Two agency owners built a cold-email tool to fix their own problem — and hit $2.4 million ARR in 9 months
4 min read · RealCase summary
Nils Schneider and Raul Kaevand, both former agency owners, launched the cold-email platform Instantly in 2021. Within six months it had reached $200K in monthly recurring revenue and 2,900 customers (excluding separate AppSumo lifetime-deal sales); by nine months it had hit $2.4 million in annual recurring revenue. By December 2024, ARR had grown to $20 million.
Their first customers came from their existing agency client base, and the resulting case studies became core marketing material. They also sold through AppSumo, though the founders noted those buyers "have a lifetime plan and they don't bring recurring" revenue. Growth otherwise came from building a 50,000-plus-member Facebook community called Cold Email Masterclass, content and social posting across Facebook, YouTube, and X, running webinars, and literally using Instantly for their own cold outreach. Monthly churn ran around 10% as of 2023. The company has stayed fully bootstrapped.
Key takeaways
- ›Launched Instantly AI in 2021 after running agencies doing $10,000–15,000 in monthly revenue and getting frustrated with existing cold-email tools
- ›Converted their own agency clients into first customers, then used a free Facebook community that grew past 50,000 members for engagement and word-of-mouth
- ›Reached $200,000 MRR within 6 months, $2.4 million ARR within 9 months, and $20 million ARR by December 2024 — fully bootstrapped
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