Grant Lee is the co-founder of Gamma, the AI-powered presentation tool that’s one of the hottest and most interesting AI startups in the world right now. They’re valued at over $2 billion, and they hit $100 million ARR in just over two years, with a lean team of just around 30 people. Unlike many fast-growing AI startups, Gamma has been profitable for most of its history, has not raised significant funding, and they built a massive business in a category most investors dismissed. In fact, one investor told Grant his idea was “the dumbest idea he had ever heard.”
*We discuss:*
1. How Gamma found product-market fit by rethinking their onboarding
2. Their process for building a “word-of-mouth machine”
3. How they leveraged more than 1,000 micro-influencers instead of big names
4. Why focusing on the “first 30 seconds” transformed their business
5. Their approach to pricing that led to profitability within months
6. How Grant thinks about building a durable “GPT wrapper” business
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*Transcript:* https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-50-people-built-a-profitable-ai-unicorn
*My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers):* https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/178015551/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation
*Where to find Grant Lee:*
• X: https://x.com/thisisgrantlee
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantslee
*Where to find Lenny:*
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
*In this episode, we cover:*
(00:00) Introduction to Grant Lee and Gamma
(05:59) The founding story of Gamma
(09:52) Achieving product-market fit
(15:43) Self-awareness as a founder
(17:17) The power of onboarding
(20:41) The original insight that led to Gamma
(22:42) Founder-led marketing and growth tactics
(29:20) Sharing online
(37:40) Getting to $100M ARR
(41:19) Influencer marketing as a growth strategy
(54:08) Virality is not an accident
(58:30) Investing in brand before paid ads
(01:02:04) Tips for getting started with performance marketing
(01:04:49) Prototyping and user feedback
(01:16:12) Adapting and moving quickly
(01:19:21) The concept of GPT wrapper companies
(01:22:16) Deep dive into workflow and model utilization
(01:29:06) Pricing strategies
(01:34:53) Hiring philosophy and practices
(01:43:24) Betting big on high performers
(01:45:03) Final thoughts and lightning round
*Referenced:*
• How AI is transforming presentations: Gamma’s story: https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/technology/artificial-intelligence/gammas-startup-journey-the-future-of-presentations-with-ai
• Gamma: https://gamma.app
• Product Hunt: https://www.producthunt.com
• Lessons on building product sense, navigating AI, optimizing the first mile, and making it through the messy middle | Scott Belsky (Adobe, Behance): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-on-building-product-sense
• Grant’s launch post on X: https://x.com/thisisgrantlee/status/1640701282959912961
• Paul Graham’s response on X: https://x.com/paulg/status/1642051326929510400
• Smith & Diction: https://smith-diction.com
• Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai
• 1stCollab: https://www.1stcollab.com
• AKG Media: https://akgmedia.co.uk
• Dunbar’s number: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number
• Grant’s post on X about influencer marketing: https://x.com/thisisgrantlee/status/1966874658680303880
• Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com
• Notion: https://www.notion.com
• Voicepanel: https://www.voicepanel.com
• UserTesting: https://www.usertesting.com
• Cursor: https://cursor.com
• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can’t stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell
• Lovable: https://lovable.dev/
…References continued at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-50-people-built-a-profitable-ai-unicorn
*Recommended books:*
• Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is and What You Can Do About It: https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Wants-Read-Your-Sh-ebook/dp/B01GZ1TJBI
• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike: https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-Nike/dp/1501135910
• 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy: https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319
_Production and marketing by https://penname.co/._
_For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com._
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
