445: Cello: How a Scrappy MVP Became a 7-Figure SaaS with 7M Users - with Stefan Bader | The SaaS Podcast - SaaS, Startups, Growth Hacking & Entrepreneurship | Podwise
In this episode of The SaaS Podcast, Omer Khan interviews Stefan Bader, the co-founder and CEO of Cello, a referral platform for SaaS companies. Stefan shares his journey from identifying the need for a user referral system to building Cello, overcoming challenges in compliance, international banking, and initial customer skepticism. He discusses Cello's growth strategy, emphasizing a "growth system" approach with compounding growth loops, particularly the "casual contact loop" driven by a "powered by Cello" link in their widget. Stefan also details how content collaborations with industry experts and network sales contributed to Cello's success, which now generates multiple seven figures in ARR and serves companies like Miro and Typeform. He also touches on the importance of prioritizing infrastructure and compliance over flashy features and the strategic decision to hire a head of people early on.
