Navigating Early Growth: From Stealth to First Customers

Andrew Rubin raised $40M in 6 months before writing a single line of code—and another $100M before seeing his first dollar of revenue. Today, Illumio is valued at billions and counts Morgan Stanley among its earliest customers. But Andrew’s journey wasn’t smooth or easy. Listen in to learn how he navigated the fine line between being early and being too early, how he raised venture capital at unprecedented speed, and why he believes an entrepreneur’s conviction—backed by customer insights—is the real key to startup survival.

Why You Should Listen

• How to raise $40M in 6 months with no product or revenue
• Why “too early” often means bankrupt—and how to avoid it
• Why activity ≠ funding (and what to do instead)
• The hard truth about selling enterprise early
• Why market timing matters more than product genius

Keywords

product market fit, fundraising, early-stage startups, startup fundraising, venture capital, enterprise sales, market timing, Andrew Rubin, Illumio, cybersecurity

00:00:00 Intro

00:08:15 Why Being Early Can Bankrupt You

00:16:09 Creating a Market That Doesn’t Exist

00:27:55 Activity Does Not Equal Funding

00:38:06 Landing the First Enterprise Customer

00:49:57 Surviving Enterprise Sales Cycles

00:54:56 Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster

01:00:46 The Truth About Product Market Fit

01:01:55 Andrew Rubin’s Best Advice for Early Founders

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