Zapier: Wade Foster. $1.4M Raised, Then a $5B Company | Founders Network

Zapier co-founder and CEO Wade Foster shares how they built a $5B company from a side project, starting in Missouri, working nights and weekends, and finding product-market fit before the product was even ready. In this episode, we break down: How Zapier found early traction and their first paying customers Why product-market fit starts with small signals (not big launches) The “don’t hire until it hurts” philosophy How Zapier scaled with an integrations flywheel What’s changing with AI, agents, and the future of building This is a candid conversation about growth, fundraising, and the realities of building a start- up, without the usual hype. If you’re a founder, operator, or thinking about starting something, this episode is packed with practical insights you can actually use. Request an Invite: https://fndrs.net/fnrequestyt Description Founders Network offers peer mentorship for tech start-up founders. With over 600 members in the Founders Network community, there's always someone who can answer your start-up question. Learn valuable lessons from entrepreneurs, investors, and experts about product, growth strategy, raising money, business development, legal, marketing, and anything that might come up in the start-up world. With a Founders Network membership, you'll gain access to over 100 global start-up events a year. we host virtual events, global tech summits, and regional events. Join us for advice and tips from members on becoming a better tech start-up founder. WEBSITE https://foundersnetwork.com/ SOCIAL Facebook //   / foundersnetwork   Twitter //   / foundersnetwork   Instagram //   / foundersnetwork   LinkedIn //   / founders-network   Wade Foster on the unglamorous early days of Zapier, the “plus one” forum requests that sparked the idea, and the integration flywheel that compounded into one of the internet’s most important glue products. Full episode and transcript: https://foundersnetwork.com/podcast/w... Guest: Wade Foster, co-founder & CEO of Zapier Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to get the next one.