A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders He hit $1M ARR in 10 months—after doing of a full, 180 pivot. | Merrill Lutsky, Founder of Graphite
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Jun 2, 2025 
Merrill Lutsky, the founder of Graphite—a cutting-edge code review platform—shares his incredible journey from near failure to hitting $1M ARR in just 10 months. He discusses the key lessons learned from product pivots and landing a massive enterprise client. Merrill reveals how daily user feedback became a game-changer for growth and the surprising pricing tweaks that doubled revenue overnight. He also emphasizes the importance of trust within a founding team, particularly amidst the chaos of startup life.
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Raising Seed Round in Airbnb Chaos
- Merrill Lutsky shares how he and his co-founders raised their seed round in a tiny Airbnb during early COVID days.
- They struggled with limited resources and poor Wi-Fi but succeeded in pulling the round together despite the chaos.
Avoid Unstable Tech Foundations
- Avoid building on unstable, undocumented technical foundations as a startup.
- Early startups lack resources to address many edge cases, making complex technical product support difficult.
Daily Use Accelerates Iteration
- Daily user interaction with your product is critical for fast iteration and learning.
- Constant usage provides quick feedback, enabling faster problem detection and better product experience.