $335M. Why he left millions of dollars on the table to start a new startup. Why the mistakes he made in his first startup helped his second one grow way faster. Why he raised $36M in under a year. Why true customer pull comes from solving top of mind problems. Keywords LinkedIn, video content, cloud cost optimization, engineering responsibilities, startup funding, second-time founders, product market fit, customer traction, entrepreneurship Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
He raised $20M, hit $3.5M in revenue—& failed. Here are the top 3 lessons he learned. | Ned Phillips, Founder of Bambu 1:01:11

11 weeks sitten1:01:11

1:01:11

Ned had a chance to run Robinhood Asia but he turned it down. Instead, he launched a competitive product. He decided to go B2B and sell to banks and other financial institutions. He locked down a $400K revenue sale before writing a line of code. It seemed easy at first. Overtime, he grew to $3.5M in revenue, billions in assets under management and hundreds of thousands of users. He raised $20M in venture capital. But then the problems started. Enterprises that paid for large contracts didn't push the product—many had no marketing budgets. In some cases, they shelved the product altogether. The one-time revenue never turned into ARR. Running out of money, he was forced to raise a small bridge and lay off more than half his staff. He came close—but ultimately, he just wasn't able to recover. He sold off the company for parts and went through a wind down. This is his story—and the lessons he learned. Why you should listen: Why the difference between success and failure can be minimal. How to balance custom contracts with building scalable product. Why enterprises might not push the product they've paid $100K+ for. How to build a strong company culture. Why layoffs are the hardest thing a founder will go through. When things go south, "the days are long, but the months are short". Keywords startup, FinTech, B2B2C, customization, revenue models, marketing, client engagement, leadership, company culture, lessons learned, B2B sales, startup challenges, emotional toll, liquidation, lessons learned Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
He exited for hundreds of millions—then invested in 20+ founders. Here's what he looks for. | Jason Van Gaal, Founder of ROOT 48:02

12 weeks sitten48:02

48:02

Jason built a data center company in the 2013. When he exited in 2019, it was the third-largest exit in Canada that year. He'd sold his previous startup and invested 100% of his capital into ROOT. He grew to 10s of millions and exited for 100s of millions. Now he's invested in over 20 angel-stage startups. He shares the story of ROOT and what he looks for in the startups and founders he backs. Why you should listen: Why seeing inefficiencies can lead to huge advantages vs competitors. How customer concentration can actually lead to a huge success. Why the 'Why Now' slide is so important. Why Jason values startups can get to free cash flow within 1-2 years. How to use the lead to conversation ratio as a leading indicator of PMF. Keywords data centers, investment, entrepreneurship, product market fit, angel investing, business growth, technology, risk management, funding strategies, customer relationships, investment, startup, venture capital, product-market fit, founder advice, business model, cash flow, total addressable market, team dynamics, entrepreneurial hunger Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
1st time founder completely pivots after YC—then grows 30x in a year to $2.2M ARR. | Pablo Palafox, Founder of HappyRobot 56:37

12 weeks sitten56:37

56:37

Pablo is the first guest that has the same name as me-- so you KNOW this episode will be great. Pablo hustled for months just to get to $70K in ARR. He got rejected from YC, re-applied, and finally got in. But after months in YC, he realized his first product was not going to work. He had some traction, but not nearly enough customer pull. So he shut it down. He went back to square one. He did customer discovery in a totally different space and leveraged the latest in Gen AI. He then built AI agents that automate calls in the logistics space. Just a year after shutting down his first product, he'd grown to $2.2M in ARR. In December, he raised $15.6M from a16z. Here's how it happened. Why you should listen: Why you should be careful of "free" money from grants. Why YC changed the trajectory of Pablo's startup. How a big pivot is often necessary-- even when you have customer traction. Why the key is to find a true, no-brainer pain point. Meeting customers where they are can lead to smoother adoption of new technologies. How to build a product that provides clear ROI is essential for customer buy-in. Continuous exploration and adaptation are key to finding the right market fit. Keywords Happy Robot, startup journey, product market fit, early stage funding, co-founders, computer vision, YC, venture capital, entrepreneurship, business development, funding, European founders, Y Combinator, customer acquisition, pivoting, logistics, AI agents, startup growth, Series A, market research Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
He exited for $200M— then bootstrapped his next startup to $100M in revenue. | Alex Hawkinson, Founder of BrightAI 43:19

