From Self Funded Startup to Profitable Unicorn. The Calendly Journey with Tope Awotona & Blake Bartlett [SaaS Revolution Show]

Tope Awotona (CEO & Founder of Calendly) and Blake Bartlett
(Partner at OpenView Ventures) are this week’s guests on The SaaS
Revolution Show. This is a session from SaaStock Remote 2021. Last
year, ⅓ of tech founders struggled to secure funding. In the early
days of SaaS unicorn Calendly, raising money was also a big
challenge for Tope Awotona. To get the company off the ground, he
had to take a different path. This included investing his life
savings, stretching every dollar and doubling-down on virality.
Whilst a struggle, this ultimately benefited the business model,
leading to the creation of a product that ‘sold itself’. In
conversation with Blake Bartlett, Tope shares how he overcame these
early challenges to drive the company's extraordinary growth.
You'll learn the secrets behind one of the most successful
product-led businesses in the world.       Check out
the other ways SaaStock is helping SaaS founders move their
business forward:  SaaStock Europe: 14-15 October 2025 |
Dublin, Ireland Book you tickets:
https://saastock-europe.com/tickets/ SaaStock USA 2025: April 2026
| Austin, Texas Join the waitlist: https://saastock-usa.com/
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