subscription Startups

Coach.me is a marketplace for digital, message-based coaching launched in January 2015 by Tony Stubblebine (former head of engineering at Odeo, Jack Dorsey's early employer). The platform takes a 50% cut when it brings clients and 10-30% when coaches bring their own, generating $82k (2014), $650k (2015), and projected $2M (2016). Growth came through validating the coaching model with Tim Ferriss, then focusing relentlessly on improving client lifetime value from $42/year to $90+/year as the product quality improved.

Jay Baer built Convince and Convert into a multi-million dollar strategy consulting firm with three equally-sized revenue streams: speaking (approx. $1.2M annually), corporate sponsorships (approx. $500K+ annually from podcasts), and consulting. The company operates a unique sponsorship model where corporate partners pay to host and sponsor content properties including six weekly podcasts, a top marketing blog with 4 million annual visitors, and numerous educational resources.

Aircall is a cloud-based phone support software founded by Olivier R. Payees that launched in June 2015. The company grew from $10,000 in first month revenue to ~$100,000 MRR by December 2015 (30% month-over-month growth) through a combination of direct outreach and strategic product integrations. They've achieved negative churn and recently raised $2.8M in seed funding on top of an initial $500K investment.

Awesome Web is a freelance marketplace SaaS that flipped the traditional model by charging freelancers ($27/month subscription) instead of clients, eliminating the 10-40% percentage fees charged by competitors like Upwork and Elance. Founded in September 2014 by Nick Tart and co-founders with existing audiences, the platform grew to 1,100 paying freelancer members generating approximately $25,000 MRR by early 2016, with an initial investment of $30,000 from idea to MVP.

Matthew Berman built Sonar (sendsonar.com) to enable customer communication via SMS and messaging platforms. Starting from a prototype built in 6 weeks nights-and-weekends, he raised $1M in seed funding and grew to 120 paying customers with 35% month-over-month revenue growth in 2015, targeting $1M ARR by end of 2016 for Series A.

Cart Hook is an abandoned cart recovery email platform founded by Ben Fisher and Jordan Gull that helps e-commerce stores recover lost revenue from shoppers who add items to their cart but don't complete purchase. The company had around 100 paying customers by December 2015 with an MRR target of $12,000, having raised approximately $300,000 in friends and family funding and approaching profitability.

Chris Guillebeau is a bestselling author and entrepreneur who has built a diversified business around content creation, books, and online communities. His book 'The $100 Startup' sold over 300,000 copies, generating multiple six figures in annual royalty income, with his total business split 50/50 between traditional book royalties and online products (membership sites, courses, guides). His primary growth driver has been relationship-building with influencers and his community of 100,000-130,000 email subscribers.

Derek Capo, a former hedge fund analyst and founder of a study abroad business in China that generated $2.4M in cumulative revenue over 7 years, is building EFIN, a financial analytics SaaS platform. The company uses proprietary algorithms to analyze companies across five segments (board performance, executive management, valuations, technical analysis) and provide investment scores, positioning itself as a superior alternative to Yahoo Finance. Currently pre-revenue with $50K invested by founders and targeting a $500-700K seed round.

Open Sponsorship is a two-sided marketplace connecting brands to athletes and sports sponsorship opportunities. Founded by Ishwin Anand (Forbes 30 Under 30), the company grew from a free marketplace to a subscription-based model, generating ~$10K MRR in February 2016 with 25 paying brand customers and 700+ registered users. The founder aims to reach $240K MRR (~$3M ARR) by end of 2016 through building a trained sales team.

Andrea Lake launched Lessons.biz, an online course platform teaching entrepreneurs how to start businesses in specific verticals (starting with T-shirt companies, expanding to restaurants and personal training). The platform pairs detailed, actionable six-week courses with celebrity entrepreneurs who have proven success. With approximately 2,400 email subscribers and courses priced at $497 (self-guided) and $1,997 (with founder interaction), Andrea aims to become the #1 revenue generator in this space by 2018, having previously built six successful companies including StickerJunkie (which sold 20 million stickers).

