Napkin Math

From $0 to $1M+: Inside Tiiny Host's Bootstrapped Journey with Elston Barretto 22.06.2026 1h 8min

Elston Baretto, founder of Tiiny Host, joins us to break down how he grew his drag-and-drop file hosting platform to 2M+ users with zero market research. We cover the SEO and PLG tactics that got him to $100K, the freemium/trial tweaks that pushed him past $1M, how AI tools like Claude Code reshaped his engineering workflow — and the wild side of running a hosting company, from phishing takedowns to an actual FBI subpoena.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro & origin story 09:08 – Journey to $100K (SEO, growth, churn) 32:02 – From $100K to $1M (PMF, hiring, pricing) 43:16 – AI's impact on engineering and growth 57:14 – Dark side of hosting: phishing, FBI, blacklists 1:09:14 – Advice for indie hackers & closing

How We Reinvented VEED for the AI Era 13.06.2026 20min

From building one of the first browser-based video editors to facing an existential threat from AI, Sabba breaks down the hard decisions, failed experiments, and strategic pivots that transformed VEED from a traditional SaaS company into a fast-growing AI platform.Timestamps:00:00 Reinventing VEED for the AI Era02:08 AI Changed Video Creation Forever03:32 Why Listening to Customers Can Be Dangerous04:14 The Netflix Lesson08:14 Building VEED's AI Video Model09:54 Should Startups Build AI Models?12:22 The MAGIC Framework14:41 The Vibe Coding Boom19:08 The Future of VEED20:05 Outro

The Vibe Coding Gold Rush: 3 Ways to Make Your First Million 26.05.2026 51min

Three concrete ways to build a million-dollar business on the back of the vibe coding boom. Specialized AI coding tools, security, and education with live napkin math, real company examples, and keyword research throughout.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro & The Vibe Coding Opportunity00:03:27 - Way #1: Build a "Lovable for X" (Specialized Vibe Coding Tools)00:26:19 - Way #2: Vibe Coding Security00:34:12 - Way #3: Education & Training00:43:38 - Bonus: Discovery Layers & Living in the Future00:51:12 - Wrap-up & Listener Challenge

How Tally Hit $5M ARR by Staying Small & User-Obsessed 19.05.2026 1h 8min

Maria Martinez, co-founder of Tally — a bootstrapped form builder that hit over $5M ARR since 2020 — joins Sabba and Charlie to break down how she and her husband Philip built a profitable SaaS business in a fiercely competitive market. From a failed hotel marketplace idea (killed by Covid in Bangkok) to launching a Notion-inspired form builder and growing it entirely through product-led growth, Maria shares the unfiltered story of what it really takes to compete without venture capital, a sales team, or a marketing budget.Timestamps00:00:00 - Intro & Guest Welcome00:00:59 - What is Tally & The Origin Story00:07:48 - Competitive Landscape & Go-To-Market Strategy00:11:16 - Free Tier & Product-Led Growth00:27:00 - AI & LLM Discovery00:34:13 - User Feedback & Metrics00:54:27 - Life as Bootstrapped Co-founders00:58:00 - Challenges & Churn01:02:43 - Roadmap & Advice for Founders

How to Reduce Churn in Subscription Businesses 12.05.2026 1h 7min

A practical breakdown of churn: what it is, why it varies by market, how to tell good churn from bad churn, and the product, marketing, pricing, and activation moves that reduce it. The episode focuses on identifying sticky users, improving time to value, and designing free plans and workflows that convert better. Timestamps:00:00 - Intro to Churn00:01:36 - What Churn Actually Means00:04:15 - Good vs Bad Churn00:10:45 - Different Types of Churn00:12:47 - How to Reduce Churn00:16:41 - Talking to Customers00:24:11 - Workflow & ICP00:26:07 - Marketing for Retention00:34:21 - Free Plans & Pricing00:38:32 - Activation & Time to Value00:48:05 - Tactical Churn Fixes00:56:43 - The Power of Negative Churn

