Okay, I just got investment from the largest and most reputable VC in my country.
As part of the deal, I will have access to around 1000 large companies. Basically VC can just call these companies and have them try/buy my product. So this really is a golden ticket. The VC money I am getting is also a pretty size-able amount.
This is a pre-seed round, my product is still at ideation phase. What I am looking to develop is basically airtable.com competitor, but much easier to use, more geared toward small/medium enterprises and will have more country specific integrations. Basically I have unlimited access to distribution and sales should come easy, given the respect VC has in my country.
Given that I will have immediate access to about 1000 large b2b customers, is airtable like competitor the best course of action? Or is there a better idea I can develop into an MVP? My main goal is to develop the MVP and get to profitability as fast as possible.
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I don’t know how I stumble across this, but this is super interesting. Where is your primary market? If it is in the US, I’ve got a better idea than airtable
How many of these 1000 large companies use airtable? Would the goal be to convert them to your product?
Are these companies all from the same country/operate in the same market?
What is a “size-able” amount? I imagine VCs are willing to continue throwing even more money at you once you show traction/achieve pmf?
Proof about being able to just walk into a VC and leave with a blank check would be appreciated to understand everything a bit more; please DM me!
There’s no airtable in my country, since they don’t even support my country’s language.
By sizeable amount I mean enough money to develop an MVP and enough for salaries for a team of 5 developers for around 18 months.
5 Devs for 18 months is like 750k ?..that means U gotta be generating 500k sales/ year in 18 months… That’s a good challenge
Good point. And yes that’s what I will be aiming for. Because if we don’t hit that, i will have to raise even more funding.
If your plan is to fully leverage these 1,000 Cos to test/buy your product, then I think you should try to hear what they have to say - what their problems are.
Pick a couple of Execs from each company depending on what the company specializes in, (CEO, CMO/CSO, CTO, CPO), a couple middle managers and 1 low-level employee and interview them.
Take your time in doing so. It will take time. Scheduling talking to them, learning and adapting for the next interviews as your progress… but the insights and feedback will be invaluable. Don’t ask them “would you use this?”, showing them airtable. Understand THEIR problems, THEIR struggles. Build a product that actually solves their problems, not one that you think does.
I am also a previous founder with a successful exit, and I am currently slowly but surely getting back in the game after a year of traveling the world. I’m happy to chat more and more specifically if you’d like. Feel free to DM me!
We don’t know anything about you and your skill set, or how much you would be raising. Most people if they are on here wouldn’t give up their “golden ticket” to someone with funding. The only way to see if a airtable.com competitor was viable is to start doing product research.
I’m curious what is your motivation to do this? You seem to already be loaded and it sounds pretty boring to just recreate something that already exists
Hey it’s not going to be just a complete copy. It’s definitely going to be different. Like notion, clickup and coda, they are all similar in the same space but all different. Same with mine. It’s going to have its own design, own unique use cases according customer interviews and unique features specific to my country.
When i said competitor to airtable i didn’t really mean exact copy. And my motivation is because i am passionate about this space, my previous startup was an ERP system. So yeah, and who wouldn’t take a chance if given my opportunity? I would be a fool to say no. And yes i am going to figure out a lot of things on the way, like i always do.
Sorry folks I am not here to brag. Just trying to get ideas to best take advantage of a large b2b customer base. I am thinking airtable competitor since the product was already validated in the states. Unless there’s something bigger I can do.
Dude, if u don’t know how to leverage on a gold mine handed to u, u really should not be starting a company. I m just curious how VC would fund someone like u who is so clueless about simple enterprise sales or gtm strategy?
if this post isn’t cap you can hit me up lol
Why not do analysis or talk to CEOs at some of these large companies and see what they actually need? Airtable is no small feat even for a well oiled machine… and (making an assumption here) you have no specific use cases to build it around so you’re shooting in the dark.
Are you a solo dev or are you building a team? Honestly, if I were to build something as big as Airtable today, I’d be doing so with ChatGPT integration so I could write a user story and produce a workflow. To pull that off, you need a good visionary on your team who isn’t afraid to break all the rules and pull off something astounding.
