paraschopra

7 ms·

1. 91.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   You may not like this answer but the best starting point is to define marketing in the particular context and market in which your product exists. Marketing is so highly contextual that sometimes I don't even like the word.
2. 92.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   Yes, sir I do remember :) Why not keep going? Well, everything comes to an end eventually. Projects are kind of like that - they start and they end.
3. 93.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   I plan to start an AI lab from India. I sense an opportunity - India's way behind China and US.
4. 94.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   Actually, no. I feel inspired and excited about life and what experiments this money can help me do (which otherwise wouldn't get funded).
5. 95.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   I along with my wife have been running Escape Velocity grants where we give no-conditions grant to young people under 25 who show promise. https://invertedpassion.com/escape-velocity-grant/ Plan to accelerate it.
6. 96.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   >What would be your one piece of advice for someone looking to bootstrap a company? Hire only when your revenue exceeds costs. Might be hard but this instills the discipline of always operating at a profit. >How can one identify B2B p
7. 97.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   I've written a lot of my lessons here: https://invertedpassion.com/free-book-mental-models-for-star...
8. 98.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   I love writing, perhaps that's the trick?
9. 99.▲
   by paraschopra 2y ago

   This is awesome, thanks!
10. 100.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    I've written a lot of my lessons here: https://invertedpassion.com/free-book-mental-models-for-star...
11. 101.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    I also want to thank my co-founder Sparsh for building the company with me. He deserves as much congrats as it's coming my way! (He sometimes lurks here on HN)! Couldn't have built Wingify without him! He'll continue to be as
12. 102.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    When you don't have enough data, doing usability tests and understanding + applying best practices can help you avoid common mistakes.
13. 103.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Thanks for linking it here. If there are any AI researchers or engineers in Bangalore/India lurking here, please consider applying.
14. 104.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    I picked A/B testing because I discovered the most used product (Google Website Optimizer, now defunkt) was pretty crappy. As an engineer, I couldn't figure out how to use it and it was meant for marketers. So I sensed an opportun
15. 105.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Good luck!
16. 106.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Good luck!
17. 107.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    I wasn't involved in day to day that much, and felt it was the right time to pass the baton.
18. 108.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Thanks Patrick! This couldn't have happened without you. You have impacted more people than you may realize. I distinctly remember when I asked your feedback on my $9/mo plan, you told me to go for $99/mo. Baffled on how can
19. 109.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    We hit our first million in 18 months when we were ~10 (I think). My first milestone was $1000 (my salary before starting Wingify). The first month I launched, made $4000 and it kept doubling from there for a while. I remember being glued t
20. 110.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Yes, I'm running https://turingsdream.co and intend to do a lot more of helping others going forward.
21. 111.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    - Yes, I'm very happy! - Advice, paradoxically, is to not gun for an exit. Only companies that don't need an exit get an exit. (It's sort of like dating).
22. 112.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    I had been reducing my day to day involvement for a few years, and then we hired an investment banker who drove the process. I won't be involved day to day anymore.
23. 113.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    - No, never applied to YC. - Not expecting this to happen - I plan to explore starting a fundamental AI lab from India (China has Deepseek, US has OpenAI and Anthropic, Japan has Sakana - India doesn't have one yet!)
24. 114.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    I think the plan is to keep growing profitably, but I'm also curious and keen to learn how private equity runs a company.
25. 115.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Enterprises don't ask that. We never got that request.
26. 116.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    All of our initial growth came from either word of mouth or the content I was churning out on a daily basis.
27. 117.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Haha, yes - we were neck to neck often.
28. 118.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Wow, Dec 2009 is literally when I had launched the MVP of VWO. So cool to hear this story from you! Brings back so many memories of anxious excitement and working till 3 am :)
29. 119.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    I'm hopeful that VWO will continue to stay true to its roots!
30. 120.▲
    by paraschopra 2y ago

    Yes, yes, so much yes. Without the feedback, this wouldn't have happened. I've learned that what kills startups isn't so much a bad product, but lack of feedback. You can iterate your way out of a valley if you know which way