13 weeks sitten43:19

43:19

Alex sold his last IoT startup for over $200M to Samsung. He felt the needed to build something much bigger, so he started BrightAI. The goal was to use AI and IoT to solve big problems for enterprises. A few years later, he bootstrapped to $100M in revenue across just 7 customers. Last quarter, he raised $15M in venture funding. He shares how he closed million-dollar enterprise projects before building a product, why he refuses to go after just one vertical, and some of the biggest lessons he's learned after years building startups. Why you should listen: Why impact is the biggest driver for starting startups. How to find champions and get enterprise design partners. How AI and IoT can combine to solve real-world issues. How to make sure you don't get stuck in a niche forever. How to tell if you're on to something in less than 18 months since launching. Keywords SmartThings, Bright, IoT, critical infrastructure, pest control, AI, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, product development, AI, pest control, multimodal AI, revenue streams, platform scaling, product-market fit, early-stage founders, entrepreneurship, sustainability, critical infrastructure Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
The early-stage fundraising playbook—here's how to raise your first few rounds. | Nathan Beckord, Host of How I Raised It 29:24

13 weeks sitten29:24

29:24

Nathan has interviewed 100s of founders on how they raised their first few rounds. In this interview, we go through some of the most compelling stories he's heard. We go through step-by-step what you should do to raise a round, how to get meetings, how to tell stories, and every other piece of the fundraising puzzle. If you're planning to raise a round anytime this year-- check this episode out. Why you should listen: Why you need to look for believers in the early days. Why you need to meet way more investors than you might want to. How to create momentum for your round. Why spending more time planning will mean spending less time raising. Keywords fundraising, startup, venture capital, investor relations, fundraising process, founder stories, capital raising, startup funding, investor introductions, fundraising strategies Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
He lost his only 2 customers & was ready to quit—then he grew to $1.5M ARR in a year. | Josh Domingues, Founder of Flashfood 50:00

14 weeks sitten50:00

50:00

A few years into building Flashfood, Josh was $35K in debt with no money in his account. Just a few months earlier, he'd lost both the pilot customers he'd worked so hard to lock in. He'd worked for months to land them and had delivered what he promised. But both retailers told him the problem he was solving was not important enough. And then, he met Loblaws-- one of Canada's largest retailers. They loved the case studies he had. They tested it out and quickly launched it across 100% of their locations. "I was going to shut down the company." That's how close it came to failing completely. Instead, a year after meeting Loblaws he was doing $1.5M ARR and had raised a $3M seed round. Now, he does 10s of millions in revenue and will soon be profitable. Here's the story. Why you should listen: Why startups often drive founder to near bankruptcy. Why you need to keep testing your startup until you hear 'no'. Why sometimes large customers might be easier to close than small ones. How to get champions to close enterprise deals. Why you might be a top priority for some customer sets and not others. Keywords food waste, grocery stores, app development, early stage founders, product market fit, sustainability, entrepreneurship, discount food, consumer behavior, environmental impact, enterprise sales, customer priorities, stakeholder buy-in, corporate culture, product-market fit, revenue growth, grocery industry, startup challenges, business strategy, environmental impact Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
He raised $250K, had thousands of users, but failed— because he didn't pivot fast enough. | Darius Vaillancourt, Founder of Howdy 27:50

14 weeks sitten27:50

27:50

Darius started an EdTech startup to help users of online courses collaborate with each other. It blew up during COVID when everyone felt isolated. It gained thousands of users. They were engaged. They came back to use the platform. And, most importantly, they dramatically improved completion rates for online courses. Darius thought he had it. But it turned out universities didn't want to pay. What users cared about was not what universities (the buyers) cared about. His biggest lessons is that he should've pivoted much sooner. Here's why. Why you should listen: Why success and failure are often not that far apart. Why engagement and usage don't always lead to revenue. How to figure out the KPI that matters for your buyer. Why users and buyers are not one and the same. Why you need to pivot much sooner than you might think-- or like. Keywords startup challenges, entrepreneurship, online learning, EdTech, market dynamics, product development, business strategy, lessons learned, networking, pivoting Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
Stripe bought his startup for $1.1B—just 2.5 years after he quit his job. | Zach Abrams, Co-Founder of Bridge 55:25

