The SaaS Revolution Show

From Self Funded Startup to Profitable Unicorn. The Calendly Journey with Tope Awotona & Blake Bartlett [SaaS Revolution Show]


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Tope Awotona (CEO & Founder of Calendly) and Blake Bartlett (Partner at OpenView Ventures) are this week’s guests on The SaaS Revolution Show. This is a session from SaaStock Remote 2021.
Last year, ⅓ of tech founders struggled to secure funding. In the early days of SaaS unicorn Calendly, raising money was also a big challenge for Tope Awotona. To get the company off the ground, he had to take a different path. This included investing his life savings, stretching every dollar and doubling-down on virality. Whilst a struggle, this ultimately benefited the business model, leading to the creation of a product that ‘sold itself’. In conversation with Blake Bartlett, Tope shares how he overcame these early challenges to drive the company's extraordinary growth. You'll learn the secrets behind one of the most successful product-led businesses in the world.  
 
 
Check out the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move their
business forward: 
🇮🇪 SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 | Dublin, Ireland
Book you tickets: https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/
🇺🇸 SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026 | Austin, Texas
Join the waitlist: https://saastock-usa.com/
🤝 SaaStock Founder Membership: A private members group of B2B SaaS
founders between $100K - $10M ARR who are committed to growth and
helping others (https://www.saastock.com/founder-membership/)
🌎 SaaStock Local: Monthly meet-ups in cities all around the world,
bringing together SaaS enthusiasts and experts to discuss the most
pressing topics in SaaS (https://local.saastock.com/home)
...more
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The SaaS Revolution ShowBy The SaaS Revolution Show, Alex Theuma

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