🔥 Victor's $1.6M business

Hey - It’s Guy & Farzan.

I (Guy) got stuck at IKEA Saturday night. My wife had bought too many bits in the cheap seconds section, and we had to tie stuff to the roof. Think I need some marital therapy after that. 😂

Anyway, this week, we have 2 founder stories, 1 playbook, and 1 tweet. Enjoy the new format.

Estimated reading time: 8-9 mins

2 Founder stories

1. See how Victor Musílek built Skychatters to a $1.6M business

Imagine starting with a $1 sale and soaring to a $1.6M business - Victor Musílek's story isn't just inspiring; it's a masterclass in spotting opportunities and scaling heights!

🎓 From an entrepreneurial schoolkid trading earphones to an entrepreneur connecting travellers across the globe, Victor's journey is cracking. Here's how he did it:

• 🤑 First profit: Bought earphones on eBay, sold for a profit at school.

• 🌏 China calling: Traveled to China at 15 to buy in bulk, sparking his entrepreneurial spirit.

• 📚 Language mastery: Pursued university in Beijing to learn Chinese, laying the foundation for future ventures.

• 🚴 Tech Llap: Joined OBike in Singapore, expanding the business to Central Europe.

• 🤝 Connecting travelers: Conceived Skychatters on a trip from the Czech Republic to Beijing, aiming to keep travel connections alive.

• 📈 Pivot to success: Transformed Skychatters during COVID to meet travelers' needs, leading to explosive growth.

• 💼 First Ten Customers: Engaged directly with travellers at airports and partnered with an international airport in Ostrava.

Key Lesson for Founders: Direct engagement and genuinely solving a problem can catapult your growth. Victor’s hands-on approach and adaptation to market needs propelled Skychatters from a simple idea to a thriving global community.

2. See how Justin made Hinge a $400 Million dating app

In 2011, Justin McLeod, a graduate of Harvard, sought a solution to his own challenges with dating. He funded the launch of Hinge, a dating service that the company describes as "designed to be deleted," using $12K of his own cash. By 2023, Hinge had generated $396 million in revenue.

1 Founder playbook

How Aravind Srinivas found The $520M Conversational AI Search Engine - Perplexity (raising money from Jeff Bezos and Nvidea).

From an inspired student at IIT Madras to the forefront of AI innovation, Aravind Srinivas's journey is a rollercoaster ride through technology and entrepreneurship.

Let's dive into the playbook of his amazing journey. Here’s how it went:

• 🏫 Academic Excellence: Kickstarted by a machine learning contest win at IIT Madras.

• 🎓 Ph.D. pioneer: Ventured into AI and deep learning at Berkeley, diving deep into groundbreaking research.

• 📺 Silicon Valley dreamer: Inspired by the show and legends like Larry Page, he embraced the startup culture.

• 🧠 DeepMind to OpenAI: Grappled with reality checks and skill gaps, only to emerge stronger, focusing on generative AI.

• 🤖 Genesis of Perplexity: Envisioned AI as the ultimate search tool, merging academic insights with entrepreneurial spirit.

• 🚀 Bold beginnings: From cold emails to securing initial funding, the journey of Perplexity began with audacity.

• 💡 Innovative launch: Introduced a conversational search engine, simplifying access to information, and making waves without traditional marketing.

• 📈 Explosive Growth: Skyrocketed to 10M monthly active users and a valuation of $520M in just a year.

The foundational lesson: Never underestimate the power of cold emails and bold Ideas

One significant lesson from Aravind's journey is the sheer power of cold outreach and the courage to pursue bold ideas. Against the odds, cold emails opened doors to initial funding, proving that even in the digital age, a well-crafted message can lead to monumental opportunities.

This underscores the importance for founders to not shy away from reaching out directly, regardless of how out of reach someone seems. It's about the value you bring to the table and the conviction in your vision.

1 Founder tweet

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See you in 7 days.

Guy + Farzan
Founderoo