Ray Edwards is a bestselling author and communication strategist who transitioned from freelance copywriting to building a scalable online education business. His 2015 revenue reached $678,000, with a single course launch generating $400,000 in one month through his email list and affiliate partnerships. He commands $150,000+ fees for copywriting projects and is launching a new book with a free+shipping model to drive course sales.

KIT is a virtual marketing assistant SaaS platform that helps e-commerce business owners automate their marketing through SMS-based commands. Founded by Michael Perry in October 2013, KIT pivoted from a web application to an SMS-first product in January 2015 after discovering that small business owners were unwilling to spend time on marketing tasks themselves. As of January 2016, KIT has 2,000 paying customers generating $30k MRR with a $19 average revenue per user and a sustainable $21 customer acquisition cost primarily through Facebook ads.

Shari Alexander runs Observe Connect Influence, a persuasiveness coaching and speaking business generating $150,000 in annual revenue ($15,000 monthly in January 2016). Her revenue comes from three main streams: one-on-one coaching packages ($5,000-$35,000), speaking engagements ($5,000-$7,500), and online courses. She grew her business primarily through personal referrals and direct outreach to her target market, maintaining a highly engaged 3,500-person email list rather than chasing scale.

Cirrus Insight is a Gmail and Outlook plugin that integrates with Salesforce to eliminate the need for salespeople to switch between email and CRM. Founded in 2011 by Brandon Bruce and Ryan Toth, the bootstrapped startup achieved $6.5M ARR by 2015 ($640K MRR) through deep Salesforce integration and a network of 350+ consulting partners. The company maintains net-negative churn and charges $19/user/month, serving 100,000 end users across 3,500 organizations.

Matt Schaup transitioned from running a $2.5M/year residential painting company in Northern Colorado to building a coaching and mastermind business focused on helping entrepreneurs discover their purpose and authentic story. His mastermind membership launched at $99/month with a capped 100-member limit, reaching 87 members within the interview timeline (generating ~$8,700 MRR). He combines one-on-one coaching, keynotes, his proprietary 'life plan process,' book sales, and guest expert calls to serve a growing audience of business owners and entrepreneurs.

Hold Your Hunches is a patented line of fashion leggings with integrated compression and shapewear, created by mothers Aaron Bickley and Jenny Greer. After building to $300K in two years through direct-to-consumer online sales, they appeared on Shark Tank Season 5 and became the first company to score a deal with both Lori and Barbara, resulting in a massive spike. They grew to $1.5M in revenue in 2014, with 90% still from direct online sales and 15% from their new Amazon store launched in April 2014.

Ryan Pahl is COO of Community Co, an umbrella company managing multiple professional communities including YEC (Young Entrepreneurs Council), Founder Society, and Forbes Councils. The company generates revenue through annual membership fees ($500 for Founder Society, $1,200 for Forbes Councils) and has grown to 50+ employees across Boston and the country. They combine proprietary technology with human curation to connect members with peers, business resources, events, and media opportunities.

RJ Metrics is a business intelligence SaaS company founded by Robert Moore in 2008 that helps mid-market companies make data-driven decisions. The company grew profitably from its attic-based origins to $1M in revenue by 2012 with just 8 employees, and has since raised $22M across multiple rounds. With approximately 400 customers paying $10K-$100K annually, RJ Metrics generates at least $4.8M+ in annual recurring revenue with customer lifespans of 3-4 years.

Venture Pact is a SaaS platform launched in 2012 that helps businesses source and manage vetted software development teams. Founded by Randy Reyes, a former private equity analyst at Silver Lake Partners, the company operates on a hybrid model combining transaction fees (basic plan) and monthly subscriptions (premium plan). By 2015, Venture Pact had over 100 customers, was bootstrapped with 31 employees, and generated revenues in the seven figures.

Regan Hillier built a 100% online personal development and coaching business focused on success mindset and personal branding, generating $140K in February 2016 with 91% retention across multiple product tiers. Her funnel strategy moves customers from low-end membership sites ($97/month, ~200 members) through online programs and live masterminds to high-ticket one-on-one coaching ($10-30K per client), with consistent revenue distribution across all products.