How Yasser Bootstrapped Chatbase to $10M ARR in 3 Years 05.05.2026 1h 1min

Yasir, CEO and solo founder of Chatbase, joins Saba and Charlie on the Napkin Math podcast to break down how he bootstrapped an AI customer support platform from a PDF chatbot side project to $10M ARR in just 3 years — starting before ChatGPT even launched. He shares the real story behind going viral, hitting $1M ARR in 4 months, the chaos of early growth, why he stayed bootstrapped, and how he thinks about building durable AI "harnesses" in a world where models improve every few months.Timestamps:01:38 - Origin story — building before ChatGPT existed14:04 - 0 to $1M ARR in 4 months22:13 - Product evolution — PDF chatbot to B2B AI agent31:05 - Why brand makes every channel easier35:44 - What makes a great AI harness vs a mediocre one43:48 - Moats in the AI era52:43 - Bootstrapped vs raising — Yasir's decision56:15 - Path to AGI through harness improvements59:12 - Advice for new founders: operate like an agency

How Ben Pasternak took Sabba's App and made millions 28.04.2026 50min

A founder's stolen app, AI image gold rushes, and why London might just be the next Silicon Valley — all on the back of a napkin.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:41 - The stolen app story08:54 - Lessons from the App Store11:36 - Vibe shuffles & business opportunities20:00 - Vibe coding education24:36 - ChatGPT image model28:31 - AI designer niches37:36 - Cursor's $60B acquisition40:57 - London Maxing movement

$1 Million Wellness Apps Hiding in Plain Sight 21.04.2026 51min

Saba and Charlie break down the $6.8 trillion wellness industry — period tracking, peptides, air quality, and sleep tech — then pivot to how the best founders (Dario Amodei, Brian Armstrong, Reed Hastings, Elon Musk) spotted emerging markets before anyone else. They close with a hot take on Anthropic's rumoured vibe coding platform and what it means for Lovable and Replit.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:06 - Wellness sector breakdown — the $6.8T opportunity04:01 - Period tracking, peptides, air quality & sleep apps25:30 - Building on Rising Tides — why bet on fast-growing markets27:20 - Founders who got in early: Dario, Brian Armstrong, Reed Hastings, Elon36:55 - AI agents, humanoid robots & the infrastructure plays44:11 - Anthropic's vibe coding platform & impact on Lovable/Replit49:00 - Anthropic's brand strategy

Lego's Near-Death & Anthropic's Insane Growth: Lessons in Focus, Culture & Strategy 14.04.2026 54min

How Lego nearly went bankrupt by losing sight of its core product and what it teaches us about culture, focus, and CEO decisions. Plus, a breakdown of Anthropic's jaw-dropping $30B run rate and what's fuelling it.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro02:04 - Lego deep dive - origin, near-bankruptcy & recovery lessons19:15 - The "wrong CEO" trap & staying focused as you scale34:49 - Anthropic culture - Dario's 40–50% time investment37:22 - Anthropic's growth: $3B → $9B → $30B in one year41:17 - Why the "focus on coding" strategy is winning49:36 - OpenAI acquires TBPN - what's the real play?

Lego vs. S&P 500, The Claude Code Leak & Why Google Acquiring a Company Is the Best Signal to Build 07.04.2026 1h

Sabba and Charlie are back with a packed episode spanning alternative asset classes, the growing wave of security vulnerabilities in vibe-coded software, and a deep dive into what it really means for Anthropic to be "winning enterprise." They also break down the accidental Claude Code source map leak, debate whether angel investing is just an expensive hobby, and uncover a surprisingly massive opportunity hiding in the hay fever market.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:39 - Alternative Investing: Lego, collectibles & vintage tech vs. S&P 50017:10 - Cybersecurity: npm supply chain attacks & vibe coding security risks31:10 - The Claude Code source map leak37:58 - Anthropic vs. OpenAI: What "winning enterprise" really means40:19 - Ideas vs. Execution & the reality of angel investing49:43 - The hay fever market & the Breezometer opportunity

$1M Boomer App Ideas, Why OpenAI Killed Sora & How to Hire Insanely Talented People 31.03.2026 52min

This week Charlie and Saba dig into $1M app ideas hiding in boomer hobbies, why OpenAI killed Sora and what it says about focus, and how to hire the most talented people. Saba's joining remotely from Sicily 🇮🇹, commitment to the pod is real.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:02 - $1M Boomer App Ideas18:48 - OpenAI Shuts Down Sora24:39 - The Importance of Focus34:25 - How to Hire Talented People45:38 - Open Floor Meetup Recap52:11 - Moats in an AI World

