Tilkey
Tim Salme, an engineer who found selling hard, saw his proposals disappear after he hit send. Prospects sent PDFs by email and he rarely heard back. That frustration became the seed for Tilkey, a tool to show how prospects read documents so sales teams could follow up at the right time with the right message.
Tilkey began around mid-2012 as a side project between Tim and a partner, Silvan, who were both running their own companies. Tim described the early revenue as "almost nothing," and estimated first-year revenue at about $20,000. After some challenges and competitions, the team raised money from business angels and funds, and later raised $1 to $1.5 million two years before the interview.
The company first sold to very small businesses. Growth required educating the market, especially in France, and a pivot toward larger enterprise customers. Tilkey also coached a group of sales reps it called "TILKers," who helped convert leads. Enterprise deals often start when one employee signs up. The team then contacts that person within minutes and offers a demo to bring in teammates.
Tilkey avoided paid advertising because European buyers rarely search Google for proposal management tools. Its one large marketing bet was radio advertising in France, with return on investment calculated almost daily. Its gross monthly customer churn was under 2%, and the team said LTV and CAC were still too early to measure reliably.
Tilkey serves about 800 customers, including enterprise accounts, and had a team of 20, 15 of them in sales. Monthly recurring revenue reached about $100,000 by December 2016, up from $20,000 at the end of 2015. The company was considering a larger raise the following year, while aiming to keep founders and employees above 50% ownership.
- •Tilkey solved a real sales pain for its engineer founder, which gave it a sharp problem to build around.
- •Shifting from small businesses to enterprise buyers raised average contract value enough to drive fast MRR growth.
- •Keeping most of the team in sales and coaching reps to convert leads turned a product into a sales-led revenue engine.
- •Avoiding paid search in a market where buyers don't search for the category shows the team followed actual buyer behavior rather than generic growth tactics.
- •Sub-2% monthly churn suggests customers who adopted the product stayed, which supports expansion revenue from enterprise accounts.
- 1.Start by building a tool around a specific sales pain you have personally experienced, such as proposals going unread after sending.
- 2.Track engagement signals, like document opens, and trigger immediate follow-up, so sales reps contact prospects at the right moment.
- 3.When a new account signs up, contact that user within minutes and offer a demo aimed at bringing in their teammates.
- 4.Once you find traction with small customers, move up-market to enterprise accounts with larger seat counts and annual contracts.
- 5.Staff a sales-heavy team and coach reps on converting leads rather than relying on paid acquisition in markets where buyers don't search for your category.
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