Video: Javier Soltero on the First Million
Javier Soltero CEO of Accompli
According to Accompli CEO and former Redpoint Ventures EIR Javier Soltero, no phrase has motivated him more than an investor saying aloud, “Your product sucks.”
The entrepreneur took the core technology behind a company that had already deadpooled, and bootstrapped it as Hyperic to sell it to both Springsource and now, VMWare.
In this Heavybit presentation, Soltero talks about what it’s like to build a product “diamond” (modified funnel) for an audience that is perhaps the most “jaded, cynical and busy customer ever” — namely, the developer.
Soltero explains that user flow should act as a roadmap for product, sales and marketing. He credits much of his success with Hyperic to reducing barriers to a purchase.
Says Soltero, “Be specific and detailed about the user steps. In our case, [the user] goes to Google, enters Tomcat Monitoring, goes to landing page, clicks button, fills form, picks package — I mean every single step. In our case it turned out it was 39 steps, which is a shitload of steps. So, we said, “look, this has to be 3 steps.”
For a complete look at how Soltero made the leap from near-dead company to major acquisition, check out his Heavybit talk.
Subscribe to Heavybit Updates
Subscribe for regular updates about our developer-first content and events, job openings, and advisory opportunities.
Content from the Library
How to Generate Financial Reporting for Board Meetings
How to Get Financial KPIs Ready for the Board Meeting Your startup just closed its first major round after a long and arduous...
2023: DevTool Industry Year in Review
Though it may be cliche to say, this year has been a rollercoaster for the devtools space and tech industry at large. The last 12...
A Guide to SEO in the Age of AI, Plus Modern Best Practices
How Will Generative AI Change SEO as We Know It? Search engine optimization, the art of optimizing your startup’s website and...