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Aug 22, 2016 · 19m · top-founders

EP 394: Create SnapChat Stories Like Featured Brands, 20k Views Each Snap

Nathan Latka · 9m spoken Hamza Amir · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of 'The Top,' host Nathan Latka interviews Hamza Amir, co-founder and CEO of Blurbiz, discussing how his vertical video platform scaled to over $50,000 in MRR and secured a $2 million funding round at a $10 million post-money valuation. Amir breaks down enterprise SaaS pricing, mobile video production workflows, Snapchat viewership benchmarks, and early-stage capital management.

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 54.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.8 Guest teaching 2.0 Guest disagreement 1.6 Nathan pushing back 3.6
05100:0010:000:28–3:51 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Weekly Giveaway Winner and Next Episode Preview Nathan introduces the guest and quickly digs into the unit economics, calculating estimated MRR based on customer tier pricing before Hamza clarifies they are doing over 50k.3:52–7:23 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Startup Genesis, Fundraising Round, and Venture Deal Terms Nathan breaks down the pre- and post-money math on the $2M raise and steps in to clarify venture deal terms when Hamza stumbles over note terminology, confirming they used YC SAFE notes.7:24–12:18 · Nathan as informed peer 7/10 Competitive Landscape and Valuation Justification Nathan aggressively challenges Hamza's explanation of Blurbiz's Snapchat integration, stating his frustration until Hamza clarifies they publish to the regular story feed rather than reserved Discover channel slots.12:18–15:47 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Founder Compensation and Early-Stage Capital Allocation Nathan cuts through generalized founder salary advice by demanding exact dollar figures, prompting Hamza to reveal they take $2,500 monthly.15:49–17:20 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions and Guest Recap Standard Famous Five rapid-fire segment where Hamza shares standard favorites and Nathan recaps key company metrics before closing.0:28–3:51 · Guest teaching 1/10 Weekly Giveaway Winner and Next Episode Preview Nathan introduces the guest and quickly digs into the unit economics, calculating estimated MRR based on customer tier pricing before Hamza clarifies they are doing over 50k.3:52–7:23 · Guest teaching 3/10 Startup Genesis, Fundraising Round, and Venture Deal Terms Nathan breaks down the pre- and post-money math on the $2M raise and steps in to clarify venture deal terms when Hamza stumbles over note terminology, confirming they used YC SAFE notes.7:24–12:18 · Guest teaching 4/10 Competitive Landscape and Valuation Justification Nathan aggressively challenges Hamza's explanation of Blurbiz's Snapchat integration, stating his frustration until Hamza clarifies they publish to the regular story feed rather than reserved Discover channel slots.12:18–15:47 · Guest teaching 1/10 Founder Compensation and Early-Stage Capital Allocation Nathan cuts through generalized founder salary advice by demanding exact dollar figures, prompting Hamza to reveal they take $2,500 monthly.15:49–17:20 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions and Guest Recap Standard Famous Five rapid-fire segment where Hamza shares standard favorites and Nathan recaps key company metrics before closing.0:28–3:51 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Weekly Giveaway Winner and Next Episode Preview Nathan introduces the guest and quickly digs into the unit economics, calculating estimated MRR based on customer tier pricing before Hamza clarifies they are doing over 50k.3:52–7:23 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Startup Genesis, Fundraising Round, and Venture Deal Terms Nathan breaks down the pre- and post-money math on the $2M raise and steps in to clarify venture deal terms when Hamza stumbles over note terminology, confirming they used YC SAFE notes.7:24–12:18 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Competitive Landscape and Valuation Justification Nathan aggressively challenges Hamza's explanation of Blurbiz's Snapchat integration, stating his frustration until Hamza clarifies they publish to the regular story feed rather than reserved Discover channel slots.12:18–15:47 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Founder Compensation and Early-Stage Capital Allocation Nathan cuts through generalized founder salary advice by demanding exact dollar figures, prompting Hamza to reveal they take $2,500 monthly.15:49–17:20 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions and Guest Recap Standard Famous Five rapid-fire segment where Hamza shares standard favorites and Nathan recaps key company metrics before closing.0:28–3:51 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Weekly Giveaway Winner and Next Episode Preview Nathan introduces the guest and quickly digs into the unit economics, calculating estimated MRR based on customer tier pricing before Hamza clarifies they are doing over 50k.3:52–7:23 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Startup Genesis, Fundraising Round, and Venture Deal Terms Nathan breaks down the pre- and post-money math on the $2M raise and steps in to clarify venture deal terms when Hamza stumbles over note terminology, confirming they used YC SAFE notes.7:24–12:18 · Nathan pushing back 7/10 Competitive Landscape and Valuation Justification Nathan aggressively challenges Hamza's explanation of Blurbiz's Snapchat integration, stating his frustration until Hamza clarifies they publish to the regular story feed rather than reserved Discover channel slots.12:18–15:47 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Founder Compensation and Early-Stage Capital Allocation Nathan cuts through generalized founder salary advice by demanding exact dollar figures, prompting Hamza to reveal they take $2,500 monthly.15:49–17:20 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions and Guest Recap Standard Famous Five rapid-fire segment where Hamza shares standard favorites and Nathan recaps key company metrics before closing.

