He didn't raise VC for the first 7 years— then grew to $1B in ARR. | Dax Dasilva, Founder of Lightspeed

A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders

Dax built Lightspeed into a $1B ARR public company—even though he bootstrapped for the first 7 years. In this episode, he reveals exactly how he used a 4x pricing shift to create a global reseller machine that grew him to $10M ARR. He also breaks down why obsessing over design and deep customer empathy built the foundation for success.—and how stepping away from his comfort zone as an introverted developer was the key to scale. If you’re an early-stage founder trying to nail pricing, distribution, and long-term strategic decisions, this story is your playbook.

Why You Should Listen

• Learn how to price your product to build a distribution machine.
• Why early profitability can make your startup unstoppable.
• How bootstrapping forces clarity—and can unlock massive scale.
• Why the hardest move for founders is often letting go of what they’re best at.
• Why giving away titles and equity too soon is a trap.

Keywords

product market fit, pricing strategy, bootstrapping, reseller partnerships, early-stage startups, go-to-market strategy, startup scaling, founder lessons, Lightspeed POS, profitability

00:00:00 Intro

00:07:56 Landing the First Customers Without a Product

00:11:28 The Pricing Strategy that Changed Everything

00:19:20 Growth Through Partnerships

00:26:18 Why a Business Plan Can Actually Help

00:34:33 Profitable from Day One

00:42:15 From On-Premise to the Cloud

00:46:59 Finding Product-Market Fit

00:49:15 The Truth About Early Employees and Equity

00:53:18 Reinventing Your Role as Founder Every Year

Send me a message to let me know what you think!

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. Landing the First Customers Without a Product (00:07:56)

3. The Pricing Strategy that Changed Everything (00:11:28)

4. Growth Through Partnerships (00:19:21)

5. Why a Business Plan Can Actually Help (00:26:18)

6. Profitable from Day One (00:34:34)

7. From On-Premise to the Cloud (00:42:15)

8. Finding Product-Market Fit (00:46:59)

9. The Truth About Early Employees and Equity (00:49:15)

10. Reinventing Your Role as Founder Every Year (00:53:18)