SaaS Interviews with CEOs, Startups, Founders How I Built my AI Tool SubMagic to $667k/Month With a Tiny Team and No Funding
Jun 10, 2025
David Zitoun, a 28-year-old French entrepreneur and CEO of Submagic, shares his journey of bootstrapping his AI video editing tool to $8 million ARR in just 3 years with a lean team. He reveals his secret sauce: an extraordinary affiliate program that drives substantial revenue through 10,000+ affiliates. With a focus on user-friendly features and viral growth strategies, David discusses how his unique team structure and contrarian hiring practices contribute to customer acquisition and retention, all while navigating SEO and marketing challenges.
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Three-Clicks Simplicity
- Make your product as simple as possible with a "three clicks" experience for users.
- Avoid distractions and focus only on what matters to the user to enhance usability.
Rapid $1M ARR Growth
- David Zitoun hit $1 million ARR exactly three months after acquiring his first customer.
- He achieved this rapid growth starting from May 2023 to August 2023.
Timing and Virality Win
- Success came from a mix of timing with market trends and leveraging short form content virality.
- Viral user-generated content boosted brand awareness and accelerated growth in the US market.