Episode 2934
Vlad Malanin, MD, PhD and co-founder of SpeedSize, shares how he scaled an AI-powered media optimization SaaS from $400K to $6M ARR with just 25 employees. SpeedSize helps enterprise and mid-market brands deliver high-quality images and video without sacrificing site performance, serving over 200 global customers.
In this episode, Vlad breaks down SpeedSize's capital-efficient growth strategy, enterprise pricing model, partnership-led GTM motion, and the hard founder decisions required to survive near-zero runway during wartime—while maintaining low churn, strong expansion revenue, and founder control.
NOTES:Founder background
Surgeon turned AI scientist and CTO
Forbes Technology Council member
Ukrainian-Israeli founding team navigating geopolitical risk
Company overview
AI-powered image and video compression for rich media websites
Focus on preserving visual quality while improving load speed
Core customers: fashion, apparel, marketplaces, travel, jewelry
Revenue & growth
$400K ARR in 2022
~$1.5M ARR in 2023
~$3M ARR in 2024
~$6M ARR today
200+ paying customers
Low churn with strong net revenue expansion
Pricing & ACV
Annual contracts only
Pricing based on:
Data transferred (GB)
Number of original assets / SKUs
ACV ranges:
$10K–$20K (lower mid-market)
$50K–$100K (mid-market)
Low seven figures (enterprise)
Multiple customers paying $100K+ annually
GTM & acquisition
Minimal reliance on paid ads
Partnership-led growth strategy:
AWS Premium Partner
IBM Cloud partnerships
Agency referrals
Focus on cloud providers lacking native media optimization
Sales motion
Land-and-expand strategy
Customers grow usage as they adopt richer media (video, animations)
Enterprise-focused negotiations vs self-serve SMB motion
Team & operations
Team downsized from 50 to ~25 for efficiency
~70% engineers
High revenue per employee
Cash-flow controlled with variable spend levers
Capital & fundraising
~$5M total raised (2022–2023)
Founders retain 70%+ ownership
Pre-Series A
Lessons learned from VC-driven spending pressure
Crisis management
Two months of runway during 2023 war escalation
Cash dropped below $300K
Founders cut their own salaries first
Focused on survival, efficiency, and customer retention
Transitioning from medicine to AI SaaS
Bu
Published on 2 weeks ago
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