Founder Chats

About Claus Enevoldsen:

Claus Enevoldsen is the founder of Elsie AI, an AI-powered business partner built for solo e-commerce founders, operating out of 1848 Ventures, a B2B SaaS venture studio focused on SMBs. Before building Elsie, Claus spent years at Flipboard, where the platform scaled to 145 million active users and became the fourth-largest referral traffic source for publishers ahead of Google News. A self-described builder with a growth mindset, Claus brings both large-scale product experience and a scrappy zero-to-one mentality to everything he builds.

About Elsie AI:

Elsie AI is an AI-powered business partner designed specifically for solo e-commerce founders, the segment Claus believes has been the last to benefit from the AI revolution. Built inside 1848 Ventures, Elsie was co-designed from day one with real e-commerce solopreneurs to address the unique challenge of wearing ten hats at once: prioritizing what to do next, creating marketing content, and monitoring website health. The goal is simple but ambitious: to become the first thing founders open every morning.

Show Notes:

00:00 Introduction: what founders will take away from this episode

00:46 What the first 24 hours after launch actually looks like

01:56 How to find your ICP before you have a single customer

04:59 Why going narrow is a wedge, not a limitation

09:48 Lessons from scaling Flipboard to 145M users

11:52 How AI changes the zero-to-one game for founders

13:13 "Sell to build" vs. "intentional speed to market"

14:55 Building micro apps for marketing and lead gen

17:50 Unconventional go-to-market decisions at Elsie AI

19:20 What metrics matter on launch day (and the next two weeks)

21:07 Signups vs. PQLs: why activation rate is the real signal

22:03 The AI churn trap: front-loading value and losing retention

22:25 How Elsie builds habits instead of features

25:23 Churn prediction and behavior-based retention

25:48 Using pricing experiments to test willingness to pay

26:29 Balancing startup life with a creative practice

30:28 AI art, generative work, and the future of creative tools

33:42 Claus asks Luke: What stage is Baremetrics in?

35:00 Hypothesis-driven experimentation and what startups get wrong

39:11 Wrap-up and what's next for Elsie AI

About Walid Amarir:

Walid Amarir is the Co-founder and CEO of WaLead.ai, a LinkedIn automation tool built to solve the scalability problems he experienced firsthand running a LinkedIn marketing agency. At just 23, Walid has an unconventional background—he was a professional eSports player earning his parents' salaries by age 18, then studied Physics and Mathematics in the UK before realizing he preferred building businesses to academia. After identifying critical gaps in existing LinkedIn automation tools while scaling his agency, Walid made the jump from service provider to SaaS founder, building a lean, efficient platform that maintains authenticity while automating outreach at scale.

About WaLead.ai:

WaLead.ai is a LinkedIn automation and prospecting platform designed for B2B companies that need to scale their outbound sales without sacrificing personalization. Built by someone who lived the pain points of existing tools, WaLead solves the core problem that legacy platforms face: they're built for individual users, not for teams managing multiple accounts and campaigns. The platform integrates seamlessly with existing sales workflows, helping companies automate LinkedIn outreach while maintaining the human touch that drives real conversations and conversions.

Show Notes:

00:00 Introduction to Walid and His Journey

02:48 Transition from Agency to Building WaLead.ai

05:48 Strategies for LinkedIn Success

09:04 Building a Scalable LinkedIn Tool

11:59 Managing Integrations

14:41 Geographical Advantages and Market Strategy

18:01 Metrics and Follow-Up Strategies

20:53 Building an Effective LinkedIn Profile

23:44 Engagement and Community Building on LinkedIn

26:37 Final Thoughts and Future Directions

About Sachin Jain:

Sachin Jain is the Co-founder and CEO of Requestly, the browser-based API mocking and testing platform used by over 300,000 developers worldwide. After transforming a weekend Chrome extension project into a Y Combinator-backed company (one of 414 accepted from 17,000 applications), Sachin led Requestly through a successful acquisition by BrowserStack earlier this year. His journey from Google intern and Adobe engineer to successful founder showcases the power of solving your own problems first.

