437: Countly: Building a Privacy-First SaaS Without VC Funding - with Onur Alp Soner
Apr 3, 2025
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Onur Alp Soner, founder and CEO of Countly, shares insights into his journey building a privacy-first analytics platform without VC funding. He discusses the importance of data ownership and navigating early customer relationships. The conversation dives into effective inbound marketing strategies, co-founder dynamics, and the challenges of sustaining authenticity in content creation. Plus, Onur shares his love for Harry Potter and mechanical watches, illustrating how personal passions can enhance resilience and adaptability in business.
Countly emphasizes a privacy-first approach to data ownership, distinguishing itself in the analytics market amid growing data privacy regulations.
Learning from initial challenges, Countly refined its product vision, balancing client demands with the need for a clear and focused offering.
The dynamic among co-founders is critical, as misaligned visions can jeopardize a startup, necessitating open communication to sustain relationships.
Deep dives
Navigating Authentication and User Management in SaaS
Building and scaling a SaaS product often brings significant challenges in authentication and user management. These areas, while crucial, can detract from the core focus of product development, consuming valuable resources and time. As a business grows, the complexity of user management increases with demands for enterprise single sign-on options, custom security, and user analytics. Leveraging a dedicated solution like PropelAuth can streamline these processes, allowing teams to prioritize building essential features instead of getting bogged down by authentication headaches.
Countly: A Privacy-First Analytics Platform
Countly emerged as a unique player in the analytics space, emphasizing privacy-first data practices that allow companies to maintain ownership of their user data. Founded by Honor Alpsoner and his co-founders in response to data exploitation concerns by larger tech entities, Countly has evolved from a basic self-hosted mobile analytics tool to a robust platform utilized by respected brands such as BMW and Coca-Cola. The open-source model not only attracted initial users but also drew enterprise clients soon after launch, highlighting the demand for privacy-centric solutions. This differentiation has become increasingly relevant as regulations around data privacy, like GDPR, gain traction globally.
Lessons from Early Struggles with Client Expectations
Countly's early interactions with enterprise clients, including Intel, underlined the importance of managing client expectations and maintaining a clear product vision. Initially, the team accepted broad customization requests that strained their limited resources, often undermining their original goals and leading to frustration. This experience taught them the necessity of establishing firm boundaries and aligning client demands with their long-term vision, ensuring that the product remains true to its core purpose. As their understanding of customer needs grew, they refined their ability to listen while still prioritizing product integrity over individual requests.
Transforming a Failed SaaS Attempt into Success
After an unsuccessful attempt to launch a SaaS version of Countly, the team recognized the need for differentiation in a crowded market. Their initial SaaS offering failed because it lacked unique features and did not effectively leverage the privacy aspect that set them apart. By carefully analyzing customer needs and market competition, they shifted their focus to a dedicated server model for their Flex version, allowing users to maintain control over their data. This redefined approach not only addressed privacy concerns but also opened the door to a broader audience seeking powerful analytics while still adhering to strict data ownership principles.
Enduring Co-Founder Challenges and Relationship Management
Co-founder dynamics can significantly impact a startup's trajectory, as seen in Countly's history, where misaligned visions led to a tense separation. Honor Alpsoner's experience highlights the danger of neglecting relationship health in favor of product development, emphasizing the importance of addressing conflicts early. The initial harmony between co-founders can shift over time, and recognizing this evolves in execution and decision-making is crucial for a sustainable partnership. Fostering open communication and addressing issues promptly can help preserve essential relationships and ensure the longevity of the business.