15 weeks sitten55:25

55:25

Zach was burned out after a decade of working at top roles in Coinbase, Square and Brex. He quit with no startup idea-- and then, he went right back in. Given their background, Zach and his co-founder quickly raised an $8M seed round to build an NFT-related product in Web3. One month later, they completely abandoned their idea. They realized it was never going to work. Then, the floor fell from underneath them. FTX went bankrupt. SVB fell apart. They took punches to the face for the first 6 months straight. But, when everyone was paying attention to Gen AI in late 2022, Zach kept going deep in Web3. He noticed stablecoins were growing but there was no platform for developers to build with. So he built Bridge, a Stripe-like API for stablecoins. The first months post-launch were underwhelming-- until they landed a fast-growing customer. From then on, the next year was exceptional 10x+ growth. Then Stripe noticed them. In Oct 2024, they were acquired for $1.1B. Just 2.5 years after he started. Here's the story of how it all happened. Why you should listen: Why even $1B+ exits still feel like rollercoasters from the inside. How to quickly abandon ideas and pivot to what truly matters. How they found a massive opportunity where no one else was looking. Why starting outside of the Bay Area was critical to their success. Keywords startup, billion-dollar exit, stablecoins, investor relations, crypto, fintech, market dynamics, entrepreneurship, pivot, challenges, stable coins, startup journey, acquisition, fintech, market resilience, product market fit, Pablo Srugo, Bridge, Stripe, entrepreneurship Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:2:46) Starting at the Worst Time (00:8:56) The Emotions on Pivoting a Month After Raising (00:11:44) Pivoting (00:18:24) Leaving Brex (00:20:36) Working on Something Out of Trend (00:28:34) The Core Beliefs of Bridge (00:32:56) Launching & First Customer (00:38:57) Sometimes you Can't Think Too Much (00:42:29) Series A (00:44:24) The Acquisition (00:49:05) The Feeling of Exiting for a Billion (00:52:24) One Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
The 5 Steps to Product-Market Fit w/ Chris Saad, ex-Head of Product at Uber, Host of The Startup Podcast 51:03

15 weeks sitten51:03

51:03

We took examples from the last 100 episodes and built a clear, 5 step path to finding product market fit: 1.Before Startup Mode, There’s Research Mode —> Become an expert to find problems worth solving. 2.Only the Insanely Focused Survive —> Focus all your resources to do more with less. 3.You have to be in the market to win the market —> Use niche markets to discover unique insights. 4.Forget Growth. Find Value. —> Optimize for value delivery and growth will follow. 5.Pivot Harder, Faster —> As soon as you realize you’re not solving a #1 problem, pivot. Why you should listen: Why creating value by solving problems is the core of startups. Startups must avoid perfectionism and embrace learning. Research mode involves deeply understanding customer needs. Insane focus and hustle are essential for early-stage success. Validation comes from engaging with the market directly. Why growth should be a byproduct of delivering value. Keywords startups, product market fit, entrepreneurship, research mode, focus, hustle, validation, customer experience, growth, business strategy, Wattpad, user-generated content, agility, iteration, product market fit, startup growth, pivots, entrepreneurship, value creation, founder stories Timestamps : (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:47) Who is Chris Saad? (00:02:30) Pablo's Story (00:05:53) The Core to Early Stage is PMF (00:09:07) Step 1: Research Mode (00:16:44) Step 2: Only the Insanely Focused Survive (00:23:46) Step 3: Be in the Market to Win the Market (00:32:57) Step 4: Forget Growth, Find Value (00:37:59) Step 5: Pivot Harder and Faster (00:45:45) Recap Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
How Gusto’s $10B founder raised $6M, built a team of 5—& hit $5M ARR in just 2 years. | Josh Reeves, Founder of Gusto 56:33

