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He tried to return $200K to investors 30 days in—then exited to Microsoft 5 years later. | Alex Sherman, Founder of Bluefish AI

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Manage episode 511402745 series 3298391
Content provided by Mistral.vc. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Mistral.vc or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Alex had $2,000 in his checking account when Microsoft acquired his last company. For years, he paid himself $30K while his friends made six figures at corporate jobs. He had only 2 months of runway for 18 straight months.

Then retail media exploded and everything changed—he went from grinding against the current to riding a wave.

After selling to Microsoft, he took 6 months off, got bored, and started Bluefish AI with the same team. This time they called Fortune 500 CMOs before building anything.

His #1 advice for early-stage founders: Get on the plane. And go meet your customers. You'll be shocked by how big a difference that makes.

Why You Should Listen:

  • How to survive on 2 months of runway indefinitely
  • How to validate your next startup before writing any code
  • Why second-time founders often have more blind spots than first-timers

Keywords:

startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, PromoteIQ, Microsoft acquisition, Alex Bluefish, retail media, product-market fit, MarTech, enterprise sales, second-time founder

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:58 From management consulting dreams to startup world

00:04:44 Trying to return $200K to investors after 30 days

00:07:19 Pivoting through iterations to find retail media

00:12:13 Finding product-market fit like a river reversing

00:21:28 Microsoft acquisition with $2,000 in the bank

00:24:30 Post-exit sabbatical and starting Bluefish

00:35:08 Building for AI marketing with Fortune 500 design partners

00:43:12 Always get on the plane

Send me a message to let me know what you think!

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. From management consulting dreams to startup world (00:01:58)

3. Trying to return $200K to investors after 30 days (00:04:44)

4. Pivoting through iterations to find retail media (00:07:19)

5. Finding product-market fit like a river reversing (00:12:13)

6. Microsoft acquisition with $2,000 in the bank (00:21:28)

7. Post-exit sabbatical and starting Bluefish (00:24:30)

8. Building for AI marketing with Fortune 500 design partners (00:35:08)

9. Always get on the plane (00:43:12)

227 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 511402745 series 3298391
Content provided by Mistral.vc. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Mistral.vc or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Alex had $2,000 in his checking account when Microsoft acquired his last company. For years, he paid himself $30K while his friends made six figures at corporate jobs. He had only 2 months of runway for 18 straight months.

Then retail media exploded and everything changed—he went from grinding against the current to riding a wave.

After selling to Microsoft, he took 6 months off, got bored, and started Bluefish AI with the same team. This time they called Fortune 500 CMOs before building anything.

His #1 advice for early-stage founders: Get on the plane. And go meet your customers. You'll be shocked by how big a difference that makes.

Why You Should Listen:

  • How to survive on 2 months of runway indefinitely
  • How to validate your next startup before writing any code
  • Why second-time founders often have more blind spots than first-timers

Keywords:

startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, PromoteIQ, Microsoft acquisition, Alex Bluefish, retail media, product-market fit, MarTech, enterprise sales, second-time founder

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:58 From management consulting dreams to startup world

00:04:44 Trying to return $200K to investors after 30 days

00:07:19 Pivoting through iterations to find retail media

00:12:13 Finding product-market fit like a river reversing

00:21:28 Microsoft acquisition with $2,000 in the bank

00:24:30 Post-exit sabbatical and starting Bluefish

00:35:08 Building for AI marketing with Fortune 500 design partners

00:43:12 Always get on the plane

Send me a message to let me know what you think!

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. From management consulting dreams to startup world (00:01:58)

3. Trying to return $200K to investors after 30 days (00:04:44)

4. Pivoting through iterations to find retail media (00:07:19)

5. Finding product-market fit like a river reversing (00:12:13)

6. Microsoft acquisition with $2,000 in the bank (00:21:28)

7. Post-exit sabbatical and starting Bluefish (00:24:30)

8. Building for AI marketing with Fortune 500 design partners (00:35:08)

9. Always get on the plane (00:43:12)

227 episodes

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