About Requestly:

Requestly is a developer-first platform that simplifies API mocking, testing, and network request interception directly in the browser. Born from a frustrated developer's need to debug minified JavaScript in production, Requestly eliminates the need for bulky proxy tools by offering a simple Chrome extension that lets developers modify headers, redirect scripts, and mock API responses. The platform has become essential for frontend teams building against incomplete backends.

Show Notes:

00:00 From Developer to Founder

00:32 The P0 Bug That Sparked a Business Idea

02:52 Building an MVP in 30 Minutes

03:04 Identifying a Problem: The Birth of Requestly

05:05 From JavaScript Redirector to API Platform Evolution

05:52 The Evolution of Requestly

08:21 Organic Growth Without Landing Pages or Marketing

08:55 Open Source vs. Monetization

10:20 The Open Core Model

12:10 Navigating Y Combinator: Tips for Success

13:11 What Made Sachin's YC Application Stand Out

14:50 Building a Developer Community

16:39 Company Culture as Product Differentiation

17:57 Acquisition Insights: Choosing the Right Buyer

19:45 Customer Support as Competitive Advantage

21:01 Post-Acquisition Journey

23:53 Lessons Learned: Growth and Adaptation as a Founder

24:38 Why Optimize for Right Buyer, Not Price

27:57 Personal Growth: From Engineer to CEO

About David Zitoun:

David Zitoun is the Co-founder and CEO of Submagic, the AI-powered video editing platform that helps content creators generate viral shorts in seconds. Starting from his own frustration editing YouTube content, David bootstrapped Submagic to over $8M in revenue with an ultra-lean team of just 10 people—no sales team, fully self-serve, and 100% remote. Known for his obsessive focus on pricing experimentation, distribution-first strategy, and profitability over growth-at-all-costs, David represents a new breed of bootstrapped SaaS founder winning in the AI era.

About Submagic:

Submagic is an AI-powered video editing platform built for content creators who need to produce viral short-form content quickly. Born from a founder's personal pain point, Submagic's radical approach combines cutting-edge AI with an entirely self-serve business model. The company has achieved remarkable capital efficiency, reaching $8M in revenue with just 10 team members while maintaining profitability and sustainable growth.

Show Notes:

00:00 Inside Submagic's pricing page

04:04 From frustrated creator to founder

09:59 Building a lean, distributed team

15:01 Managing hyper-growth with minimal headcount

17:34 Building team culture through retreats

19:59 The hidden challenges of managing remote teams

21:09 Effective communication in remote work: Loom, World Time Buddy, and Sup Bot

24:01 Metrics and success measurement

32:14 Hiring the right people for growth

33:27 Choosing profitability and sustainability over venture-backed hyper-growth

About Thomas Griffin:

Thomas Griffin is the Co-founder of OptinMonster and Gro-Rite Garden. His software powers over 25 million websites globally, and he pioneered the lead capture space by coining and trademarking the term "exit intent." Thomas built OptinMonster during the early days of modern marketing automation, positioning the company at exactly the right place and time as MailChimp, HubSpot, and Constant Contact created market demand for conversion optimization tools.

About OptinMonster:

OptinMonster is a conversion optimization platform that helps businesses capture leads before visitors leave their website. Created to solve the problem that 70% of website visitors never return, OptinMonster introduced exit intent technology and became the category leader by defining the terminology itself. The platform now powers lead capture for millions of websites and has built a thriving affiliate community of bloggers and marketers who rely on its tools for conversion optimization.