16 weeks sitten56:33

56:33

Gusto is a $9.5B startup that does $500M ARR. Josh built an absolute monster of a company-- and it all started with payroll software for SMBs. Not just that, he started by servicing only new tech startups that were based in California. It was exceptionally niche, and it worked. After YC, he raised a $6M seed round from tier 1 angels, back when large seed rounds were not at all common. But, unlike others, he didn't spend the money. He kept his team small as they iterated on the product. By the time they raised their $20M Series A, they were only 10-15 people. Here's the story of how they got started, gained initial traction, and took off. Why you should listen: Why starting super small can lead to massive outcomes. Why you need a huge, no-brainer pain point to succeed. How to use early customer interviews to deeply understand your ICP. Why small teams allow for faster decision-making and execution. Why deep passion about the problem set is so important. Keywords Gusto, Josh Reeves, entrepreneurship, startup, payroll, small business, Y Combinator, business model, innovation, technology, fundraising, startup, product-market fit, team building, customer satisfaction, growth strategy, small business, Gusto, entrepreneurship, SaaS Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

1
The top 5 early-stage startup lessons for 2025 12:02

16 weeks sitten12:02

12:02

We go through the top 5 product-market fit lessons I've learned from speaking to well over 100+ founders on this show over the last 3 years. These are the top 5 things you should keep top of mind going into 2025. Why you should listen: Small teams outperform larger ones in early stages. Paying employees well is needed to build A+ teams. Go all-in on fundraising to do it faster. Mind your burn rate to maintain flexibility. Creating undeniable value is essential for growth. Keywords product market fit, startup strategies, fundraising, small teams, value creation, entrepreneurship, founder insights, business growth, early stage startups, team dynamics Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He raised $1.3M, hit $100K ARR—but failed. Here's the lesson every founder needs to hear. | Tolga Ermis, Founder of PromiseQ 30:24

17 weeks sitten30:24

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Tolga stumbled upon a problem in the security monitoring space. Motion cameras generated way too many false alerts. So he decided to solve it using AI. He raised over a million dollars and got several customers. But he always felt he was pushing a boulder up a hill. At one point, one of his large customers churned and went with a competitor. Tolga pivoted, but it was too late. Now, thinking back, he realizes that one of the main issues is he may never have been solving an important-enough problem. And in my experience that's the reason that 95%+ of startups fail. You learn a lot from the massive successes— but you can only really know what drives success if you pay attention to the failures as well. So here it is, back by popular demand. Why you should listen: Why learning from failures is as important as celebrating successes. Why you need to deeply validate the problem with customers before building. How to tell if your product isn't a top priority based on sales cycles. Why you probably need to pivot sooner than you think. Keywords startup failure, founder stories, learning from mistakes, customer validation, market dynamics, business pivot, entrepreneurship, PromiseQ, AI technology, security solutions Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:50) What is PromiseQ (00:11:06) Working on a Non-Priority Pain Point (00:16:10) Realizing the Different Costumer Profiles too Late (00:18:23) The Business Model (00:20:52) Why you need to pivot fast (00:28:32) If Things Went Differently Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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24 ways to get your first customers—based on real examples from the last 100 episodes. 24:10

