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From YC to Open Source Payments: How Harrison Telyan Built FlowGlad by Selling Before Building
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Episode Summary:
In this episode of Start. Scale. Exit., Ivan Galvez interviews Harrison Telyan, co-founder of FlowGlad, an open-source payments and billing platform built with developers in mind. Harrison shares how his journey started by redesigning apps in high school, how a cold Imgur redesign earned him a job, and why testing profitably is more valuable than raising capital. He walks us through building products post-YC, bootstrapping FlowGlad with cashflow from his design firm Numi, and what it means to build high-trust, high-performance teams without falling into the “yes-man” trap.
Whether you're early-stage, scaling, or just refining your monetization engine—this episode is packed with real-world startup frameworks, founder psychology, and actionable advice.
Key Takeaways:
- Why selling before building is the golden rule of modern startup validation
- How to test ideas profitably and avoid building the wrong thing
- Why FlowGlad chose to be open source and bootstrap instead of chasing VCs
- Lessons learned from growing design agency Numi to $2M ARR
- How travel and taste-building (e.g. museums!) improve product design judgment
- Why hiring based on urgency, clarity, and values is more scalable than resumes
Golden Nugget:
“We developed an allergic reaction to building before selling. Test profitably. Validate with real conversations, then build.”
Mentioned in the Episode:
- FlowGlad — Open-source billing and payments for developers
- Numi.tech — Startup design department-as-a-service
- M-Pesa — The mobile payments system that inspired global innovation
- Book: Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- Favorite App: Robinhood — Best-in-class product design meets investment tech
Connect with Harrison Telyan:
Listen Now & Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcast
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