How to Build AI Products in 2026, The Most Underrated Marketing Channel & The Big Lie About Competition 24.03.2026 46min

Sabba and Charlie cover how to build AI products in 2026 with Sabba's MAGIC Framework, why Threads might be the most underrated marketing channel, the big lie about competition, and how AI is giving content creators new ways to extend their work.Timestamps:00:52 - First hate mail, we're famous now02:01 - Why Sabba tore up the entire Q2 roadmap06:32 - The MAGIC Framework, building AI products in 202625:47 - Creativity Maxing, the Channel Surfer viral story28:28 - Threads is bigger than X (and massively underrated)32:52 - The Big Lie About Competition40:28 - AI & Content Creators, giving your IP away to grow

How to Get Startup Ideas in 2026, OpenClaw Business Opportunities, Londonmaxxing, and more 18.03.2026 1h 7min

Saba and Charlie introduce the BROTH framework for finding validated startup ideas, dive into the Open Claw (AI agents) hype, break down Bending Spoons' private equity playbook, and celebrate the London Maxing movement, plus debate whether Charlie invented vibe coding.Timecodes:00:00 - Intro00:38 - The BROTH Framework, how to find pre-validated startup ideas25:06 - Competitive positioning strategies (more for more, less for less, etc.)32:15 - Story: founder who sold their company and is now looking for a job34:59 - Open Claw meetup, is AI agents a new product category?42:17 - Bending Spoons acquires Eventbrite, breakdown of their PE playbook47:18 - Meetup's dark patterns (and live app investigation)55:50 - Podcast milestone + like & subscribe57:13 - London Maxing movement & the UK AI fund59:14 - Did Charlie invent vibe coding?65:45 - Should they buy lawyers.ai? Live negotiation66:51 - Sign-off

Cal AI’s Acquisition, Sabba’s 2 SaaS Growth Hacks for 2026, Intercom’s AI Pivot 12.03.2026 49min

Saba and Charlie do napkin math on the Cal AI acquisition by MyFitnessPal, share two must-do growth strategies for 2026 (API-first and Social SEO), and break down how Intercom bet the whole company on AI and won.Timecodes:00:00 – Intro00:33 – Cal AI Acquisition Breakdown19:20 – Growth Strategy #1: Go API-First29:33 – Growth Strategy #2: Social SEO36:46 – How Intercom Saved Itself with AI44:27 – The Future of Outcome-Based Pricing49:28 – Wrap up

He Built a $1M/Month SaaS After an $8M Exit | Tibo Maker 04.03.2026 1h 2min

From an $8M exit to building it all again, Tibo is one of the most unique SaaS builders we’ve met. In this episode, we unpack his regrets after selling, the exact playbook behind his $1M/month portfolio, how he stays viral on X, and what building in the AI era really looks like, all while balancing life as a dad. 00:00 Intro & the $8M exit reality02:07 $1M/month portfolio breakdown06:15 Building in public & authenticity in the AI age16:32 Running 5 companies at once 23:03 Finding product market fit & growth tactics29:39 How Tibo ships so fast (stack & vibe coding)39:13 Hacking the X algorithm45:41 The future of AI video54:22 Does your company have an AI-native product?60:30 What do you do with $1M/month?

Is OpenClaw the First $1B Solo Company? API-First Products, Brand Rituals & Buying a Top-Level Domain 24.02.2026 47min

We kick things off with B2B SaaS lessons learned from Valentine's Day (yes, really), then spiral into whether the OpenClaw acquisition just produced the world's first one-person billion dollar company and whether Peter Steinberger is the most underrated engineer alive.From there we get into why most SaaS companies are failing at AI, the rise of API-first and agent-first products, and why the stable SEO blog subscription world of SaaS is quietly dying.We also do a full napkin math breakdown on what it would actually cost to buy your own top-level domain like dot napkin and whether that's a business worth building. Oh, and Nike invented jogging. We get into that too.Timestamps00:00 Intro00:35 B2B SaaS lessons from Valentine's Day03:32 How brands invent rituals (Nike, HubSpot, Michelin)10:46 OpenClaw — was this the first $1B solo company?18:05 API-first & agent-first products24:34 Most SaaS companies are failing at AI29:12 How to stay sane in the AI gold rush32:21 Napkin Math breakdown: buying a top-level domain43:34 TLD ideas for the agent era

