a16z Podcast How Kong Was Born: APIs, Hustle, and the Future of AI Infrastructure
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Oct 21, 2025 
Augusto Agui Marietti, CEO of Kong, shares his inspiring journey from a garage in Milan to creating a leading API infrastructure company. He recounts early struggles, including living on $1,000 a month in San Francisco and sleeping on Travis Kalanick's couch while fundraising. The discussion highlights the evolution of Kong and the pivotal moments that shaped its success. Augusto emphasizes the significance of APIs as the 'assembly line of software' and predicts how AI will necessitate enhanced API connectivity, revolutionizing the tech landscape.
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Make-Or-Break 90 Days In San Francisco
- Augusto Marietti and cofounders arrived in San Francisco with $600 and 90 days to raise funding or return to Italy broke.
- They treated the trip as make-or-break, which drove intense hustle and focus during that period.
Raised $51K Via Hustle And A Couch
- Augusto raised a $51K angel round after cold-emailing hundreds of Stanford attendees and meeting a YouTube early team member.
- He negotiated the deal at Travis Kalanick's house and briefly slept on Kalanick's couch during that time.
Living On $1,000 A Month
- The three cofounders lived on $1,000 a month in San Francisco, sharing one mattress and cooking rice, beans, tuna, and pasta.
- That frugal routine lasted about a year while they iterated on product and fundraising.