Most startups launch to silence.

Nuri Otus launched DUO, an AI-powered matchmaking community built for real relationship outcomes without endless swiping. He expected a slow start. Instead, users showed up the same day.

Nuri has been building companies since 1995. Multiple exits. Featured on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, the New York Times, USA Today, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Time Magazine. He's worked with Fortune 1000 companies and high growth startups across his career.

In this episode Nuri breaks down exactly how DUO got its first users, what made them come back, and what decades of building startups has taught him about getting traction when you are starting from scratch.

What you'll learn:

• How DUO got its first users on launch day with almost no marketing budget
• The organic referral strategy that spread DUO from San Francisco all the way to Florida
• What nearly 30 years of entrepreneurship teaches about surviving the early days
• What keeps Nuri going when the first client feels impossible to land
• What Nuri would tell someone who has been trying to get their first client for months with nothing to show for it

Where to find DUO:

• Text “Sign me up” to 645.206.3419
• Visit tryduo.net to get started

Want to be featured on First Money Stories?

• Email us at [email protected]

Find us on

• YouTube: youtube.com/@FirstMoneyStories