Neuro's $100M story

Hey, it’s Guy & Farzan.

Sunny Easter weekend in Sydney. Caught a few great waves under perfect blue skies. We’re bloody lucky living in Sydney.

Sandrita and I did it again, showed up way overdressed to another fancy dress party. Everyone else in casual clothes. We never learn.

Here's some

Reading time: 8.5 mins

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

 Founder story 1 

Ryan Chen & Kent Yoshimura: A broken spine and their $100M company Neuro

"From a life-altering accident to a $100M brain-boosting mint empire: How Ryan and Kent turned personal adversity into one of TikTok's top 10 shop brands."

The Journey
- Ryan suffered a spinal injury at 19 that left him paralysed and using a wheelchair
- Met Kent Yoshimura at UC San Diego where they bonded over video games and workouts
- Ryan studied Chemistry and Management Science-Economics; Kent studied Cognitive Science with Neuroscience specialisation
- Started experimenting with nootropics and cognitive enhancers in Kent's dorm room
- A scuba diving Groupon trip sparked the idea for their product: neuro-enhancement in mint/gum form
- Both worked corporate jobs while developing their product (Ryan at Hulu, Kent at Sony Music)

The Evolution of Vision
- 2015: Launched on Indiegogo with a goal of $30,000, reaching $100,000 in weeks
- 2016-2017: Grew from $100K to $750K in annual sales while still working full-time jobs
- 2018: Left corporate careers to focus entirely on Neuro despite financial uncertainty
- 2019: Appeared on Shark Tank, walking away with no deals but massive exposure
- 2024: Reached $100M in annual revenue ($10M monthly)

Overcoming Obstacles
- Ryan's life-changing accident and subsequent rehabilitation
- Battled depression and questioning self-worth after paralysis
- Bootstrapped the business with personal savings (Ryan cashed out his 401(k))
- Used Kent's apartment as a warehouse, personally hauling 4,000 lbs of product to USPS
- Faced a trademark lawsuit that nearly bankrupted the company
- Survived on credit card points and Ryan's semi-pro poker winnings during lean times

Today's Impact
- $100M annual revenue ($10M monthly)
- Among TikTok's top 10 shop brands
- 96% employee satisfaction rate
- Global distribution including markets like India
- Featured on major platforms and endorsed by celebrities like Joe Rogan and Steve Aoki

Growth Strategies That Worked
- Crowdfunding: Used Indiegogo to validate product and secure initial capital
- Media Coverage: Featured in Time Magazine and on Dr. Oz
- Organic Viral Marketing: Built strong presence on TikTok and other social platforms
- Shark Tank Exposure: Despite receiving no deals, the appearance dramatically boosted sales
- Celebrity Endorsements: Authentic (unpaid) product use by influencers and celebrities
- Strategic Mentorship: Relationship with Daniel Lubetzky (KIND founder) proved crucial during legal battle

Key Milestones
- Paralysis at 19 became Ryan's defining moment of resilience
- First prototype tested at Hulu where a manager stayed up until 4 a.m. after trying it
- Reached $100K in Indiegogo funding
- Quit corporate jobs to go all-in on Neuro
- Shark Tank appearance in 2019
- Overcoming trademark lawsuit with help from Daniel Lubetzky
- Hitting $10M in monthly revenue

The Philosophy

"Success is measured by how high you bounce back from rock bottom."

"Entrepreneurship doesn't care about your situation, your credentials, or your starting point. It rewards the ones who take the shot."

Founder story 2

See how your Saeed built $20K/month chrome extension

"I was a software engineer in Corporate America for almost a decade. I learned to build an extension and launched within 2-3 days. Today it's making $20-30K MRR."

This is Saeed describing his journey from employee to solopreneur with his ChatGPT extension. His "overnight success" took smart positioning and execution.

Here's how he did it:

→ Built "Superpower ChatGPT" extension as a solo developer
→ Grew to 270K downloads and 150K weekly active users
→ Now making $20-30K monthly with zero paid marketing
→ Runs everything himself with simple coding skills

But the fascinating part isn't the numbers, it's how his approach evolved:

2022: "I'll build features I personally need for ChatGPT"
2023: "Let me find and join communities where my users hang out"
2023: "I'll monetize through a newsletter first before the extension"
2024: "Premium features while keeping existing ones free"

The journey had smart strategic choices:
- Built for an existing platform with millions of users
- Found ideas by listening to user communities (Reddit, Discord, Facebook)
- Used basic web skills (JavaScript, HTML, CSS) with no frameworks
- Grew entirely through word-of-mouth and organic mentions
- Started monetising through a newsletter before the product

Key insight about marketplace businesses:
Success isn't about competing with everyone online. It's about finding smaller marketplaces with fewer competitors. Build simple extensions that validate ideas quickly.