Show Notes:

00:00 Early entrepreneurial spirit and the path to software

02:59 Transitioning to software and SaaS: learning the fundamentals

05:59 The birth of OptinMonster: solving the "70% never return" problem

09:01 Overcoming early challenges: the SaaS crash and WordPress pivot

11:55 Understanding user behavior and psychology: why exit intent works

14:59 Marketing strategies and growth: timing the MailChimp/HubSpot wave

18:09 The evolution of the product: from WordPress to cross-platform dominance

21:01 Building a community and affiliate network: creating viral growth loops

24:33 The journey to customer acquisition: when bloggers couldn't stop recommending

25:38 Key metrics for business growth: the four-lever framework

30:19 The importance of onboarding: the 10-minute rule that changed everything

35:56 Transitioning from SaaS to hardware: applying software principles to Gro-Rite Garden

42:06 The power of community and support: combating entrepreneurial isolation

About Chase Taake:

Chase Taake is the Co-founder of KAT Custom Rings, a bootstrapped e-commerce business disrupting the traditional jewelry industry with custom engagement rings at thousands less than retail prices. With an entrepreneurial journey spanning mini-golf course ownership at 16, a failed axe-throwing business, and multiple startup SDR roles, Chase brings a unique experimental mindset to building businesses. His personal philosophy of "making the world more fun" has guided him through multiple pivots to ultimately build a thriving global jewelry brand from his hometown roots.

About KAT Custom Rings:

KAT Custom Rings is a bootstrapped e-commerce jewelry company that enables couples to design custom engagement rings at a fraction of traditional retail costs. Starting as a local hometown business, the company has expanded worldwide through strategic online marketing and a commitment to accessible luxury. By combining TikTok marketing savvy with old-school customer service, KAT has carved out a unique position in the competitive jewelry market.

Show Notes:

00:50 From SDR to Entrepreneur: The strategic job hopping strategy

01:37 Early Experiences with Entrepreneurship: Running businesses since 16

04:56 Lessons from the Mini Golf Course: What teenage business ownership teaches you

10:09 The Praxis Academy Experience: Alternative to college for SaaS careers

14:58 Axe Throwing and Event Planning Pivots: Learning from the "Willy Wonka experience"

19:54 Building KAT Custom Rings: Finding product-market fit in an unexpected industry

25:08 Scaling and Refining the Business: Breaking then fixing as you grow

29:56 Looking Ahead: Future Growth Strategies and sustainable scaling

About Stevee Danielle:

Stevee Danielle is the CEO of FiveCRM and BeePurple, leading transformation in addiction recovery technology after a remarkable journey from cosmetology through enterprise SaaS sales. Having experienced every level from individual contributor to C-suite across multiple industries, Stevee brings unique empathy and adaptability to her leadership role, where she's leading a mission-driven SaaS that helps recovery centers prove their impact through data.

About BeePurple:

BeePurple is a specialized CRM platform designed for addiction recovery centers, transforming how peer support specialists stay connected with people in recovery. Built on the principle that "connection beats addiction," the platform helps recovery centers track outcomes, manage relationships, and aggregate data to prove their community impact. Unlike traditional B2B SaaS, BeePurple serves clients who often still use pen and paper in their roles day-to-day, creating a unique approach to selling and supporting mission-driven technology.

Show Notes:

00:00 Introduction and Background: From cosmetology to SaaS leadership

01:18 Transitioning to SaaS Sales: "The only thing I knew about software was I couldn't hold it"

02:27 Building Relationships in Sales: How years as a cosmetologist prepared her for enterprise

03:30 Selling a Technical Product: The discovery that led to pairing AEs with SEs

06:45 Leadership and Team Dynamics: Learning to be receptive from early mentors

12:06 From Individual Contributor to CEO: Taking empathy from every level of the journey

15:02 Empathy in Leadership: "I wouldn't ask my team to do anything I haven't done"

18:05 The Unique Value of BeePurple: Shifting from traditional B2B to mission-driven sales

20:55 Connecting with Recovery Centers: Selling to heroes who aren't on LinkedIn

About Justin Hammond:

Justin Hammond is a B2B SaaS growth strategist specializing in actionable, checklist-driven playbooks that help founders transform trial users into loyal customers. With over a decade of experience scaling high-growth companies including Book Like a Boss, Justin has become a trusted voice on data-driven onboarding, sustainable growth strategies, and practical frameworks that deliver immediate wins. His approach focuses on granular, implementable tactics rather than high-level theory.

