He raised a $10M seed with no revenue—then grew 30x to $30M in year two. | Bobby Samuels, Founder of Protege

Episode notes

Bobby launched Protege in early 2024 to connect data holders with AI model builders. He raised a $10M seed with almost no demand pipeline. A year later, Protege jumped 30x to $30M in GMV and raised $30M from a16z. In this episode, Bobby breaks down how he built a 250-partner data network by leveraging prior healthcare relationships, why he flies from New York every week to close seven-figure enterprise deals, and why the "texting terms" litmus test tells you if a deal is real. Why You Should Listen Why ignoring a customer's "no" can be the best sales move you make. How flying to see buyers weekly became the number one growth driver. Why the gap between A and A-plus talent is worth blowing your budget for. How Protege went from $1M to $30M GMV in a single year.