Linktree's $1.3B founder story

Hey, it’s Guy & Farzan.

The fridge doors that declared independence last week have been tamed. A few screws, and now it swings open with a satisfying hush. Crisis averted. Except for the light inside that won’t turn off. Cold yogurt for everyone. Let's dive into this week's founder stories.

Reading time: 8.75 mins

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

 Founder story 1 

Linktree's $1.3B founder story

How three Australian music marketers created Linktree and changed how we share content online.

The Journey
- Grew up in the music industry with parents who imported musical instruments
- Founded Bolster, a digital marketing agency for the music industry
- Created Linktree as a simple side project for music clients in 2016
- Developed initial version in just six hours
- Bootstrapped for four years before raising external funding
- Expanded from 7 employees to over 230 globally

The Evolution of Vision
- 2016: Created a simple link-in-bio solution for music industry clients
- 2017: Launched PRO subscription model in April, confirming product value
- 2020: Raised Series A funding of $10.7M to accelerate growth
- 2022: Secured $110M funding, reaching $1.3B valuation
- 2023: Expanded to $37M in yearly revenue
- 2024: Continued expanding the platform with AI features and new integrations

Overcoming Obstacles
- Started as a side project while running a full-time marketing agency
- Navigated Instagram's temporary ban on their service in 2018
- Maintained relevance despite social platforms creating native alternatives
- Managed explosive growth from 10 new users daily to 10,000+ sign-ups
- Balanced generous free tier with a premium subscription model
- Expanded beyond the music industry to serve creators of all types

Today's Impact
- $1.3 billion company valuation
- $37 million yearly revenue (2023)
- 10,000+ new signups daily
- 230+ employees globally
- 90% of users from outside Australia
- 39 linked apps and 6 integrations on the platform

Growth Strategies That Worked
- Word-of-Mouth Marketing: Early adoption by artists like Alicia Keys
- Product Hunt Launch: Unexpected showcase led to 3,000+ new users overnight
- Freemium Model: Offering core features free with premium upgrades
- Industry Network: Leveraged existing music industry connections
- Global Focus: Expanded beyond the Australian market from the beginning
- Constant Innovation: Regularly adding new features and integrations

Key Milestones
- Built initial version in six hours (2016)
- Launched PRO subscription (April 2017)
- Featured on Product Hunt, bringing 3,000+ new users
- Reached consistent 800+ daily signups
- Bootstrapped to $10M yearly revenue (2020)
- Raised first funding round after four years of operation
- Achieved unicorn status with $1.3B valuation (2022)

The Philosophy "Our mission is to empower all creators with the ability to curate, commerce, and build community around their craft. We believe in equalizing the digital realm, making the internet and digital identity accessible to all, championing a more democratized online world."

"The simplest solutions often solve the biggest problems. It doesn't need to be complex to be valuable - sometimes all it takes is recognizing a universal pain point that no one else has addressed."

Founder story 2

Sweet Loren's: From cancer diagnosis to $120M cookie revolution.

At 23, while battling cancer, Loren Castle turned to baking as therapy. Her quest for healthier cookies that still tasted amazing became Sweet Loren's. They’re now projecting $120M in sales for 2025.

Her journey:
- Started selling homemade cookies at farmers markets ($2-3 each)
- Used $25,000 in personal savings to launch
- First big break: Whole Foods in 2011
- Expanded nationally through Publix and Kroger in 2016
- Made all products vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-free in 2018

Today, Sweet Loren's products are in 35,000+ stores nationwide. The company has expanded beyond cookie dough to breakfast biscuits, puff pastry, and pizza crust.

Her key insight? "Everyone loves a warm, fresh-baked treat", but nobody had built a natural, health-conscious brand in the cookie dough space.

What truly moves Loren to tears is the impact: "From day one, I've gotten hundreds of messages from people saying it's changed their life."

Founder story 3

Shantanu Pandey: From curious engineer to $650K UI/UX Agency founder.

How a Product Manager's curiosity led to building a multidisciplinary Design Agency that connects strategy, design, technology, and marketing to deliver exceptional client results.

The Journey
- Born in Delhi, India, later relocated to Dubai, UAE
- Started with a Bachelor's in Engineering, Computer Sciences
- Worked with European and American companies as a product consultant
- Began freelancing, focusing on results rather than just services
- Founded KodeGlobe Technologies (later rebranded as Tenet) in 2018
- Scaled to 40 employees and $650,000 in annual revenue

The Evolution of Vision
- 2018: Started as a one-person freelance operation, focusing on product management
- 2019: Expanded expertise in UX research and product design
- 2020: Added growth marketing capabilities after extensive training
- 2022: Recognized the opportunity in connecting siloed disciplines
- 2024: Rebranded as Tenet UI UX Design Agency with a comprehensive 360° approach
- 2025: Building toward creating AI-based SaaS tools by mid-2026

Overcoming Obstacles
- Limited by hours in the day as a solo freelancer
- Took on too many major clients simultaneously, risking quality and causing team burnout
- Initially wasted $120K on ineffective Google and Facebook ads
- Had to pivot from saying "yes" to everything to becoming more selective
- Needed to refine service portfolio and implement structured discovery processes

Today's Impact
- $650,000 annual revenue
- 40 employees across multiple locations
- 98% client satisfaction rate
- 91% client retention (up from 68%)
- 2,000 website visitors per month
- Clients across 30+ industries and 12 countries

Growth Strategies That Worked
- SEO: Created strategic content consistently with a 3-tiered structure
- Squad-based project management: Dedicated teams of 6-8 specialists per client
- Talent-first approach: Recruiting only the top 1% of talent
- Omni-channel outreach: 17-step sales cadence across email, LinkedIn, calls
- Outcome-based delivery model: Performance incentives tied to actual business results
- Client-specific playbooks: Capturing institutional knowledge about each client

Key Milestones
- Started as a freelancer after corporate experience
- Saw snowball effect as one client quickly turned into multiple clients
- Hired first team members when limited by personal capacity
- Major rebranding from KodeGlobe Technologies to Tenet UI UX Design Agency
- Built proprietary methodologies like the UX Optimization Framework
- Currently expanding into the U.S. market

The Philosophy "I think I'm unnaturally curious for most things. What started as one client quickly turned into two, then four, and so on. I saw a snowball effect in the number of clients reaching out to me for help with their business growth challenges."

"Everyone knew it was impossible until a fool who didn't know came along and did it."

 Founder advice from Jason Frieds

Business isn’t something you learn in books. Or posts. Or threads.

You can’t read your way to the right hire.

You can't consume enough content to produce a product.

You have to do.

You learn business by doing business. Hiring by hiring. Products by building them.

We know this is true in music.

Never pick up a guitar? Go read 100 books on guitar. You'll suck just as much.

You have to play. You can only learn guitar by playing.

Business is music.

Some things can be taught. Some are just knowledge.

Business isn't that kind of thing. Products aren't those kinds of things.

Like music. Like sports. Like anything physical.
You have to do the thing to get better at the thing.

In that way, business is more physical than mental. It's not a formula you can learn. It's not a series of lessons you can internalize. It's not a list you can complete.

Business is muscle memory. It's built by doing. Go do.

 A quote we loved

That’s us for this week.

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See you next Monday.

Guy + Farzan
Founderoo