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

0:00 · Nathan 63.2% · guest 36.8%0:00 · Nathan 63.2% · guest 36.8%3:00 · Nathan 34.5% · guest 65.5%3:00 · Nathan 34.5% · guest 65.5%6:00 · Nathan 22.8% · guest 77.2%6:00 · Nathan 22.8% · guest 77.2%9:00 · Nathan 46.5% · guest 53.5%9:00 · Nathan 46.5% · guest 53.5%12:00 · Nathan 52.5% · guest 47.5%12:00 · Nathan 52.5% · guest 47.5%15:00 · Nathan 86.5% · guest 13.5%15:00 · Nathan 86.5% · guest 13.5%18:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%18:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 11:18 Deflecting on proprietary Snapchat relationship

Hamza refuses to answer whether Snapchat officially granted them slots, attempting to redirect the discussion to vetting partner brands.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 11:36 Calling out confusing product mechanics

Nathan explicitly airs his frustration with vague explanations and forces Hamza to distinguish between Discover tiles and standard story feeds.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 12:02 Explaining story feed vs Discover real estate

Hamza clarifies the distinction between premium Discover channels and the broader, less competitive story feed ecosystem.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 4:53 Instant pre-money valuation calculation

Nathan immediately dissects the round mechanics, converting the $2M raise and $10M post-money valuation into an $8M pre-money valuation without hesitation.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Weekly Giveaway Winner and Next Episode Preview 4112 Nathan introduces the guest and quickly digs into the unit economics, calculating estimated MRR based on customer tier pricing before Hamza clarifies they are doing over 50k.
Startup Genesis, Fundraising Round, and Venture Deal Terms 6324 Nathan breaks down the pre- and post-money math on the $2M raise and steps in to clarify venture deal terms when Hamza stumbles over note terminology, confirming they used YC SAFE notes.
Competitive Landscape and Valuation Justification 7437 Nathan aggressively challenges Hamza's explanation of Blurbiz's Snapchat integration, stating his frustration until Hamza clarifies they publish to the regular story feed rather than reserved Discover channel slots.
Founder Compensation and Early-Stage Capital Allocation 4114 Nathan cuts through generalized founder salary advice by demanding exact dollar figures, prompting Hamza to reveal they take $2,500 monthly.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions and Guest Recap 3111 Standard Famous Five rapid-fire segment where Hamza shares standard favorites and Nathan recaps key company metrics before closing.

Statements from this episode (9)

Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Amir: Blurbiz clients include GQ, Teen Vogue, and Allure
“Our clients include people like GQ Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vogue Magazine, Allure.”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 2:14
Disclosure
Amir: Blurbiz charges $2,000 to $5,000 monthly per account
“We charge two to 5000 dollars a month per account depending on how many accounts the client is setting up and we if it's five plus, then we can be more flexible on the pricing side.”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 3:09
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Amir: Blurbiz has 20 active customers as of July 2016
“We're working with 20 customers right now.”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 3:29
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Amir: Blurbiz generates well over $50k in MRR
“We're doing a well over 50 right now.”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 3:36
Prediction Didn’t hold up
Amir: Blurbiz expects to close $2M round by month's end
“We're expecting to wrap up a two million dollar round by the end of this month.”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 4:45
Assertion Contradicted
Amir: Blurbiz is raising at a $10M post-money valuation
“This can be set at a ten million post.”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 4:53
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Amir: Angels demand minimum 3x liquidation return clauses in startup deals
“If you were to go out and raise angel funding, one thing you'll start noticing is that if your company, let's say, goes down for any reason or did not work out these angel investors have a clause in there that gets them at a minimum three times return.”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 5:32
Disclosure
Amir: Blurbiz co-founders pay themselves about $2,500 per month each
“You know it might be a lot less than most people are used to, but we just pay ourselves about 2500 each.”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 12:56
Insight
Amir: Brands targeting Snapchat should achieve at least 25,000 views per story
“If it's for brands, if they can at least achieve about 25,000 views per story, they're doing pretty decently. If they're, most brands if they have a gear strategy towards Snapchat, I can hit this number off pretty fast leveraging those social properties. Anyth…”
Hamza Amir Aug 22, 2016 ▶ 13:37
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