Show Notes:

01:48 Users signing up to see onboarding flows

05:23 Step one to a great onboarding flow: user research

07:07 Step two to a great onboarding flow: identify high-converting actions

09:02 What should good onboarding emails accomplish in a flow?

11:40 Onboarding advice for early-stage startups

14:21 Overcoming gaps in Time to First Value during onboarding

21:14 How will AI shift SaaS onboarding?

24:42 Why you shouldn't try to increase product adoption during onboarding

About Jonni Lundy:

Jonni Lundy is the Co-founder and COO of Resend, the developer-first email infrastructure platform that's revolutionizing how companies handle transactional emails. After helping scale Resend from inception to an $18M Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz, Jonni has become a thoughtful voice on sustainable growth, remote team management, and the psychological transitions founders face as they scale. Under his operational leadership, Resend has built a disciplined, metrics-driven culture that prioritizes long-term sustainability over hypergrowth.

About Resend:

Resend is a modern email API built for developers who care about deliverability, developer experience, and scalability. Founded to solve the frustrations developers face with legacy email providers, Resend offers a simple, powerful API with React email components, real-time analytics, and enterprise-grade reliability. The company has quickly become the go-to choice for engineering teams at fast-growing startups and enterprises alike.

Show Notes:

00:00 Introduction to Resend's mission to revolutionize developer email infrastructure

02:41 How Resend is disrupting the legacy email provider space with developer-first thinking

05:44 The unexpected psychological shift from IC to founder: "Success means other people winning"

10:50 Inside their Series A: Why they stayed conservative even after raising $18M from a16z

14:55 The retention graph hack that changed everything: inverting data to reveal product truth

21:24 Building celebration culture in a remote team: why small wins matter

27:40 Remote productivity insights: managing 24/7 flexibility without burning out

30:29 Creating genuine connection in distributed teams: beyond Zoom happy hours

33:45 Why making space for quieter team voices drives better decisions

35:06 "Thoughtful discipline": Resend's approach to sustainable growth

41:14 Finding balance as a new parent and founder: the parallel journeys

43:48 The one metric that matters post-Series A: ARR per head over everything

About Bijan Moallemi:

A graduate of UCSD, Bijan Moallemi has nearly a decade of experience building and leading finance functions at companies like Qualcomm and Palantir. He knew CFOs deserved access to better tools, so he co-founded Mosaic Finance to build the next generation of finance software for CFOs and their teams. Today, Mosaic has achieved a 3.5x increase in customer base, raised $18.5 million in funding with investors like General Catalyst and Founders Fund, and is deployed by the fastest-growing technology companies worldwide.

About Mosaic Finance:

Mosaic is a compass for business leaders, providing a real-time Analytics and Planning platform that helps teams get from data to decision — faster. Historically finance teams have spent the majority of their efforts in reactive mode, wrangling data to unlock basic facts about the past. A Strategic Finance Platform like Mosaic breaks that cycle by integrating data, automating analytics, and connecting teams so they can focus on the future.

Show Notes:

01:00 start of Bijan Moallemi’s entrepreneurial journey

05:00 making the move to fast-growing tech sphere in the Bay area: facing new business challenges

14:00 the importance of building good financial foundations and structures

25:00 the iterative process of choosing a model for financial forecasting: testing and adjusting forecasting over the first couple of years

38:00 troubleshooting and dealing with the fallout of inaccurate financial models

47:00 attracting first customers early on and building the product around them to make sure that what you’re building matches their needs