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His Video AI app hit $10M+ ARR in Months—with 0 outbound sales. | Michael Lingelbach, Founder of Hedra
Manage episode 501016797 series 3298391
Hedra CEO Michael Lingelbach breaks down how his generative video app went from zero to millions of users and an eight-figure run rate in months — then deliberately slowed down to rebuild a V2 that enterprises would pay for. We dig into the prosumer-to-pro upsell, why free users are a false signal, and how a creator-seeded launch can outpull ad spend.
Michael shares the GTM that signs enterprise contracts every few days with no outbound, the exact moment he killed feature churn to ship a real workflow, and what to hire (and fire) in the first 10 people. If you’re building AI or any early product, this is a must-listen blueprint on getting from hype to revenue.
Why You Should Listen
- How Hedra hit an 8-figure run rate in months — with a prosumer → enterprise wedge
- The “free user” trap: why signups ≠ demand and how to price for pain
- When to pause growth to build V2 that actually sells (workflow > tech demo)
- A creator-led launch playbook that drives virality without paid influencers
- Hiring early: bring in a talent lead fast, staff for speed, survive co-founder changes
Keywords
AI video, generative AI, product market fit, Hedra, Michael Lingelbach, creator tools, PLG, enterprise SaaS, go to market, startup growth
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:25 Why he built his own proprietary models
00:10:19 Target use cases faceless channels marketers podcasts
00:15:31 Early hiring lessons
00:38:00 Free vs paid
00:51:03 V2 launch and shift to enterprise
00:53:46 Hitting eight figure run rate and scaling GTM
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. Why he built his own proprietary models (00:02:25)
3. Target use cases faceless channels marketers podcasts (00:10:19)
4. Early hiring lessons (00:15:31)
5. Free vs paid (00:38:00)
6. V2 launch and shift to enterprise (00:51:03)
7. Hitting eight figure run rate and scaling GTM (00:53:46)
216 episodes
Manage episode 501016797 series 3298391
Hedra CEO Michael Lingelbach breaks down how his generative video app went from zero to millions of users and an eight-figure run rate in months — then deliberately slowed down to rebuild a V2 that enterprises would pay for. We dig into the prosumer-to-pro upsell, why free users are a false signal, and how a creator-seeded launch can outpull ad spend.
Michael shares the GTM that signs enterprise contracts every few days with no outbound, the exact moment he killed feature churn to ship a real workflow, and what to hire (and fire) in the first 10 people. If you’re building AI or any early product, this is a must-listen blueprint on getting from hype to revenue.
Why You Should Listen
- How Hedra hit an 8-figure run rate in months — with a prosumer → enterprise wedge
- The “free user” trap: why signups ≠ demand and how to price for pain
- When to pause growth to build V2 that actually sells (workflow > tech demo)
- A creator-led launch playbook that drives virality without paid influencers
- Hiring early: bring in a talent lead fast, staff for speed, survive co-founder changes
Keywords
AI video, generative AI, product market fit, Hedra, Michael Lingelbach, creator tools, PLG, enterprise SaaS, go to market, startup growth
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:25 Why he built his own proprietary models
00:10:19 Target use cases faceless channels marketers podcasts
00:15:31 Early hiring lessons
00:38:00 Free vs paid
00:51:03 V2 launch and shift to enterprise
00:53:46 Hitting eight figure run rate and scaling GTM
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. Why he built his own proprietary models (00:02:25)
3. Target use cases faceless channels marketers podcasts (00:10:19)
4. Early hiring lessons (00:15:31)
5. Free vs paid (00:38:00)
6. V2 launch and shift to enterprise (00:51:03)
7. Hitting eight figure run rate and scaling GTM (00:53:46)
216 episodes
All episodes
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