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Paul Graham Said His Startup Was Worthless—2 Months Later He Hit $1M ARR. | Jon Noronha, Co-Founder of Gamma

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Manage episode 504358290 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.

Jon spent 3 years building Gamma with barely any traction—just a few hundred users after burning millions. Then ChatGPT dropped. In desperation, he pivoted to AI-powered presentations in March 2023 with one year of runway left. What happened next was insane: Paul Graham publicly mocked their launch tweet calling it worthless—then it went viral.

They went from 2,000 signups a day to 60,000. Their servers crashed for three days, but when they came back online, panicked users threw $50K at them thinking they needed to pay to make it work. Within two months of launching payments, they hit $1M ARR and became cashflow positive.

This is the raw story of how a dying startup caught the AI lightning and never looked back.

Why You Should Listen:

  • How to survive 3 years with no traction.
  • Why 80% hype and 20% value can still build a real business
  • The exact onboarding flow that turned 5% activation into viral growth
  • How negative viral engagement can still drive massive revenue
  • The difference between 10x better and 50% better

Keywords:
Gamma, Jon Noronha, AI presentations, product market fit, pivot to AI, viral growth, Paul Graham, ChatGPT, cashflow positive, productivity startup
00:00:00 Intro

00:02:15 Why presentations haven't changed in 40 years

00:11:55 User research reveals the real problem

00:26:26 The market crashes and runway shrinks

00:34:32 ChatGPT drops and everything changes

00:43:19 Paul Graham trashes the launch tweet

00:48:59 Going viral by accident

00:51:33 60,000 signups a day breaks everything

00:55:07 Hitting $1M ARR in 2 months

00:58:47 Endurance is everything

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

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Why presentations haven't changed in 40 years (00:02:15)

3. User research reveals the real problem (00:11:55)

4. The market crashes and runway shrinks (00:26:26)

5. ChatGPT drops and everything changes (00:34:32)

6. Paul Graham trashes the launch tweet (00:43:19)

7. Going viral by accident (00:48:59)

8. 60,000 signups a day breaks everything (00:51:33)

9. Hitting $1M ARR in 2 months (00:55:07)

10. Endurance is everything (00:58:47)

224 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 504358290 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.

Jon spent 3 years building Gamma with barely any traction—just a few hundred users after burning millions. Then ChatGPT dropped. In desperation, he pivoted to AI-powered presentations in March 2023 with one year of runway left. What happened next was insane: Paul Graham publicly mocked their launch tweet calling it worthless—then it went viral.

They went from 2,000 signups a day to 60,000. Their servers crashed for three days, but when they came back online, panicked users threw $50K at them thinking they needed to pay to make it work. Within two months of launching payments, they hit $1M ARR and became cashflow positive.

This is the raw story of how a dying startup caught the AI lightning and never looked back.

Why You Should Listen:

  • How to survive 3 years with no traction.
  • Why 80% hype and 20% value can still build a real business
  • The exact onboarding flow that turned 5% activation into viral growth
  • How negative viral engagement can still drive massive revenue
  • The difference between 10x better and 50% better

Keywords:
Gamma, Jon Noronha, AI presentations, product market fit, pivot to AI, viral growth, Paul Graham, ChatGPT, cashflow positive, productivity startup
00:00:00 Intro

00:02:15 Why presentations haven't changed in 40 years

00:11:55 User research reveals the real problem

00:26:26 The market crashes and runway shrinks

00:34:32 ChatGPT drops and everything changes

00:43:19 Paul Graham trashes the launch tweet

00:48:59 Going viral by accident

00:51:33 60,000 signups a day breaks everything

00:55:07 Hitting $1M ARR in 2 months

00:58:47 Endurance is everything

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

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Why presentations haven't changed in 40 years (00:02:15)

3. User research reveals the real problem (00:11:55)

4. The market crashes and runway shrinks (00:26:26)

5. ChatGPT drops and everything changes (00:34:32)

6. Paul Graham trashes the launch tweet (00:43:19)

7. Going viral by accident (00:48:59)

8. 60,000 signups a day breaks everything (00:51:33)

9. Hitting $1M ARR in 2 months (00:55:07)

10. Endurance is everything (00:58:47)

224 episodes

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