Chantey

Dmitri Okinov started coding Chantey back in 2017 with a simple observation: team communication tools were fragmented and inflexible. Rather than forcing teams to choose between chat, video calls, and project management tools, he envisioned a unified platform that combined all three experiences. At 35 years old and married with two kids, Dimitri brought lessons from his previous ventures—particularly his decade-old software development agency, Difi Co—into this new SaaS bet.

Dmitri didn't launch with massive funding or VC backing. Instead, he self-funded Chantey with $500,000 of his own capital, money he'd accumulated from running his successful agency that now does over $2 million in revenue with 120+ employees. "I'm the only person who financed it," he said during the interview, keeping 80% ownership while allocating 20% as an employee option pool. This bootstrapped approach allowed him to stay focused and maintain full control.

Chantey's first 10-20 customers arrived in early 2018, but they were demo customers. What's remarkable is how Dimitri acquired them before the product was fully ready. "We made lots of marketing even without product—just our landing page with our email grabber—but we did lots of social media and content marketing," he explained. The strategy centered on writing comparison articles about existing software and establishing thought leadership. By 2018 alone, they'd signed up around 200 customers through this content-driven approach. Today, that grew to 20,000 total users, with 1,000 paying customers across various team sizes.

The real growth engine turned out to be partnerships and affiliate networks. Chantey built an affiliate program with tiered commissions—ranging from 20% for smaller partners up to 50% for top-tier resellers. Dimitri noted they've paid commissions to "more than 100" affiliates, mixing small bloggers with large resellers. This channel-driven growth—particularly from business-to-business partnerships—drove much of the acceleration. Year-over-year, revenue more than doubled: from around $50,000 MRR last year to $122,000 MRR today.

Pricing has been deliberately designed around team size. Free users hit natural limitations (capped team members), while paid customers unlock video calling, group calls, screen sharing, and dedicated support. The average paid customer now has 47.5 team members and pays approximately $122 per month. Customer acquisition cost sits at $487, which Dimitri acknowledged recovers in about four months given the $122 MRR per customer. Impressively, his churn rate is just 6.8% annually—exceptionally sticky for a communication tool.

With $122,000 in MRR and 1,000 paying customers, Chantey has achieved profitability without needing additional funding. Dimitri refused a $20 million valuation from an investor, deciding "it's not the time." His 23-person core team includes 10 engineers and 2 in-house sales staff, supplemented by 13 outsourced sales reps. He's now focused full-time on the SaaS product while his agency runs on autopilot. The expansion revenue comes naturally—as companies grow and add team members, they add more seats. Dimitri's philosophy: "If you have a company to grow, they will grow with us."

This is a rare founder story: zero VC, 80% ownership, bootstrapped from agency cash flow, and hockey-stick growth through partnerships rather than ads or viral mechanics.