Pick 5-10 larger companies and talk to them about their problems/issues with airtable or similar solutions. Before you build something really work to understand the problem/opportunity. Then identify 3 of those companies to deepen a relationship and sell a “design partnership” where you will deliver a solution to address the problems you’ve identified. This will give you early cash-flow and reference customers. More importantly you’ll be solving real needed problems for specific customers.
Lol, is this a joke? What do you mean by: Is there a better idea I can develop into an MVP?
How did you raise money in the first place if you’re still asking that?
This guy is just trying to get some info on some idea that he has, and the entire post is a made up story in order to achieve that.
Okay
OP - I just love people like you. The confidence you got! Wish all startup founders were this way. Keep going
Can you chat with the network you’re describing to understand what their goals are and what problems prevent them for attaining those goals?
A few consultants I’ve been chatting with propose their services to businesses and then create a product to scale the solution (the problem has been validated and the solution created while fulfilling). That might be something to explore for you.
If you have access to a thousand large companies and VC funding, why are you going to Reddit asking if the idea that’s been funded is a good idea? Surely you didn’t get a blank check to do whatever you want, and were funded for an existing idea with a business plan you presented, unless your dad is in charge of it or something.
Why don’t you ask one of the advisors your VC gave you? Why is your main goal to reach profitability as fast as possible, did your VC advise you to do that?
This story smells of BS to me.
This is not BS. I will put it this way. I can just walk into a VC and get funded with any idea, without any MVP or anything. The reason is the respect and connections I have in the country. I used to be a CTO of a large publicly funded company (top 5 in the country). I am like Sam Altman in my country. Like Sam Altman, I can just walk into any VC and get funded with just 1 sentence.
It’s like I have this huge unfair advantage.
Dm me I can provide proof, in case you still don’t believe me
I would like to see proof too. At this point I’m just so curious.
I stand corrected. This is not BS and I retract my original comment.
Life goals! ✨👌🏿
I would love to see this proof too.
There has been an attempt to humble brag. Attempt failed.
It’s a troll post
Humble brag?
I am like Sam Altman of my country, I can walk into anywhere and people will throw money at me!
Also, guys, I’m making an online spreadsheet tool. Reddit, what do you think?
lol this guy
I too would love to see proof.
We can walk into the company offices now? I would like a recommendation to a CFO.
I still wonder though, as you said, why he hasn’t consulted his advisory team? Why Reddit?…
Because advisory team look up to me, I helped hire them for VC. And reddit is anonymous.
Also: you don’t need to cover everything you see from those 1000.
10 happy loyal customer during some initial period is great.
I will have access to around 1000 large companies.
That’s one of the best possible things!
Given that I will have immediate access to about 1000 large b2b customers
potential customers.
Can you find people there who are willing to talk to you and discuss their needs?
How to light money on fire.
Nothing about this post make any sense.
I wouldn’t be so sure of that. My previous track record is part of the reason I am able to get blank check from VC. Ideas change all the time, pivots and iterations happen fast. At least until you find pmf. What doesn’t change is the founding team and their ability to deliver (fast) and their flexibility
What doesn’t make sense is you even accepting their check without having a pretty good idea what you will try first. Sure there could be pivots and iterations but close to zero starting point and racing to reddit? I think that what people find a bit odd. Maybe things work differently in your local VC market.
Actually a lot of companies get founded without a clear idea. OpenAi was founded basically to stop ai from taking over the world. Even at SpaceX Elon didn’t intend to build his own engines, only after being humiliated by Russians he decided to do it. There’s countless and countless examples. But i get it, it’s hard to understand that it’s possible to get funded with just an idea. Only people at my level will be able to understand this.
OpenAi was founded basically to stop ai from taking over the world.
That was the clear idea. The objective was pretty clear even if exact what they were dealing with and how to go about doing it weren’t. Also the original reasoning is in line with creating a non-profit more than a startup. Finally, there was the specific rational of getting a team of people together. Given all that I think, it’s not really a great comparison to a single person noodling around for some profitable startup idea.
To clarify i am just brainstorming here anonymously. There’s nothing wring with that. Yes i can go to advisors and ask them, and yes i already have customer interviews scheduled