$70M AI.com Acquisition, Anthropic's Superbowl Shot at OpenAI, $1M Solo Fitness App & Agent Wrapper Boom 17.02.2026 46min

This week we’re unpacking the $70M AI.com move, Anthropic taking shots at OpenAI, the rise of agent wrappers, and a quiet $1M solo app no one’s talking about.Timestamps:00:00 – The $70M AI.com Sale03:10 – The $15M Super Bowl Bet: Does the Math Work?10:10 – Charlie's Recent Domain Purchase & Do Dot Coms Matter?18:54 – Getting Scammed by Joe Exotic (B2B SaaS Lessons)24:32 – The Rise of Agent Wrappers26:23 – Are AI Agents Killing Jobs?32:14 – Codex vs Claude Code38:55 – Anthropic’s OpenAI Attack Ad 42:10 – The $1M Solo Fitness App (Happy Scale Breakdown)

Is OpenClaw’s Hype Real? Are AI Agents Replacing Jobs? What’s the Anti-AI Thesis? 10.02.2026 1h 5min

The Napkin Math duo is back with another episode. We spend most of this one trying to make sense of AI agents, OpenClaw - the new kid on the block, and why this wave feels messier but more real than the last few. We talk through hype vs reality, what agents can actually do today, and how work is quietly shifting from roles and seats to tasks and systems. We also discuss AI fluency levels, how people are using Claude Code in real marketing workflows, one-person companies, and end with the Anti-AI portfolio.Timestamps00:00 Intro01:15 OpenClaw & the agent breakout moment06:52 Hype vs. reality: shiny tools, boring winners09:45 The Dropbox lesson: abstraction beats raw tech12:43 AI agents, security & where this breaks19:07 AI vs SaaS, leverage & outcome-based work24:58 Are AI agents actually killing jobs?28:23 Levels of AI fluency (and how people keep jobs)37:26 Using AI to save your job, not lose it45:18 Installing skills: marketing, SEO, CRO, execution47:12 When agents go wrong: prompt hijacking & trust52:03 The anti-AI portfolio (what AI won’t replace)57:18 Why live experiences still win

How Jonny (Founder of Remotion) Got 14M Views on X in a Day 02.02.2026 56min

The duo is back with another episode, and this time we’ve got a guest. Jonny Burger, founder of Remotion, joins us after accidentally pulling 14M+ views overnight on X. We chat about vibe coding, prompting motion graphics with Claude, and why building with AI feels different right now. We also get into how Jonny handled the sudden attention, the noise, and acquisition offers that followed.Timestamps:(0:17) Remotion goes viral (accidentally)(2:25) Prompting motion graphics with Claude(6:54) How Jonny has been building for 5 years(10:33) Claude’s GPT-4 moment + vibe coding(15:25) Why Remotion won’t go full B2C(19:57) AI agents, local tools, and seat-based SaaS breaking(32:14) What 14M views actually did to revenue(40:07) Acquisition interest & choosing freedom(46:43) Real-world Remotion use cases (marathons, automation)(50:36) Europe vs. Silicon Valley + marketing lessons for devs

Is Claude the New ChatGPT? Is Peter Thiel a Billionaire? Meta-Manus, $1M Plank Biz, Solo SaaS Rise 28.01.2026 49min

We have some news!!!Napkin Math Podcast is now live on YouTube.The episode starts with a life update (Sabba’s new baby) and somehow turns childbirth into actual B2B SaaS lessons. From there, it spirals into whether Peter Thiel is really a billionaire, why Claude feels like another GPT-4 moment, and how vibe coding is accelerating the rise of one-person companies.It then breaks down Meta’s Manus acquisition, a bootstrapped $1M planks business hiding in plain sight, X’s push into blogs, and finishes with Elon’s ever-expanding list of beefs.Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:27 Sabba’s B2B SaaS lessons from childbirth08:00 Is Peter Thiel a billionaire?09:57 Claude’s GPT 4 moment10:49 Vibe Coding Frenzy14:45 Ralph Wiggum AI agent19:01 AI vs seat-based SaaS23:22 Boom of one-person companies26:11 Meta acquiring Manus31:07 $1M Secret Planks Business39:48 Home-reno & logistics startup ideas43:27 X blogs push, Grok, and Elon’s beefs