Merge: How a SaaS API Startup Raised $75 Million

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Gil Feig is the co-founder of Merge, a unified API platform that allows you to add hundreds of integrations to your app.

After experiencing firsthand the pains of managing integrations at previous companies, Gil and his co-founder, Shensi, decided to build a solution.

Before starting their business, they talked to around a hundred companies to research and get feedback.

Most conversations were pretty positive, but some feedback was harsh.

There were three companies where people told them they would never use the product and that they should probably give up on the idea.

The two founders spent 6 months building the first version of the product. And thanks to all those interviews, they landed their first 10 customers.

But as they tried selling their product to more companies, they quickly realized that they still had big obstacles to overcome.

Most companies were building their own integrations, and many of them weren't convinced they needed help or a product to make it easier.

And other companies weren't willing to trust their integrations to an early-stage startup that might not be around tomorrow.

Despite those challenges, Gil and Shensi have grown their business to multiple 7-figures in ARR, with a team of around 65 people, and they've raised almost $75 million in funding.

This episode is part of our First Customers series.

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