A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders
He lost 90% of his users overnight—then grew his consumer app to $10M ARR. | Koen Droste, Founder of Polarsteps
May 1, 2025
Koen Droste, Founder of Polarsteps, transformed a personal travel tracker into a $10 million app with 10 million users—despite losing 90% of users overnight. He shares how ignoring conventional advice and focusing on word-of-mouth growth led to their viral success. By obsessing over Net Promoter Score (NPS), they achieved explosive organic growth. Droste emphasizes that quality over speed and avoiding distracting partnerships are crucial for early-stage founders aiming for product market fit.
46:30
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Quick takeaways
- Focusing on Net Promoter Score (NPS) over revenue allowed Polarsteps to drive organic growth and enhance user satisfaction.
- The importance of quality design and user experience was fundamental in fostering engagement and promoting word-of-mouth growth for the app.
Deep dives
Impact of COVID on User Growth
When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, many companies faced drastic reductions in user activity, with some losing up to 90% of their active users almost overnight. The podcast highlights how this abrupt decline presented a significant challenge, particularly for companies primarily reliant on user engagement. However, a silver lining emerged as customers began to order photo books from previous trips while in lockdown, allowing the company to maintain revenue levels comparable to pre-pandemic times. This unexpected trend underlined the resilience of consumer behaviors even in the face of global disruptions.
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