17 weeks sitten24:10

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There are a few things harder when building startups than getting your first few customers. When you're on a standstill, getting momentum is incredibly hard. Going from zero to one takes an incredible amount of effort—you have absolutely no credibility, no proof points. So to help you out I went through 24 ways of getting your first customers using 24 different examples from this show. Why you should listen: Figure out how to land your first few customers. You are guaranteed to find at least one example that works for you. Keywords customer acquisition, startup strategies, community building, persistence, experimentation, free services Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:35) Stay22 - Pay your Customers (00:02:25) Reddit - Creating your Community (00:02:58) Rappi - Seeding Supply (00:04:04) Wattpad - Seeding Demand (00:05:05) Cameo - Finding Someone With an Audience (00:05:43) Noibu - Showcasing the Value of the Platform (00:06:41) Bridgit - Showing up in Person (00:07:24) Rewind - Attaching to an Ecosystem (00:08:36) Clio - Adding Friction to the Funnel (00:09:06) Wealthsimple - Lunch & Learn (00:09:29) Athennian - Classic Customer Discovery (00:10:00) Carbon Robotics - Presales from Customer Discovery (00:10:34) StackAdapt - Creating Custom Software (00:11:21) ApplyBoard - Identifying Power Users (00:12:27) Forma AI - Sheer Force of Will (00:15:01) Blockthrough - Starting with an Obvious Problem (00:16:25) GoBolt - Finding Problems Close to You (00:17:08) Shopify - Building a Waitlist & Showcasing the Product (00:17:43) Fullscript - Cold Emailing (00:18:30) Spellbook - Running Experiments Exceptionally Quickly (00:19:27) Legion - Finding a Design Partner (00:20:18) Knak - Consulting (00:20:54) Dabble - Building Distrobution (00:21:55) Zeffy - Making the Product Free Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He bet on voice AI when no one else did. Now he has $1M+ customers & $100M raised. | Ankit Jain, Founder of Infinitus 39:44

18 weeks sitten39:44

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Ankit left his job as a VC to launch a Voice AI platform—back in 2018! It wasn't the voice AI of today. The first demo sounded like a robot. But still, he convinced large enterprise customers in the healthcare space to try it out. He found a highly manual, call intensive workflow in the back office and autoamted it using AI. Years later, he's raised $102M and has dozens of large $1M+ enterprise customers using the product. He talks about how he started it, how he saw the AI opportunity so early on, and how he found a way to lock in champions that pushed his product inside large enterprises. Why you should listen: Why the search for product-market fit never stops. How to build trust with enterprise customers. How to get champions to fight battles for you and win enterprise deals. Why even successful startups are never straight lines up and to the right. Keywords product-market fit, AI in healthcare, automation, conversational AI, startup challenges, scaling, founder advice, technology evolution, compliance, trust in AI Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:01) How it all started (00:06:29) Automating Insurance Calls (00:16:37) Landing the first customers (00:22:02) Giving your persona phone number to early users (00:27:43) Landing large enterprise customers (00:33:45) Getting Early Adopters to Believe (00:36:34) Finding Product Market Fit (00:38:04) One Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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YC said his idea "would never work". So he lived in his office for months—then raised $17M from a16z in 14 days. | Marty Kausas, founder of Pylon 1:07:26

18 weeks sitten1:07:26

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Marty and his co-founders lived full-time in their office for several months. They worked on their startup 24/7. To come up with the idea, they messaged 120 potential customers every day for 3 months. Originally, when they pitched YC they were told their idea would never work. YC said they'd seen it several times and it was destined to fail. So in 2 weeks Marty landed a customer and built a product-- and YC let him in. He went on to raise a $3M seed round from General Catalyst in 6 days and later a $17M Series A from a16z in 14 days. We go deep into how to come up with massive ideas, how to get to product-market fit, and how to quickly fundraise from tier 1 VCs. Why you should listen Why all 3 founders living in the office was the best decision they ever made. How to raise a seed round in 6 days and a Series A in 14-- all from tier 1 VCs. How to leverage LinkedIn to get exposure and lots of leads. How to get more mindshare from your employees. Why Pylon has almost no meetings. How to come up with an idea using both top-down and bottoms-up processes. Keywords founders, startup, customer support, Pylon, co-founders, omnichannel, B2B, venture capital, product market fit, entrepreneurship, startup, Y Combinator, fundraising, product development, market trends, customer support, AI integration, team dynamics, venture capital, entrepreneurship Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:35) Why he chose to sleep in the office (00:07:11) Project Management instead of People Management (00:11:24) How it all started (00:23:33) Cold Messaging Potential customers (00:28:02) Finding the Trend (00:35:49) Building V1 (00:38:32) Getting into YC as ChatGPT Comes Out (00:42:37) Why fundraising is a "social game" (01:01:21) Raising Series A from A16 Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He built a $4B unicorn & crossed $100M ARR—here's why it took 10 years of 100-hour weeks. | Martin Basiri, Founder of Passage & Applyboard (SaaS North Keynote) 30:02