Why this matters:
Most builders get stuck trying to build complex standalone products. Winners build for existing platforms where users already are.

The best part?
Saeed admits OpenAI could "kill this product any day" but feels numb to the risk now. His advice: "Validate as fast as possible. Build the first version, launch it, and see if you get users."

Founder story 3

How a small-town engineer built a $550M media startup by simplifying news to just 60 words.

The Journey
- Born in Kishanganj district in Bihar, one of India's less progressive regions
- Moved to Delhi at age 15 to prepare for engineering entrance exams
- Secured admission to prestigious IIT-Delhi, India's top engineering college
- Considered dropping out after three years due to average academic performance
- Started InShorts (initially "News in Shorts") as a Facebook page in 2011 while still in college
- Launched the InShorts app in 2013 with co-founders Anunay Arunav and Deepit Purkayastha
- Accepted into TLabs startup accelerator backed by Times Internet group
- Became a judge on Shark Tank India, investing in emerging startups

The Evolution of Vision
- 2011: "What if we could serve news in under 60 words?"
- 2013: "Let's encourage people to spend just five minutes daily reading news"
- 2015: Rebranded from "News in Shorts" to "InShorts" to expand beyond news
- 2018: Achieved profitability with 50% profit margins
- 2024: Launched "Public" app focusing on localized short-form video content

Overcoming Obstacles
- Came from Bihar, a state with 62% literacy rate and 26.9% poverty rate
- Struggled academically at the highly competitive IIT-Delhi
- Chose to build an MVP rather than conduct market surveys
- Maintained a free service while developing a sustainable business model
- Navigated the crowded and opinionated Indian media landscape

Today's Impact
- $550 million company valuation
- Raised approximately $165 million in funding
- 10+ million daily active users
- 500+ employees
- Profitable since 2018 with 50% profit margins

Growth Strategies That Worked
- MVP Testing: Started with a simple Facebook page before building an app
- First-Mover Advantage: Pioneered 60-word news format in India
- Strategic Funding: Secured backing from Tiger Global and Flipkart founders
- Acquisition: Purchased Retention.ai to improve user engagement analytics
- B2B Revenue Model: Charged brands for advertisements (USD 12-24K per day)
- Focus on Return Users: Prioritized repeat engagement as the north star metric

Key Milestones
- 2011: Created Facebook page for short-form news at IIT
- 2013: Launched News In Shorts app
- 2015: Secured Rs 25 crore in Series A funding from Tiger Global
- 2015: Followed by Rs 127 crore Series B funding just four months later
- 2015: Rebranded to InShorts to expand content beyond news
- 2018: Achieved profitability
- 2024: Launched Public app for localized short-form video content

The Philosophy "The world is quite simple, as we humans tend to complicate things unnecessarily."

"If there are ten users using your product, if they are coming back, then that's a success, and the business will continue to grow."

 Founder advice from Andreas Jonsson

10 traps bootstrapped founders should avoid when building startups

1. Chase investor-friendly metrics. Your TAM or hockey stick projections don’t matter. Instead, show real revenue that pays your bills. Bootstrappers thrive on cash flow, not fairy tales.

2. "Move fast and break things" mentality. Steady progress beats reckless speed. When you're spending your own money, you fix things before they break. Sustainable growth compounds.

3. Growth at all costs. If you're sacrificing profitability for vanity metrics, you're playing a game you can't win. Growth is great, but not at the expense of sustainability.

4. Fight for crowded markets. VCs chase the next big thing, bootstrappers win by serving neglected customers better. Find the markets others are too proud to serve.

5. Artificial urgency. Real businesses aren't built on manufactured deadlines. Take the time to understand your market and get things right. Sustainable progress beats artificial pressure.

6. Build for future funding. If your strategy depends on raising money later, you're already lost. Build something that works with the resources you have now, something that works in the market today.

7. Over-engineer before learning. Too many founders build complex solutions before understanding the problem. Learn what customers want before burning resources on perfect code.

8. Starting with a big team. If your startup requires 20 people to get off the ground, you're playing the wrong game. The best bootstrapped businesses start lean and scale with revenue.

9. "Massive market" obsession. Start in a small, neglected market with real problems over a "billion-dollar opportunity" any day. Bootstrappers win by dominating niches.

10. Unsustainable burn rate. Every dollar spent should have a clear path to return. If you're burning cash hoping for future returns, you're gambling.

 A quote we loved

All done for today.

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See you in 7 days.

Guy + Farzan
Founderoo