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cover of episode Episode 776 | How Bootstrapping Led to a Life-Changing $90M SaaS Exit

Episode 776 | How Bootstrapping Led to a Life-Changing $90M SaaS Exit

2025/5/27
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Startups For the Rest of Us
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Kevin Wagstaff
R
Rob Walling
Topics
Rob Walling: 本期节目主要讨论 Kevin Wagstaff 如何与他的兄弟共同创立一家 SaaS 公司，并以 9000 万美元的估值出售近一半的股份。这个故事非常精彩，尤其是在 MicroConf 的男厕所里遇到了潜在的收购方。播客和 MicroConf 已经存在很长时间了，现在可以听到第二代或第三代创始人通过收听播客、阅读书籍、参加 MicroConf 以及成为社区的一员而崛起的故事。听到这些故事，尤其是直接从创始人那里听到，我感到非常满足和快乐。欢迎大家提问，以便邀请 Kevin 再次参加节目。 Kevin Wagstaff: 我和我的兄弟建立了一个名为 Spectora 的非常棒的企业。我们喜欢利基市场的想法，不喜欢大型融资、资本密集型业务。我们认为我们可以在这个领域竞争。2016 年基本上是客户访谈、构建 MVP、帮助客户进行营销和 SEO，以此来吸引他们对软件的兴趣。我们为 Intercom 上的客户服务而活，我们整天都在那里与他们聊天。口碑传播得非常快，因为这是一种群体心态，比如，嘿，你见过这个新软件吗？

Deep Dive

Chapters
Kevin Wagstaff shares the story of how he and his brother bootstrapped Spectora, a SaaS company, to a $90 million valuation. They discuss the initial challenges, their mobile-first approach, and the importance of word-of-mouth marketing.
  • Bootstrapped SaaS company to $90M valuation
  • Mobile-first approach in an outdated niche
  • Word-of-mouth marketing and customer service as key growth drivers
  • Met acquirer at MicroConf

Shownotes Transcript

What’s it take to bootstrap a niche SaaS to $90M without raising a dime?

In this episode, Kevin Wagstaff joins Rob Walling to share how he and his brother bootstrapped Spectora from a scrappy MVP to a $90M valuation. It’s a masterclass in finding traction in unsexy markets, building with empathy, and making smart bets like embedded payments.

**Topics we cover: **

  • (4:39) – The surreal moment Kevin and his brother became multimillionaires

  • (9:14) – Why a mobile-first approach won in an outdated, overlooked niche

  • (17:39) – How adding payments created a second revenue stream and bigger valuation

  • (20:36) – The early hustle: trade shows, 6 AM demos, and Facebook group tactics

Links from the Show: 

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question) for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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