The SaaS Podcast - SaaS, Startups, Growth Hacking & Entrepreneurship

445: Cello: How a Scrappy MVP Became a 7-Figure SaaS with 7M Users - with Stefan Bader

7 snips
May 29, 2025
Stefan Bader, co-founder and CEO of Cello, shares insights into building a successful all-in-one referral platform for SaaS companies. He discusses the challenges of launching a new product and highlights innovative growth strategies, including engaging customer experiences and the power of referrals. Bader underscores the significance of proprietary data and personal networks in gaining customers and investors. He also touches on the importance of cultivating a positive work culture, making entrepreneurship more accessible, and encouraging resilience amidst skepticism.
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ANECDOTE

Origin Story of Cello

  • Stefan Bader noticed users brought many referrals but couldn't be rewarded well with existing tools.
  • He quit his job to start Cello to solve this, facing complex compliance and infrastructure challenges.
ADVICE

Prioritize Outcomes Over Features

  • Focus on delivering outcome and value over building feature-heavy products early on.
  • Customers cared about referral effectiveness, not dashboards or polished analytics at first.
INSIGHT

Growth via Compounding Loops

  • Cello is built as a compounding growth system using growth loops, not just one-off marketing.
  • The "Casual Contact Loop" drives sustained inbound growth via brand presence on customer widgets.
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