In this episode of “My First Sixteen,” a16z Partner Seema Amble connects with Zapier co-founder Wade Foster about the company’s founding and GTM success utilizing a product-led growth (PLG) strategy. Chock full of actionable insights, this episode explores Zapier’s product strategy, customer experience, and how the team built a sustainable growth engine that enabled them to reach profitability within three years. Foster also provides valuable guidance on brand strategy and how creating an unconventional “weird” brand helped Zapier differentiate from competitors.
1:15-2:05 Zapier’s origin story
2:05-3:13 Initial product idea
3:13-5:06 Finding product-market fit and YC
5:06-7:43 How Zapier found their early customers
7:43-10:15 Strategic approach to identifying services to integrate
10:15-13:28 Identifying customer needs and optimizing onboarding
13:28-16:10 Developing a scalable customer acquisition strategy
16:10-19:07 Guidance on building a successful self-serve product
19:07:23:52 Early pricing experiments and brand evolution
23:53-27:04 Early hiring strategy
27:04-29:59 Reflecting on Zapier’s brand identity and product strategy
29:59-31:19 Advice for founders regarding customer acquisition and GTM
31:19-31:59 Outro
More About This Podcast
In a series of interviews, a16z Partner Seema Amble talks with B2B founders and CEOs, about their first 16 big clients that helped them go to market. This series aims to be a resource for other early stage or potential founders, as well as a tool for the companies featured.