19 weeks sitten30:02

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I interviewed Martin on the keynote stage at the SaaS North conference. Here is the audio version. Martin built Applyboard into a $4B unicorn doing $100M+ in ARR. He left and started a new startup called Passage— and raised a $40M seed round. He talks about 100-hour weeks, hiring exceptional talent, why smaller teams can outperform—and why he decided to start all over again. Why you should listen: Why great founders thrive in high-stress situations-- on "the edge of failure" as Martin calls it. How to make your first hire. Why you need to go all-in and work crazy hours to build a unicorn. Why Martin thinks it's key to never give up, even in tough times, as cliche as it might sound. The importance of creating a positive environment to attract good people. Keywords entrepreneurship, education, immigration, impact, startup, Passage, ApplyBoard, perseverance, business model, founder journey Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:54) Getting Into Coding (00:06:48) Accidentally Making Applyboard (00:10:41) Starting startup #2 (00:17:19) Raising the Biggest Seed in Canada with Only 20 Employees (00:20:07) If You Can't Outsmart Them, Outwork Them (00:23:21) Getting the First Software Developer (00:25:48) One Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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His sports betting app went from $0 to $10M ARR in a year—& to $150M ARR in 4. Here's how he did it. | Jon Robin, Founder of Dabble 44:26

19 weeks sitten44:26

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Jon started a sports betting app 4 years ago-- now he does $150M in revenue and $1B in betting volume. AND he's profitable. In his first year alone , he did $10 million in revenue. He took a year to build the app and as soon as he launched it, it took off. He did $10M in revenue in his first year. Honestly, it sounds too easy. But the reason it worked is because, as he shares on the episode, he'd spent 7 years in research mode. He'd spent years building a marketing agency in the sports betting space. He not only understand the market, the customers and the product, he'd also built a distribution machine and knew exactly how to get in front of users. Here's how it happened. Why you should listen - Why distribution is the difference between success and failure - How spending a long time in research mode can make go-to-market much faster - Why simple product difference can lead to huge differences in outcomes Keywords sports betting, Dabble, entrepreneurship, product-market fit, startup journey, social betting, technology, marketing, revenue growth, challenges Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:49) Getting Into Sports Betting (00:04:22) Before Dabble (00:08:08) Starting Dabble & First Steps (00:10:55) The Initial Vision (00:17:55) How Sports Betting Works (00:24:26) Nearly Going Bankrupt (00:27:53) Building the App (00:31:23) Launching (00:35:47) Revenue Timeline (00:38:28) Finding Product Market Fit (00:41:48) One Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He grew to $90M ARR, was about to exit for $1.5B—and then, it all fell apart. | Yanni Giannaros, Co-Founder of Wyre 55:58

20 weeks sitten55:58

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Yanni started building in crypto back in 2013, when you could buy one Bitcoin for $20. At one point, he was playing poker games and betting 1 bitcoin each round! He built an extension that let people use bitcoin to buy anything, anywhere on the internet. Then he pivoted to building the first on ramp for bitcoin. And finally, pivoted into Wyre, which was like Stripe for Crypto, a platform to let developers build Web3 apps. In a couple of years he scaled it from nothing to a $90M run rate. In late 2021, he started working on an exit with Bolt. By mid 2022 the deal was signed. The company was to be sold for $1.5B. Yanni would make hundreds of millions of dollars himself. And then, at the absolute last minute, the world changed. Stocks fell, crypto plummeted— and the deal fell apart. Startups are often one call, one customer or, in this case, one day away from complete success—or total failure. That’s the game you’re playing. And there are few stories better than the one you’re about to hear. Why you should listen - Why if you want to be a founder you can't avoid taking punches to the face - How Yanni found Bitcoin just a couple of years after it was started - Why it often takes multiple twists and pivots to find real PMF - How acquisitions tend to happen and why they can always fall apart Keywords startup, acquisition, Bitcoin, Web3, entrepreneurship, crypto, payment processing, innovation, technology, business, crypto, infrastructure, product-market fit, Web3, acquisition, startup challenges, fintech, business growth, developer support, market downturn Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:50) Buying Bitcoin in 2013 (00:04:48) Creating a Hacker House in San Francisco (00:19:08) Creating Crypto Wallets (00:26:41) Becoming Wyre (00:33:56) Making the Decision to Go All In on Crypto (00:41:18) The Acquisition that Didn't Happen (00:47:33) Learning from All the Mistakes (00:52:03) Some People are Builders Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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How to build great products—lessons from Amazon, Facebook, Twitter & Deel. | Aaron Goldsmid, Head of Product at Deel 37:54

