Kyle and the $1B Cruise Automation business

Hey, it’s Guy & Farzan.

Three evenings out at this weekend. My friend's 50th had these limoncello spritzers I'd never tried before. Bright yellow drinks in frosted glasses. Still thinking about them on Monday evening while I type this. Let's get into this week's founder stories.
Reading time: 9 mins

In the mail today. 3 founder stories, 1 bit of founder advice, 1 quote

 Founder story 1 

Kyle Vogt: The Quiet founder behind Twitch, Cruise Automation and The Bot Company

"From MIT Dropout to Serial Tech Innovator: How Kyle Vogt Built, Scaled, and Sold Revolutionary Ideas in Live Streaming, Self-Driving Cars, and Home Robotics."

The Journey
- Robotics enthusiast who replied to an email from Justin Kan and Emmett Shear while at MIT
- Created detailed hardware plans for their live-streaming camera idea before even meeting in person
- Became product leader for Justin.tv, which later evolved into Twitch Co-founded Twitch, helping build the technical foundation of the platform
- Founded Cruise Automation in 2013, focused on self-driving car technology
- Launched The Bot Company in 2024, specializing in household robotics

The Evolution of Vision
- 2006: Co-founded Twitch to revolutionize live streaming technology
- 2013: Started Cruise Automation to make self-driving cars a reality
- 2016: Scaled Cruise under GM's ownership after acquisition
- 2023: Stepped down as Cruise CEO following regulatory challenges
- 2024: Founded The Bot Company to create practical home robots for everyday chores

Overcoming obstacles
- Pitched Cruise Automation to 120 investors before securing funding
- Faced skepticism about self-driving cars being expensive and unproven
- Created lean startup approach instead of competing directly with Google
- Navigated regulatory issues at Cruise that eventually led to leadership change
- Built The Bot Company during a time when most were focused on chatbots, not robotics

Today's impact
- Helped build Twitch, which sold to Amazon for $970 million
- Led Cruise to 250,000 driverless rides and 5 million autonomous miles by 2023
- Grew Cruise to a $30 billion valuation by 2021
- Raised $150 million for The Bot Company, reaching $550 million valuation within months
- Co-founded Charlie's Acres animal sanctuary and supported plant-based nutrition research

Growth strategies that worked
- Build first philosophy: Focus on creating working prototypes before polished pitches
- Persistence: Continued pitching despite numerous rejections
- Market timing: Entered emerging technologies at inflection points
- Real-world iteration: Emphasized practical solutions over academic perfection
- Starting Small: Recognized that niche markets can grow exponentially

Key milestones
- Dropped out of MIT to pursue entrepreneurial ventures
- Helped develop Twitch into a major gaming platform
- Sold Cruise Automation to General Motors for over $1 billion
- Built one of the most advanced autonomous vehicle systems in the world
- Launched The Bot Company with substantial initial funding and valuation

The Philosophy "We spend hours a day doing things that make us feel like robots. Why not have actual robots do them?" "You don't need to win the PR war if you win the tech war. But transparency matters."

Founder story 2

How Clement built 2 pubs that make $4M a year

"I had to literally rebuild this pub. To be honest if it was a straight business decision I would have tapped out ages ago."

This is Clem, a Nigerian-born entrepreneur who walked away from his 9-to-5, sold his flat, and transformed into a trailblazing pub owner in London, generating millions annually. But this "overnight success" took years of determination and vision.

Here's his remarkable journey:
→ Started with £217,000 from selling his flat and family investment
→ Opened Prince of Peckham in 2017 as a community-focused pub
→ Expanded to Queen of the South in 2022 with an £800K investment (that ballooned to £1.2M)
→ Now serves 4,000+ customers weekly across both locations

The fascinating part isn't just the numbers, it's how his understanding evolved:
- 2015: "I want to create spaces where people feel comfortable"
- 2017: "Community doesn't mean free - we can have nice things"
- 2022: "Cash flow supersedes everything in business"
- 2025: "The magic makes the money"

The journey wasn't smooth:
- Had to entirely rebuild Queen of the South (could see sky through the roof)
- Ran on generators for 5 months after opening second location
- Went significantly over budget on renovations
- Maintained staff of 60+ in an industry known for high turnover

Key business insights:
- Weekend nights should pay for weekday operations
- Consistency in service and food quality is essential
- Staff retention requires treating hospitality as a career
- Email marketing (especially birthday reminders) drives bookings
- Monitoring detailed cost centers is critical for profitability

What's next? Clem aims to build a five-pub empire under his "Village People" group and create South London's first 100% community-owned pub through crowdfunding.

