Wistia’s Long, Steady, Overnight Success Story

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Chris Savage figured $60k would be enough.

After he and his cofounder, Brendan Schwartz, founded and launched Wistia in 2006, their initial aspirations were quite modest.

“We wanted to make $60k total,” said Savage. “We figured at $30k each, we’d be ecstatic. We’d be able to survive.”

Savage and Schwartz’s total living expenses at the time were around $1,600/mo., which included rent in a 10-person house in Cambridge, Mass., food, and servers.

“Our first customer paid us $400/month, which was great. We were like, ‘we just need three more and we’ll break even.’ The vision was not huge back then.”

But technology, as well as the explosion of branded content, were in their favor.

Smartphones, social media, live streaming–the technological advancements of the next several years would create a wave that Wistia was well-positioned to ride.

In my recent conversation with Wistia’s founder and CEO, I asked him about those early years, how they generated initial traction, the inspiration behind their quirky brand, and where Wistia is headed next.

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