20 weeks sitten37:54

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Aaron was Director of Product at Amazon, VP Product at Twilio, PM at Facebook and Twitter. Now he’s head of product at Deel where he reports directly to the CEO. Deel was founded in 2019— now, just 5 years later, it’s worth $12B and raised over $650M. We go deep on what it takes to build world-class products, how early-stage founders can balance customer feedback, vision and data, and how the best product leaders are leveraging AI today. Keywords productivity, AI, product development, user experience, product management, customer feedback, product market fit, technology, innovation, startups Why you should listen Why you’re better off trying to enhance than replace with AI— at least today. Why you need to deeply understand your users to build products they truly love. How to avoid the customer feedback trap and only build features that move the needle. How and when to hire your first product manager. What makes a product truly great Timestamps : (00:00:00) Intro (00:10:25) AI Solves the Informational Retrieval Problem (00:14:54) AI Agents Aren't Real Yet (00:18:12) Signals that Could Lead Towards to PMF (00:23:04) Finding the Customers Need (00:25:17) Hiring Product Managers (00:28:00) Difference Between an excellent Product vs an Okay One (00:34:17) Prioritizing Bug Fixing vs Feature Requests from Existing Users Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He made his first loan at 16. Now his fintech startup does $50M+ ARR—here’s how. | Tate Hackert, Co-Founder of ZayZoon 1:03:24

21 weeks sitten1:03:24

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Description Tate started doing commercial fishing at 16. He took that money and started lending it— on Craigslist! By 23 years old, he’d lent out $250,000. Then he found out about cash advances, and decided to start ZayZoon, a platform to help employers pay their employees faster. Tate was one of the early pioneers of the entire Earned Wage Access space. By partnering with payroll companies and employers, ZayZoon lets employees access their earned wages faster. It took Tate and his co-founders 4 years to get to their first million of ARR. And as soon as they felt they had it, revenue crashed 60% in a quarter. The team got things back on track and since then has grown from 20 to 200 employees— revenue is now closer to $100M than $10M. Here’s the story. Why you should listen: Why you need to be all-in at the early stages How to arm channel patterns to sell your product How to re-position your product so it’s clear you solve customer problems Why it can take years for a new category to take off Keywords entrepreneurship, lending, FinTech, earned wage access, startup journey, mentorship, risk management, payroll integration, business challenges, market challenges, growth strategies, employer empowerment, product-market fit, exponential growth, timing, customer engagement Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:25) Lending Money on Craigslist in Highschool (00:13:06) The Origin of Zayzoon (00:19:18) The Next Step After the Aha Moment (00:24:44) Problems Starting Off (00:29:08) Launching First Payroll (00:30:58) Fundraising (00:34:11) Making the Product Easy to use (00:45:32) Hitting a Million Dollars (00:48:53) Why timing matters (00:53:34) Finding Product Market Fit (00:54:27) One Piece of Advice (00:56:29) How all in were you? Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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After I passed, this startup grew 30x in 3 years to $10M+ ARR. Here's how he did it—& what I missed. | Francois de Kerret, Co-Founder of Zeffy 30:36

