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Grant Lee: Building Gamma’s AI Presentation Company to 100 Million Users

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

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Grant Lee: Building Gamma’s AI Presentation Company to 100 Million Users

a16z Podcast

Nov 11
a16z Podcast

a16z Podcast

Nov 11
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Grant Lee was told Gamma was "the worst idea ever heard" by an investor who hung up mid-Zoom—yet he built it to 100 million users and $100M ARR without spending a dollar on advertising. While competitors hired aggressively, Grant's team of seven refused t...

Highlights

What happens when a founder is told his idea is the worst ever—then builds it into a product with 100 million users anyway? This is the story of Gamma, a company that defied expectations not through aggressive marketing or massive teams, but by obsessing over user experience, design, and the right kind of AI at the right time.
04:49
The right amount of AI exposure is key to user-friendly design
07:13
Gamma started pre-AI and integrated AI later to enhance visual communication and storytelling.
12:08
AI avatars could present on behalf of users to reduce presentation anxiety
18:52
Gamma’s API enables automated, personalized presentation creation for enterprise workflows.
23:55
The first 30 seconds of the product experience must deliver an 'aha moment' to drive organic growth.
28:41
Gamma reached $1M ARR in three months by setting prices relative to ChatGPT.
44:53
Founders should do the job themselves before hiring for it.
50:15
Gamma is used to create a graduation scrapbook for special family moments.

Chapters

How a 'worst idea ever' became a 100-million-user phenomenon
00:00
Why hiding AI can make it more powerful for users
04:49
Can you really beat PowerPoint without copying it?
07:13
What if your presentation tool thought like a designer?
12:08
From solo creators to enterprise teams: how Gamma leveled up
16:45
The 30-second rule that fueled viral, ad-free growth
23:55
How Gamma priced its way to $1M in revenue in just 90 days
28:41
Tiny team, huge impact: why design and founder involvement mattered
33:02
Beyond slides: how people are using Gamma for life’s big moments
49:35

Transcript

Grant Lee: I get into my third pitch, and it goes pretty well, I feel like. And I kind of pause and wait for the, you know, investor's reaction. He basically says, this has got to be the worst idea I've ever heard. Not only are you going up against massive...