Paul Klein is the Founder and CEO of Browserbase, building infrastructure for AI browsers.
Our conversation gets into the future of software and AI agents, why authentication is a huge problem in AI, how the best infrastructure companies become product companies, and the memo he wrote that convinced him to start Browserbase despite not wanting to build another company.
A year ago, Paul was a relatively unknown commodity, and definitely did not want to raise venture capital again. He shares the playbook he used to go from zero to raising $27 million in nine months “as a non-famous person” (his words).
He shares all his lessons learned in the arena as he’s processing them, like what he thinks will unlock better AI agents, why you should like your own tweets, and how Browserbase competes with incumbents.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:39) How LLMs unlock automation online
(08:34) The future of software (AI agents)
(11:21) Why AI agents need better authentication
(12:59) Lessons from Twilio on building an infrastructure company
(17:27) Learnings from his first startup
(19:56) Bubbles, and how they drive innovation
(20:37) Reasons this moment in AI is special
(29:58) Why technical founders love post-PMF
(31:55) The memo that started Browserbase
(34:09) Why a startup should be a means of last resort
(36:53) Being a solo founder
(42:24) Importance of in-person culture
(45:56) The best place to find engineers
(48:34) How Paul hired a contractor army to build Browserbase
(50:16) Why you can’t hire mercenaries
(54:28) The power of emojis in marketing
(57:39) Browserbase's early growth playbook (3 videos)
(01:04:00) Benefits of sharing an office with other startups
(01:06:00) Sales lessons from his parents
(01:08:07) Why startups are like video games
(01:13:43) Successful founders work the hardest and are shameless
(01:18:44) Customer support is a startups greatest differentiator
(01:22:06) Paul’s playbook that raised $27m in nine months as a non-famous person
(01:29:03) How investors make decisions
(01:33:10) Risks help startups avoid competition
(01:36:37) Great infrastructure needs its own frameworks
(01:39:05) Long-term thinking in LLMs will enable mass AI agents
(01:42:21) Avoiding tech debt with AI moving so fast
(01:43:48) Infrastructure companies need to become product companies
(01:46:54) The Sine Wave philosophy to startups
Referenced:
Browserbase: https://www.browserbase.com/
An Internet Browser for AI: https://memos.hawkhill.ventures/p/an-internet-browser-for-ai
Rise of the Product Engineer: https://memos.hawkhill.ventures/p/rise-of-the-product-engineer
Death to the Backend: https://memos.hawkhill.ventures/p/death-to-the-backend
The three Browserbase marketing videos
Pre-Seed: https://x.com/pk_iv/status/1775183751800377344
Seed: https://x.com/pk_iv/status/1798731220005883935
Series A: https://x.com/pk_iv/status/1851270308701106383
Follow Paul:
Twitter: https://x.com/pk_iv
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkleiniv/
Follow Turner:
Twitter: https://x.com/TurnerNovak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovak
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