He sold his first 2 startups. His 3rd grew to $1M ARR in 3 months. | Chaz Englander, Founder of Model ML
Episode Description
Chaz has founded 3 companies. The first sold for over $40M. The second sold to GoPuff for even more. Now, he’s on his third act with Model ML, having just raised $75M Series A <2 years in.
In this episode, Chaz breaks down the playbook behind his successes. He reveals how he raised his first million by pitching strangers on LinkedIn, why his delivery startup was just a text message system on the backend, and why speed is the only defensive moat left.
Why You Should Listen
- How to pitch strangers on LinkedIn for angel checks.
- Why you should always say you're raising "a bit more" than you actually are.
- Why "Product Market Fit" is no longer static in the age of AI.
- How to launch a massive consumer business.
- Why getting a paid design partner isn't enough.
Keywords
startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, serial entrepreneur, fundraising strategy, product market fit, rapid scaling, AI startup, exit strategy, MVP, fintech
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:46 Pitching Strangers for Angel Checks
00:07:51 The "Fake" Fundraising Strategy
00:23:28 Why MVPs are Dead in the AI Era
00:25:01 Selling to GoPuff While Running Out of Cash
00:32:25 The Origin of ModelML
00:38:30 The Design Partner Playbook
00:46:13 From $5k to $100k MRR in 3 Months