How I Grew Netlify To $33 Million In Revenue (Mathias Biilmann)
How does one go from a music journalist to a founder and CEO of one of the most recognizable companies in the web dev area?
This week, we talked with Mathias Biilmann Christensen, who, alongside his co-founder Christian Bach, started Netlify – a web builder / hosting company that supports more than 35 million websites globally.
Matthias shared his journey of building Netlify and the concept of Jamstack, which he coined to revolutionize web development by separating the user experience from backend logic. Throughout the episode, he explains how nurturing a community and investing in it pays off big time.
Our hosts IBB and Mia Biberovic explored the early days of Netlify, including the company’s strategy of targeting key influencers in the developer community and the importance of a product-led approach. Mathias talked about Netlify’s pricing model, which included a free plan that catered to open-source projects, helping to drive adoption.
Speaking of supporting the community, Biilmann explained how he and his team intentionally branded Jamstack to be inclusive and larger than just Netlify. He emphasized the significance of genuine community building and the pitfalls of trying to position oneself at the center of a new category.
We also touched on the cultural differences between the tech ecosystems in the United States and Europe, with our guest highlighting the unique optimism and risk-taking mentality found only in Silicon Valley. He shared personal anecdotes about his background as a music journalist and how his journey into tech was shaped by his passion for programming and problem-solving.
Finally, Matthias opened up about the human challenges faced in entrepreneurship, particularly during his co-founder’s battle with cancer, and the importance of maintaining a healthy perspective on identity and roles within a startup.
He concluded the talk by discussing the value of a distributed company culture and how music continues to play a significant role in his life, drawing parallels between music and programming – saying how composers were the first programmers!
Interested in the whole interview? Click the video below or find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Pocket Casts!
