⚡️ Founder Diaries Vol 1 Ch 10: Max Greenwald, Co-Founder of Warmly - From Google to 8 Iterations to $1M ARR
We celebrate the unfiltered BTS stories of today’s founders - from their highest highs to the lowest lows and how they powered through it all… or didn’t.
😊 Welcome to Volume 1 Chapter 10 of Founder Diaries. Now, Why Founder Diaries?
In an era where founders’ lives are glamorized and their stories are romanticized narratives of seemingly endless success, the behind-the-scenes reality of the highs and lows of being a founder often don’t come to light.
Alongside the startup with a high valuation is the string of risky decisions, maxed-out credit cards, and grueling late-night chats.
Alongside each polished story, there are real challenges, unsung heroes, and unique highs & lows that make every second of the founder's journey worth it. Or maybe not? We will let you decide.
These are the true, unfiltered short stories behind the founders of today. Enjoy :)
👋 Introducing Max Greenwald, Co-Founder of Warmly - From Google to 8 Iterations to $1M ARR
Warmly is the first autonomous revenue orchestration platform built for SMB-sized revenue teams. In the last 15 months, we've gone from zero to over a million dollars in revenue. Here’s the journey that got us here. 👇
Let's rewind to where it all began — back in 2020, I had the idea for a Tinder-like app for co-founders. It really wasn’t the smartest idea for a million reasons, but it got me to quit Google and take the plunge into the startup world.
This early experience was fundamental, teaching me the importance of iteration and finding out what people truly want.
At the start, we didn't do enough customer discovery. The idea seemed good in theory, so we just dove in and started building. There was a lot of excitement around creating this swipey app, but soon, reality set in. We realized that, at its core, the concept of connecting co-founders through an app was fundamentally flawed. Despite talking to a few people who thought it sounded interesting, there wasn’t enough genuine interest to build a sustainable product.
We quickly learned a crucial lesson: it's not enough to just have an idea; you need to know if people actually want it and are willing to pay for it.
As we dug deeper, we found out that while founders were not actively seeking each other out on an app, there was a significant demand for something else entirely. Salespeople were eagerly looking to meet more customers on our app, and that was a problem worth solving. This pivot led us to explore various iterations, and after about eight different approaches, we began to zero in on what could truly add value: helping salespeople find customers.
This shift wasn’t easy. I was a product manager at Google, and at 25, I didn’t know anything about sales, buying software, or running a startup. But the journey was educational.
We moved from the swipey app to building tools that could actually generate leads for salespeople. We started by trying to help salespeople find leads of existing customers when they changed jobs. It seemed promising at first, but scraping LinkedIn and similar platforms proved to be unsustainable.
Then, the pandemic hit. With live events canceled and businesses moving online, we decided to pivot again.
We built tools to help salespeople look more professional in virtual meetings and connect better with their prospective customers. This journey into virtual professionalism for salespeople lasted about two years, but it still wasn’t quite right. The growth numbers weren’t hitting the way we wanted them to within a few months. Another pivot was on the horizon.
Our breakthrough came when we decided to de-anonymize website traffic.
We developed a way to identify who was visiting our clients’ websites so that when they engaged, they could address visitors by name and make a personal connection. This technology unlocked a new realm of possibilities. It allowed sales teams to recognize warm signals and prioritize leads effectively.
It was a project half of our team was tinkering with. Over a 6 month period, we saw the numbers we wanted, and transitioned our whole team to full-time work on this new project.
In the last 15 months, we’ve grown from zero to over a million in revenue.
We finally cracked the code on how to help salespeople get more sales. By using AI and automation, we could follow up on behalf of sales teams, making the process efficient and effective. This journey from a flawed Tinder-like app to a successful revenue orchestration platform was full of lessons and pivots, but it taught me the invaluable importance of listening to the market and iterating based on real customer needs.
Each step, each pivot, and each lesson learned has shaped Warmly into what it is today. Our journey is a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and never settling for just a good idea. It’s about finding the right idea—the one that truly meets a need and adds value.
Convincing customers to sign up is one thing, but keeping them is another. Retaining customers requires consistent value delivery and building trust over time. This is the hardest sell because it’s ongoing. Every year, we have to prove ourselves again to our customers. It’s like renewing a relationship, and it demands that we stay true to our promises and continue to innovate.
As we look to the future, my goal with Warmly goes beyond building a successful business. It’s about self-actualization and creating something that leaves a lasting impact.
I want Warmly to be a reflection of who I am and what I believe in—helping people connect and succeed.
As we continue to grow, I’m excited for what the future holds. The path to success is paved with challenges, but it’s our response to these challenges that defines our legacy. This journey has been about more than just building a company; it’s been about building a community and a future where technology and human connection go hand in hand.
As I look ahead, I’m ready for the next challenge, the next pivot, and the next opportunity to make a difference. Here’s to the future and all the possibilities it holds.
-Max Greenwald
For founders & early stage startups: want to see what got Warmly to $1M ARR quickly? Sign up free (500 leads/month) here.
Max's LinkedIn post on how to go from 0-100 customers with founder-led sales
Learn more about Max Greenwald and Warmly below:
Warmly: Website | LinkedIn | X
This is the end of Volume 1! We’re taking a short hiatus and will be back with Volume 2 soon :)
If you know someone with a unique founder story who would like to share their BTS journey of founder life - the highest highs and the lowest lows - please feel free to refer them at diariesfounder@gmail.com.
— Michelle Kwok & Christine Lu Hong (The Founder Diaries Team)