21 weeks sitten30:36

30:36

Zeffy is one of my biggest misses so far. I met Francois 3 years ago when he was raising his $3M seed round. But I passed. They were at ~$500K in revenue at that point. In the last 3 years, they've grown 30x. Clearly, I missed out. But it's been a long road for Francois. Before he got to the current idea, he had to make 3 pivots, including building a marketplace and selling to schools. Finally he landed on what Zeffy is today, a fundraising platform for nonprofits. The crazy thing is that it's absolutely free to use. They make all of their money, which is now in the tens of millions in revenue a year, from tips. Voluntary tips that are given by donors while they donate to the nonprofits who use Zeffy's platform. It's not an easy model to wrap your head around, but it's working in a big way. Check out the platform at zeffy.com Takeaways How to use new revenue models as differentiators. When to use sales-led vs marketing-led growth. Why the one and done funding model can work so well Why getting to profitability gives founders so much power. Keywords fundraising platform, nonprofits, product market fit, startup growth, profitability, marketing strategy, trust building, talent density, donation model Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:49) The Origin of Zeffy (00:05:56) Gaining the Trust & Cold Calling (00:08:52) Having a Sales Team Not Trying to Get Money (00:13:21) Zeffy's Growth Timeline & Raising (00:15:35) Google Ads Changed the Game (00:18:54) The Mindset After Raising the Seed (00:21:50) Staying Conservative When Recruiting (00:24:05) What Makes Zeffy Unique (00:27:38) Finding True Product Market Fit (00:28:37) One Piece of Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He hit $40M ARR, exited for over $100M—& raised only $1.5M. Here's how | Ian MacKinnon, Co-Founder of Later.com 56:01

22 weeks sitten56:01

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In 2014, Ian launched a simple product: it let social media marketers buffer Instagram posts. It was originally a hackathon project. But it quickly gained users. So he and his co-founders went all in. They raised just one small seed round. His main competitor, HootSuite, raised over $300M. In spite of that, he built a $40M ARR business that sold for well over $100M. Here's the story of how it all happened. And why there's an option besides bootstrapping and raising round after round: it's called the one & done. Why you should listen: Why you won't know if people love your product until you charge them. How to use content marketing to drive inbound traffic. How user experience can be a big differentiator even in a competitive market. What the acquisition process is like and why it often drags on. Keywords startup, product market fit, user feedback, monetization, content marketing, growth strategies, social media management, entrepreneurship, user acquisition, pricing strategy, startup, growth, competition, user experience, influencer marketing, acquisition, exit process, founder advice Timestamps: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:05) "Ian's dumb ideas" (00:07:27) Hackathons (00:10:41) Finding a market (00:13:30) Early feedback (00:17:50) The growth curve (00:21:08) Turning on pricing (00:26:35) A seed strapper (00:31:58) Focusing on small and medium businesses (00:38:24) Being well positioned (00:43:19) Bough by private equity (00:47:50) Relief (00:50:59) A new project and a piece of advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

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He raised $16M, hit $1M ARR—& failed. Here are the top 3 lessons he learned. | David Anderson, Founder of Tandym 54:13

22 weeks sitten54:13

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David's startup failed. But he had everything going for him: a solid thesis, $16M in funding across 3 rounds, $1.5M in ARR. At a high-level it seemed like everything was going the right way. And yet, it didn't work out. This is what happens to 95% of startups. On thhis show, we mainly speak with the top 5%-- the ones where things went right and everything worked out. But you tend to learn more from failures than successes. On this episode, we go deep with David to see what building Tandym was like, why it ultimately didn't work, and what he would do differently the second time around. Why you should listen: Why you should always start with the model that requires the least capital Why you need to be a number one priority for your customers Why even hitting $1M ARR doesn't mean you will succeed. Why you need to pivot quickly as soon as things are clearly not working. i Keywords product-market fit, startup journey, fundraising, fintech, brand partnerships, business model, sales challenges, urgency in sales, Tandem, lessons learned, startup, fundraising, product strategy, compliance, revenue growth, entrepreneurship, lessons learned, business pivot, mid-market brands, capital management Timestamps (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:30) The Origin of Tandym (00:09:26) Taking the Leap (00:11:37) The Business Model (00:17:22) Developing the Product (00:21:05) Struggling to Create Urgency (00:26:50) Raising Rounds & Shifting (00:35:11) First Signs of Problems (00:39:01) The Product that we should've launched (00:42:12) How it All Ended (00:49:56) Final Thoughts & Advice Send me a message to let me know what you think!…

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