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Mar 3, 2017 · 19m · top-founders

EP 587: Revue Raises $350k, Helping 1000 Customers Send Personal Newsletters with CEO Martijn De Kuijper

Nathan Latka · 9m spoken Martijn de Kuijper · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews Martijn de Kuijper, founder and CEO of Revue, to explore the platform's SaaS economics, curated newsletter model, and $350k fundraising round. De Kuijper provides an open look into Revue's revenue metrics alongside lessons learned from his previous startup exits.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 55.9% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.7 Guest teaching 1.0 Guest disagreement 0.8 Nathan pushing back 1.7
05100:0010:000:28–4:04 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Contest Nathan introduces Martijn and establishes Revue's business model and pricing tiering. The interaction is polite and collaborative as Martijn explains the shift toward curated editorial newsletters.4:06–7:36 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Founder History: Techstars Austin and the Fosbury Soft Landing Nathan probes into the financial details of Martijn's previous startup Fosbury and its soft-landing sale. Martijn stands firm on confidentiality regarding the exact asset sale price.7:37–12:26 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Martijn's Early Entrepreneurial Win with Dutch Fintech Startup Nathan drills into Martijn's first exit in the Netherlands and the exact funding terms for Revue's convertible note. Martijn freely shares metrics regarding user counts, active thresholds, and 10% monthly churn.12:28–15:17 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Revenue Trajectory and Newsletter Index Side Project Nathan calculates Revue's estimated 2016 total revenue when Martijn cannot recall the exact figure. They discuss Revue's newsletter directory project, which Nathan playfully offers to buy as an asset sale.15:17–18:04 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Sponsor Message: Managing Business Expenses with FreshBooks Following a sponsor read, Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire questions with lighthearted banter about relationship status and book titles.18:04–18:43 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Review Summary and Key Metric Takeaways Host closing monologue summarizing Revue's key metrics, previewing upcoming episodes, and reading an ad promotion.0:28–4:04 · Guest teaching 1/10 Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Contest Nathan introduces Martijn and establishes Revue's business model and pricing tiering. The interaction is polite and collaborative as Martijn explains the shift toward curated editorial newsletters.4:06–7:36 · Guest teaching 2/10 Founder History: Techstars Austin and the Fosbury Soft Landing Nathan probes into the financial details of Martijn's previous startup Fosbury and its soft-landing sale. Martijn stands firm on confidentiality regarding the exact asset sale price.7:37–12:26 · Guest teaching 1/10 Martijn's Early Entrepreneurial Win with Dutch Fintech Startup Nathan drills into Martijn's first exit in the Netherlands and the exact funding terms for Revue's convertible note. Martijn freely shares metrics regarding user counts, active thresholds, and 10% monthly churn.12:28–15:17 · Guest teaching 1/10 Revenue Trajectory and Newsletter Index Side Project Nathan calculates Revue's estimated 2016 total revenue when Martijn cannot recall the exact figure. They discuss Revue's newsletter directory project, which Nathan playfully offers to buy as an asset sale.15:17–18:04 · Guest teaching 1/10 Sponsor Message: Managing Business Expenses with FreshBooks Following a sponsor read, Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire questions with lighthearted banter about relationship status and book titles.18:04–18:43 · Guest teaching 0/10 Review Summary and Key Metric Takeaways Host closing monologue summarizing Revue's key metrics, previewing upcoming episodes, and reading an ad promotion.0:28–4:04 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Contest Nathan introduces Martijn and establishes Revue's business model and pricing tiering. The interaction is polite and collaborative as Martijn explains the shift toward curated editorial newsletters.4:06–7:36 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Founder History: Techstars Austin and the Fosbury Soft Landing Nathan probes into the financial details of Martijn's previous startup Fosbury and its soft-landing sale. Martijn stands firm on confidentiality regarding the exact asset sale price.7:37–12:26 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Martijn's Early Entrepreneurial Win with Dutch Fintech Startup Nathan drills into Martijn's first exit in the Netherlands and the exact funding terms for Revue's convertible note. Martijn freely shares metrics regarding user counts, active thresholds, and 10% monthly churn.12:28–15:17 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Revenue Trajectory and Newsletter Index Side Project Nathan calculates Revue's estimated 2016 total revenue when Martijn cannot recall the exact figure. They discuss Revue's newsletter directory project, which Nathan playfully offers to buy as an asset sale.15:17–18:04 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Sponsor Message: Managing Business Expenses with FreshBooks Following a sponsor read, Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire questions with lighthearted banter about relationship status and book titles.18:04–18:43 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Review Summary and Key Metric Takeaways Host closing monologue summarizing Revue's key metrics, previewing upcoming episodes, and reading an ad promotion.0:28–4:04 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Contest Nathan introduces Martijn and establishes Revue's business model and pricing tiering. The interaction is polite and collaborative as Martijn explains the shift toward curated editorial newsletters.4:06–7:36 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Founder History: Techstars Austin and the Fosbury Soft Landing Nathan probes into the financial details of Martijn's previous startup Fosbury and its soft-landing sale. Martijn stands firm on confidentiality regarding the exact asset sale price.7:37–12:26 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Martijn's Early Entrepreneurial Win with Dutch Fintech Startup Nathan drills into Martijn's first exit in the Netherlands and the exact funding terms for Revue's convertible note. Martijn freely shares metrics regarding user counts, active thresholds, and 10% monthly churn.12:28–15:17 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Revenue Trajectory and Newsletter Index Side Project Nathan calculates Revue's estimated 2016 total revenue when Martijn cannot recall the exact figure. They discuss Revue's newsletter directory project, which Nathan playfully offers to buy as an asset sale.15:17–18:04 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Sponsor Message: Managing Business Expenses with FreshBooks Following a sponsor read, Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire questions with lighthearted banter about relationship status and book titles.18:04–18:43 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Review Summary and Key Metric Takeaways Host closing monologue summarizing Revue's key metrics, previewing upcoming episodes, and reading an ad promotion.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 70.8% · guest 29.2%0:00 · Nathan 70.8% · guest 29.2%3:00 · Nathan 38.7% · guest 61.3%3:00 · Nathan 38.7% · guest 61.3%6:00 · Nathan 32.6% · guest 67.4%6:00 · Nathan 32.6% · guest 67.4%9:00 · Nathan 56.5% · guest 43.5%9:00 · Nathan 56.5% · guest 43.5%12:00 · Nathan 31.7% · guest 68.3%12:00 · Nathan 31.7% · guest 68.3%15:00 · Nathan 73.9% · guest 26.1%15:00 · Nathan 73.9% · guest 26.1%18:00 · Nathan 98.4% · guest 1.6%18:00 · Nathan 98.4% · guest 1.6%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 7:04 Martijn holds ground on Fosbury sale confidentiality