His advice for entrepreneurs: "If there's no passion for people, food, drink, or creating experiences - if you're in it just for the money - forget about it. The magic makes the money."

Founder story 3

How a New Zealand-born Doctor Transformed Medical Staffing and Built a Growing Healthcare Platform, now Connecting 100+ Doctors with 12 Hospitals in Australia.

The Journey
- Born and raised in Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Studied medicine at Otago University, not following family's engineering tradition
- Ran successful tutoring company "CrashMe" during med school
- Moved to Australia in 2020 to work in emergency medicine
- Experienced severe burnout at Northern Hospital, Melbourne's busiest ED
- Became a locum doctor in 2021, working across Australia
- Founded StatDoctor in 2024 after experiencing frustrations with locum agencies

The Evolution of Vision
- 2020: Worked in emergency medicine but experienced complete burnout
- 2021: Discovered joy in locum work while facing system inefficiencies
- 2022: Developed initial concept through Hyper app accelerator program
- 2024: Launched StatDoctor as first true locum marketplace
- 2025: Building toward becoming "digital front door" for Australian doctors

Overcoming Obstacles
- Balanced demanding medical career with entrepreneurial aspirations
- Nearly quit medicine altogether due to burnout
- Was sued by a locum agency four years prior to launching
- Faced challenges of building two-sided marketplace
- Had to overcome initial reluctance to share idea due to fear of theft

Today's Impact
- AU$2,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR)
- 100+ doctors on platform
- 12 hospitals/GP clinics subscribed
- 1,300 newsletter subscribers
- 350 website visitors per month
- Bootstrapped operation with 1 employee

Growth Strategies That Worked
- Created waitlist through accelerator program for initial customers
- LinkedIn-focused strategy for doctor acquisition
- Cold outreach and word-of-mouth for hospital acquisition
- Presentations at medical conventions
- Different approaches for each side of marketplace: cold calls for hospitals, social media for doctors

Key Milestones
- Developed patent-pending medical device during final year of med school
- Joined Hyper app accelerator program in 2022
- Launched StatDoctor in 2024
- Built true marketplace model without agency fees
- Currently planning for acquisition in 5-10 years

The Philosophy "You will always fail more than you win, so if you aren't currently winning, it just means you haven't failed enough yet."

"Every 'no' gets you closer to a 'yes.'"

"I want to save our healthcare system, while helping doctors too."

Founder advice from Ryan Elliott 

I’m 35.
In the last decade, I’ve bootstrapped, I've raised VC and built SaaS companies, had cofounder breakups, learned how to sell, ship, and scale - and burned out more than once trying to do it all.
 
Here are 11 of the 11,111 lessons I’d give to 25-year-old me, building from his laptop in a café, wondering if it’ll ever work.
 
Treat your attention like capital
What you pay attention to either compounds or cannibalises your future.
Social feeds, Slack messages, shiny ideas - most are sugar.
Focus is protein.
 
The best marketing is founder-led
Nobody tells your story better than you.
Your vision, your scars, your why.
It builds trust faster than any paid campaign.
 
Don’t wait to ‘feel ready’
Start the podcast. Launch the product. Message the customer.
Clarity comes from doing, not waiting.
 
Success is subtraction
Removing distractions, unscalable services, unnecessary features - this is where speed lives.
Build lean. Operate lighter. Move faster.
As my man Nassim says: Via Negativia.
 
Build distribution before product
If you can’t get 100 people to care about the idea, you’ll struggle to get 1,000 to pay for it.
Audience first. Always.
 
Write like your career depends on it
Because it does.
Writing is thinking.
It’s how you sell, recruit, raise, and lead - at scale.
 
Co-founder alignment is everything
Not values on a pitch deck - actual alignment.
Find someone who'll "chew glass and stare into the abyss" with you.
 
Momentum trumps motivation
You don’t need to feel inspired.
You need to move. Build one thing a day. Post once a day. Talk to one customer a day.
That’s how you win.
 
Run experiments, not businesses
In the early days, your startup isn’t a company.
It’s a series of bets.
Run 5-10 small tests before you commit to the big swing.
 
Your identity is a trap
You’re not a “technical founder” or a “content person” — you’re just someone trying to solve problems.
Adapt.
Learn fast.
Reinvent yourself.
Alan Watts — 'You're under no obligation to be the same person you were 5 minutes ago.'
 
Burnout isn’t a badge
You’re not weak for needing rest - you’re human.
Rest isn’t what you do after work. It’s part of the work.
 
It’s simple: Show up. Ship often. Think long-term.
 
If you’re building something real; don’t just work harder.
 
Work clearer.

 A quote we loved

That’s it for this week.

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Guy + Farzan
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