From Side Project to API Powerhouse: How Postman Went Global

Before Postman became a category-defining platform used by millions of developers, it was a personal side project.

In this episode, co-founder and CEO Abhinav Asthana shares how he went from hacking on API tools in Bangalore to leading a global company with nearly 900 employees across three continents.

We talk about:

• Building a developer-first product that spread through word of mouth
• Choosing a CEO when everyone on the founding team is an engineer
• How to reach U.S. customers before you have a U.S. presence
• Why authenticity beats thought leadership when you're building in public
• Going from “ramen profitability” to Series A in just 17 months

Whether you're an engineer who’s thinking about starting something of your own, a founder operating outside of Silicon Valley, or just curious how Postman actually works, this episode is packed with tactical insights.

(2:39) “ Being a developer who loved to hack and also design, I just decided to try my hand at this.”

(4:00) “ We had a hypothesis, but we didn't have a company.”

(6:08) Abhinav built goodwill with the developer community by being helpful

(9:26) How they settled on the name “Postman”

(11:51) On a team of engineers, how do you decide who should become CEO?

(15:00) Who was their first key hire outside of the founding team?

(20:15) Why he thinks early-stage startups should seek “ramen profitability”

(23:23) “ Our first marketing hire was about two years in.”

(25:18) What it was like to go from a seed round to Series A in just 17 months

(30:02) “ At that point, it kind of became clear that this is a new kind of category.”

(32:15) How Postman’s branding dovetails with the platform’s underlying technology

(36:13) One thing he would have done differently in the run-up to the Series A

(38:48) Managing cross-border growth when you’re based in Bangalore

(40:56) “ Building the company in two different places… it's just incredibly hard.”

(44:47) “ Don't skimp on two things ever in starting a venture-funded company: your lawyer, and your accountant.”

(45:52) One question he’d have to ask the CEO if he were interviewing for a job with an early-stage startup.

• Abhinav Asthana
• Postman
• Postman raises $50 million to deliver its API collaboration platform to more partners, 6/19/19, VentureBeat

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Thanks for listening!

– Walter.