Founder10x - Doing a Startup is like Sprinting a Marathon - Ben Borodach, Co-founder & CEO, april
Oct 22, 2024
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Ben Borodach, Co-founder and CEO of april, an AI-driven tax filing platform, shares his insights on building a startup from scratch. He discusses why he chose to tackle tax simplification and how they secured initial customers by integrating their services within fintech applications. Ben delves into their hiring strategies, emphasizing the importance of skills and cultural fit, while offering valuable fundraising advice for new founders. The conversation highlights the balance between innovative tech and effective management in navigating the startup landscape.
Controlling the tempo in business is essential, as it helps prevent burnout and enhances decision-making for sustainable success.
April's unique go-to-market strategy focuses on aligning tax solutions with fintech partners' needs, fostering trust and long-lasting relationships.
Deep dives
Understanding Business Tempo
The importance of controlling the tempo in a business is emphasized, likening it to a marathon that requires pacing rather than sprinting. Operating at a high speed can lead to burnout and impaired decision-making, which ultimately jeopardizes success. Just as Formula One racers must rest and train to perform optimally, businesses need strategies for when to push forward and when to hold back. Recognizing these patterns allows leaders to maintain productivity while preventing their teams from reaching a breaking point.
Founding April and Its Vision
The inception of April was driven by a desire to address the complex tax filing process faced by millions of Americans by integrating tax experiences within existing financial platforms. By utilizing advanced data and technology, April aims to simplify tax processes, ensuring that users benefit from comprehensive financial insights. The founder's background in fintech and experience with tax complexities fueled the ambition to disrupt traditional tax services, which have conceptually remained unchanged for years. This unique approach marries the efficiency of technology with everyday financial management, making taxes less burdensome.
Strategic Client Partnerships
April's go-to-market strategy emphasizes aligning its solutions with the needs of financial institutions, effectively addressing the constraints of the existing tax processing landscape. Gaining initial customers involved leveraging personal networks and building trusted relationships, showcasing the importance of understanding client performance metrics and KPIs to drive mutual success. Trust was cultivated through a commitment to robust security measures and a deep understanding of clients' needs, which reassured potential partners about the reliability of a new startup. This method led to long-lasting relationships that were foundational for April's growth and expansion.
Insights on Fundraising in Venture Capital
The founder's experience in venture capital provides an advantage in fundraising, as understanding the dynamics of investor expectations enriches the strategy. Identifying and aligning business goals with limited partners' desires is crucial for successful fundraising, as is the ability to navigate industry politics. Aspiring entrepreneurs are advised to seek a wide array of feedback from various VCs to avoid basing their strategies on a narrow perspective, thus gaining a holistic view of their market standing. Ultimately, the emphasis is placed on building strong teams and fostering relationships, which remain essential components for long-term success.
Ben Borodach, is the Co-founder and CEO of april, the AI-driven tax filer embedded in 20+ fintechs. In under two years, april has successfully launched in all 50 states as an embedded tax technology, forging partnerships with over 20 fintech leaders, including Gusto and Acorns.
In this episode, we talk about -
- Why did Ben choose to build april?
- How did april get its first few customers?
- Their approach to hiring
- Fundraising advice for founders
& lots more
Links:
⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.com
april website - https://getapril.com/
Follow Ben on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benborodach
🎙️ Hosted by Prashant Choubey
Follow Prashant on X - https://x.com/ChoubeySahab
Follow Prashant on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/choubeysahab
For sponsorship or guest appearance requests, write to prashantchoubey3@gmail.com
Subscribe to VC10X on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts.
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