Rob Walling

Drip founder, MicroConf and TinySeed co-founder, host of Startups for the Rest of Us

@robwalling Minneapolis, United States41K followersSaaS Founders Educators & Course Creators Acquirers & Indie Investors Community Builders

About Rob Walling

Rob Walling is a serial bootstrapper and one of the founding figures of the self-funded SaaS movement. Starting as a software developer, he built and acquired a string of small software products and wrote Start Small, Stay Small, an early playbook for developers who wanted to launch profitable micro-businesses without raising money.

His best-known company is Drip, an email marketing automation platform he grew and sold to Leadpages in 2016. Alongside it he co-created the long-running podcast Startups for the Rest of Us, which has passed 800 episodes, and MicroConf, the conference and community for bootstrapped and mostly-bootstrapped SaaS founders.

In 2018 he co-founded TinySeed, a remote accelerator that funds and mentors bootstrapped SaaS companies; through it he has invested in more than 230 startups. He distilled two decades of lessons into The SaaS Playbook and remains a central mentor figure for indie SaaS founders.

Products by Rob Walling

TinySeed

tinyseed.com

Remote accelerator and fund built for bootstrapped and capital-efficient B2B SaaS founders.

MicroConf

microconf.com

Conferences, community and education for self-funded SaaS founders.

Drip

drip.com

acquired

Email marketing automation platform, now focused on e-commerce; sold to Leadpages in 2016.

Exit story

Drip

→ Leadpages · 2016

by Derrick Reimer & Rob Walling

Rob Walling's journey6 milestones · self-reported

First product
Exit
Launch / milestone

2010Launch: Published Start Small, Stay Small and started the Startups…
2011First product: Co-founded MicroConf, the conference for self-funded startups
2015Milestone: Sold HitTail, an SEO tool he had bought and grown
2016Exit: Sold Drip to Leadpages
2018Launch: Co-founded TinySeed, the accelerator for bootstrapped SaaS
2023Launch: Published The SaaS Playbook

Timeline

2010 — Published Start Small, Stay Small and started the Startups for the Rest of Us podcast.
2011 — Co-founded MicroConf, the conference for self-funded startups.
2015 — Sold HitTail, an SEO tool he had bought and grown.
2016 — Sold Drip to Leadpages.
2018 — Co-founded TinySeed, the accelerator for bootstrapped SaaS.
2023 — Published The SaaS Playbook.

How Rob builds

Start small: begin with tiny products before attempting a big SaaS (the stair-step approach).
You do not need venture capital to build a meaningful, life-changing SaaS.
Focus relentlessly on one product and one marketing channel that works.
Pick B2B niches where customers pay for a painful problem.
Optimize for freedom, relationships and purpose, not just valuation.

Learn from Rob Walling

[book]

The SaaS Playbook

How to build a profitable SaaS business without venture capital.

by Rob Walling

[book]

Start Small, Stay Small

A developer's guide to launching a startup on a shoestring.

by Rob Walling

[podcast]

Startups for the Rest of Us

Weekly podcast for bootstrapped and mostly-bootstrapped SaaS founders, 800+ episodes.

by Rob Walling

[community]

MicroConf

Events, masterminds and resources for SaaS founders.

by Rob Walling

Rob Walling FAQ

Who is Rob Walling?

Rob Walling is a serial SaaS founder who built and sold Drip, co-founded MicroConf and TinySeed, hosts Startups for the Rest of Us and wrote The SaaS Playbook.

Who bought Drip?

Drip, Rob Walling's email marketing automation company, was acquired by Leadpages in 2016.

What is TinySeed?

TinySeed is a remote accelerator co-founded by Rob Walling in 2018 that invests in bootstrapped B2B SaaS companies; he has invested in more than 230 startups.