Stefan Avram @Wundergraph. Building open-source SaaS in public

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love brought to you by https://saas.group/.

I’m your host Anna Nadeina, Head of Growth for saas.group. In this episode #10, we are talking with Stefan Avram, co-founder and Head of Growth @Wundergraph (https://wundergraph.com/). Stefan talks about choosing to build Wundergraph in public from day 1, their growth and retention strategy, why your relationships with investors and your marriage are pretty much the same thing, and how listening to customers helps gain more traction, get development ideas, and build a stronger community.

(0:00:06) – Inside the Success of Wundergraph 

Stefan Avram, the co-founder, and Head of Growth for Wundergraph, joins saas.unbound to chat about Wundergraph’s story and its best growth strategies. Wundergraph is an open-source API developer platform that helps developers quickly build, deploy, and manage APIs. We explore Wundergraph Cloud, which lets developers build SaaS applications in a weekend without worrying about DevOps. We also discuss how Wundergraph is competing with platforms like Outseta and AWS, and how their focus on user feedback has allowed them to become a niche product. Finally, we look at how Wundergraph Cloud brings the power back to the developer.

(0:12:36) – Growth Strategies and Open Source Challenges

We discuss Wundergraph’s growth strategies, such as YouTube, blogs, and Discord. We explore the pros and cons of using LinkedIn for branding and how their video “Coding in a War Zone” was received by different audiences. We also discuss the issues that arise when open-source projects are made available, including who is liable for the code and how to monetize it.

(0:17:18) – Transitioning From Open Source to Paid 

We hear the story of how Wundergraph got a partnership with a Chinese competitor, and how they navigated transitioning their open-source software into a paid offering. Their initial meeting was through Y Combinator’s ‘Find A Co-Founder’ platform, and they decided to raise funds even before they met. 

(0:28:47) – Building a Startup 

We explore the delicate balance of managing your startup and staying agile while finding product-market fit. We emphasize the importance of finding investors who are aligned with your vision, and who understand the technology and the problem you’re solving. We remind founders to commit to the long-term and that it’s ok to take time to reach their vision. We also examine the challenges of building a team and convincing brilliant engineers to take a risk on your idea.

(0:32:16) – Startup Hiring and Growth Strategies 

We explore how Wundergraph found their engineers, the importance of the first 10 employees in finding the right team and culture, and the unique role Stefan has taken on with the growth of the company. We also learn how the co-founders, both technical and non-technical, have aligned their vision for the product, and how the engineering team has helped in growth efforts. Finally, we explore the biggest challenge Wundergraph has faced in reaching early adopters and cutting through the noise of the tech industry.