From Viral Launch to Building a Startup: Lessons Learned on Fundraising, Product, and Growth
Launching a startup is a rollercoaster of emotions, learnings, and relentless hustle. Recently, my co-founder Ryan and I experienced a whirlwind journey after our startup went viral on Twitter, garnering over 750,000 views on our launch video, alongside significant traction on other platforms like Threads and Instagram. This sudden spotlight brought a flood of venture capital interest, fundraising opportunities, and an invaluable crash course in startup growth.
In this post, I want to share the key takeaways from our experience so far — from navigating fundraising and building a product to the power of community and building in public.
The Viral Launch: Momentum and Its Challenges
Our initial goal was to raise a $1 million seed round fueled by the viral momentum, but after raising $100,000, we realized the process was slowing down and dragging longer than we wanted. Fundraising is a sprint, and maintaining momentum is critical — the more meetings you pack into a short time frame, the easier it is to close deals. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite reach the volume of conversations we needed; while we had 30-40 calls lined up, hundreds might have been necessary to hit our goal.
One surprising challenge was handling rejection. Fundraising involves hearing many “no’s” before landing a “yes.” Some founders pitch hundreds of investors before securing their first lead. That lead often paves the way for others to follow. Though we didn’t close the full round this time, the experience taught us invaluable lessons that will pay off when we fundraise again with more traction and paying customers.
Fundraising: Guiding the Conversation, Not Just Answering Questions
Initially, I treated VC meetings like job interviews, answering questions passively. But successful fundraising is about guiding the conversation and telling a compelling story. This requires preparation and a proactive approach to showcase your vision, traction, and product roadmap.
The main goal during fundraising is to get back to what truly matters — building the product and talking to customers. Balancing fundraising and product work is tough but crucial.
Building the Product: From Viral Prototype to MVP
Our product aims to revolutionize video editing by allowing users to edit videos through simple text prompts. Imagine uploading raw footage and getting a first cut automatically — saving hours of tedious manual editing.
While our viral launch validated the demand, the product itself wasn’t polished enough for continuous usage. We are hard at work improving the MVP, optimizing the user experience, and building features like paywalls. The key now is to validate real product usage and retention rather than only sign-ups.
A big part of this process has been leveraging AI models like Gemini to analyze video clips and style inspiration, enabling smarter edits and faster workflows. We’re excited about the progress and invite anyone interested to try the early version and share feedback.
The Mental Game of Going Viral
Launching a viral product before it’s fully ready can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, virality drives awareness and feedback; on the other, it exposes your product to scrutiny and potential criticism. I expected this, but it was still mentally challenging to have so many people try something we knew was rough around the edges.
That said, I firmly believe it’s better to have people engage with your product — even if some are frustrated — than to build something in isolation that no one uses. The feedback and data we gathered from going viral have given us a clearer direction and renewed motivation.
Building in Public and the Power of Content
Sharing our journey publicly has been a game changer. From YouTube videos to Twitter threads, building in public helps create momentum, attract users, and open doors to partnerships and events.
My advice for founders wanting to build a personal brand or share their startup journey is to start with one platform and focus on consistency rather than perfection. It takes time to find your voice and audience, so be patient and keep producing content. After 10-15 posts or videos, you’ll start to see what resonates and can then optimize accordingly.
The Importance of Location and Community
Moving to San Francisco from Las Vegas was a major decision that has paid off immensely. Being surrounded by other ambitious founders, attending events like YC’s demo day, and engaging with cutting-edge tech conversations have accelerated our growth in ways working remotely couldn’t.
Yes, San Francisco has its challenges — cost, crowds, and more — but the value of being immersed in a thriving startup ecosystem outweighs these downsides. The relationships and serendipitous encounters you get here can open doors and spark ideas that fuel your startup journey.
Balancing Hustle and Wellness
Founders often neglect their wellbeing in the grind. I’m making a conscious effort to balance intense coding, fundraising, and product work with activities that clear my head — like getting back to basketball after months off. Keeping your mental and physical health in check is crucial to sustaining long-term hustle.
Looking Ahead: Iteration, Growth, and Learning
We’re still early in our journey. Next week, we aim to launch a more polished MVP with improved features and a paywall. We’ll continue refining the product based on user feedback and data, and prepare for a stronger fundraising round with traction and retention.
The startup game is evolving fast, and the new playbook seems to be: launch a rough MVP, go viral, learn from data, build a better product, and then grow and retain users. It’s not without pain and challenges, but it’s an exciting path.
Final Thoughts
Building a startup is a marathon, not a sprint. Our viral launch gave us a glimpse of what’s possible but also taught us the hard realities of fundraising, product-market fit, and mental resilience. We’re grateful for the journey so far, the community supporting us, and the lessons learned.
To fellow founders: Keep building, keep sharing your story, and embrace the ups and downs. Momentum is powerful, but persistence and learning are what truly win the race.
If you want to stay updated on our progress, product launches, and startup insights, follow along on our YouTube channel, Twitter, and Discord. We’re just getting started, and the best is yet to come.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, share it with your network or leave a comment below with your own startup experiences.