Technical Co-Founder for B2B CRM and AI SaaS Startup - remote

Envelope CRM
Posted 1 year ago
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I’m building a startup in the B2B SaaS CRM and Sales Automation space and am looking for a technical co-founder. Here’s who I am, where I’m at, and what I’m looking for.


The Team


I have over 10 years experience in B2B SaaS in various roles in product and revenue, with 10+ years in the specific domain I am building in. Recently, I’ve been a key contributor and first non-founder hire at an early-stage startup, leading product and revenue and helping take the company to a ~$20 million exit.


I strive to be a decent and kind human who is passionate about delivering quality work, but doesn’t let it define my identity or compromise my character.


The Opportunity


I’m building a B2B SaaS CRM and Sales Automation Tool for small businesses, agents, consultants, freelancers, and other solopreneurs.


The initial idea came from my own experiences. I’ve always had various side-businesses, and use a CRM to help me run and grow said businesses. I’ve always been dissatisfied with the tools that are currently out there.


I spoke to people like me and found that they too had similar issues. From there, I’ve developed an initial customer list and go-to-market plan centered around key partnerships, referrals, and cold email.


I believe this product could be the foundation for a business worth at least $12 million in the next three years. From there, we could sell the business for that amount (or more).


We could also coast and continue running the business into perpetuity with all the time and location freedom that it allows, since a $12 million SaaS business would imply around $2 million in annual recurring revenue (based on average historical B2B SaaS EV / Revenue multiples).


Given the rise and hype around AI, there is also an opportunity here to leverage the customer base to test demand for add-on products around AI.


I don’t think we should raise outside funding (friends and family I’m open to). This way, we get to keep our equity and independence, pay ourselves accordingly, and take the business where we see fit.


I understand that this opportunity comes with some risk.


So why am I doing this? Why do I think this is worth investing my time and money in?


Some things in our favor:

  • I have a combined 10+ years experience in the domain I am building in and deeply understand the problems the customer base is trying to solve.
  • Aside from being my own customer, I’ve had many conversations with the target market and have an initial list of prospects.
  • The market for the product is large with lots of competition. The product category and feature-set is well-defined. This is good, because this means we know that people will pay for the kind of thing we’re building, and product requirements are better understood and defined compared to a less mature market.
  • I have a strong understanding of the features needed for an MVP, documented in a product requirements doc.
  • I have initial mockups.
  • I have experience being an early stage contributor in B2B SaaS and leading a company to exit.
  • Once a customer base is built, we can test demand for AI products

Lastly, I don’t plan to raise institutional money beyond a friends and family round. This will let us scale profitably by putting the customer first.


You


You’ll be responsible for all technical aspects of the business, primarily the creation and maintenance of the web application, from mockups to MVP to production. I’m at the very beginning of the process, though as described above I have a clear vision for the business and product.


Since this is a startup, every co-founder will end up fulfilling many roles and doing a variety of things, but here is a more structured list of your responsibilities:

  • Develop and maintain the web application end-to-end, from mockups to MVP and beyond
  • Deliver responsive, high-performance, and compelling user interfaces
  • Lead the development and implementation of the technical aspects of the startup

The obvious requirement is proven experience in software development, with understanding and experience in building a web application from mockups to working product. Ideally, you know what it takes to scale the application to thousands of users.


If you’ve done some or all of the following, you’ll likely be a good candidate from a technical perspective:

  • Built and deployed projects that were used by lots of people
  • Built B2B SaaS products
  • Built integrations with platforms like G Suite, Zapier, Salesforce, SendGrid, and the like
  • Worked with architectures that support multiple APIs
  • Worked with production-level databases, handling millions of records
  • Worked on high-volume email sync and storage
  • Worked on a VOIP product and/or a power dialer

What is equally, if not more, important is your character. I want to work with people who are independent and can listen, empathize, and navigate disagreement productively and with kindness. You have empathy for the customer and the ability and patience to navigate all the ups and downs of a startup.


While it wouldn’t be your main responsibility, a sense of business acumen is important as well. We’ll be working on defining roadmap together, after all.


We’ll be spending a substantial amount of time together, so our values should align. Some things I value are kindness, fairness, transparency, meaningful work, and personal freedom.


Beyond that, I don't care where or how you work. Just be responsive and able to make meetings. You are your own person, and I trust you to make the best decisions for your life and the business.


By joining me, you'll have a chance to have a significant impact on a business that, if successful, will give you time and location freedom. Along the way, you'll be doing meaningful work with people you enjoy being around.


Equity will be assumed equal split and adjusted accordingly.


Thanks for reading this, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you.