Martijn firmly declines Nathan's repeated attempt to get the exact sale price of his previous company, citing his signed agreement.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 6:28 Nathan challenges the math on returning investor capital

Nathan pushes Martijn on the financial structure of the Fosbury soft landing, noting that returning capital implies an exit value above the raised amount.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 4:15 Martijn corrects Nathan's timeline calculation

Martijn immediately corrects Nathan when the host miscalculates the founding date of 2015 as being only twelve or thirteen months ago instead of two years.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 9:30 Nathan rapidly unpacks convertible note terms

Nathan displays sharp familiarity with venture instruments, instantly probing into the specific cap, discount rate, and interest percentage on Revue's seed note.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Weekly Contest Winner and Subscription Contest 4101 Nathan introduces Martijn and establishes Revue's business model and pricing tiering. The interaction is polite and collaborative as Martijn explains the shift toward curated editorial newsletters.
Founder History: Techstars Austin and the Fosbury Soft Landing 5224 Nathan probes into the financial details of Martijn's previous startup Fosbury and its soft-landing sale. Martijn stands firm on confidentiality regarding the exact asset sale price.
Martijn's Early Entrepreneurial Win with Dutch Fintech Startup 6112 Nathan drills into Martijn's first exit in the Netherlands and the exact funding terms for Revue's convertible note. Martijn freely shares metrics regarding user counts, active thresholds, and 10% monthly churn.
Revenue Trajectory and Newsletter Index Side Project 5112 Nathan calculates Revue's estimated 2016 total revenue when Martijn cannot recall the exact figure. They discuss Revue's newsletter directory project, which Nathan playfully offers to buy as an asset sale.
Sponsor Message: Managing Business Expenses with FreshBooks 2111 Following a sponsor read, Nathan runs through the standard rapid-fire questions with lighthearted banter about relationship status and book titles.
Review Summary and Key Metric Takeaways 0000 Host closing monologue summarizing Revue's key metrics, previewing upcoming episodes, and reading an ad promotion.

Statements from this episode (13)

Disclosure
Revue's SaaS model offers a freemium tier and $5 monthly plan
“Right now we have a SaaS model where, you know, we have a freemium model. So up to 200 subscribers is for free. And after that you start paying five dollars a month and you can send up to 1500 subscribers and you get to you get more personal the customization …”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 2:50
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Revue's average revenue per paying user is $5 to $10 monthly
“It starts at five dollars and the biggest you know, most people are in the five dollar plan. So it's somewhere in between like five and 10 dollars.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 3:20
Assertion Supported
De Kuijper's previous startup Fosbury raised roughly $300,000 before exiting
“We raised roughly 300 K.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 5:15
Disclosure
De Kuijper made around $50,000 personally from the Fosbury asset sale
“Yeah, we did make some money. Let's say around 50 K.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 7:31
Disclosure
De Kuijper previously sold a Dutch Mint.com equivalent to AFAS
“That was, you know, that was my first company, which was basically a mint.com equivalent, but then in like in the Netherlands. Yeah, we sold that one.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 8:01
Disclosure
De Kuijper sold his first startup for a few million dollars
“Let's say a few million.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 8:13
Disclosure
De Kuijper's first acquired startup reached 200,000 users in the Netherlands
“We had like two, 200,000 users in the Netherlands.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 8:36
Disclosure
Revue raised its funding round on a $3M valuation cap note
“Now we did a three million cap and a 20% discount.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 9:52
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Revue has reached roughly 1,000 paying customers
“So we have roughly a thousand paying customers right now.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 10:06
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Revue has 20,000 registered users with a 10% active rate
“So in total we have 20,000 registered users. And then say roughly 10% is active.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 10:47
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Revue experiences a monthly customer churn rate of roughly 10%
“Yeah, roughly 10%.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 11:28
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Revue currently sends roughly two million emails per month
“Two million.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 12:24
Disclosure
Revue is building a search engine to index curated personal newsletters
“What we're doing right now is creating a big index of all, you know, interesting newsletters that we like. There were a few hundred categorizing them. We're indexing them. So we're basically creating a search engine for all newsletters on the web.”
Martijn de Kuijper Mar 3, 2017 ▶ 13:44
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