Paragon: Revolutionizing Software Integrations with a Unified Platform
Company profile
Company business details
Motivation to build the product
The founders were motivated by the challenges software developers face when building and maintaining integrations, which can be a painful and resource-intensive process. They aimed to simplify this process and make it more efficient for developers.Problem that their product solves
Paragon solves the problem of complex and time-consuming manual coding for integrations. The end users are software companies that need to connect their products with various third-party applications. Solving this problem is important for these companies as it allows them to offer seamless integrations, enhancing their product offerings and improving user experience.Their unfair advantage
Paragon's unfair advantage lies in its ability to provide a single connecting layer that simplifies the integration process, allowing companies to connect with numerous applications without extensive engineering resources.Strategies
Idea Validation Stage
Customer Interviews for Product Validation
Brandon Foo and his co-founder conducted around 100 customer interviews to validate their product idea for Paragon. They showed mock-ups and conducted demos to understand the needs of potential customers. This iterative process helped them realize they were initially building the wrong product and guided them towards a more suitable solution that addressed real pain points in the market.
Pre-Launch (Product Development & MVP)
Customer Validation Before Product Development
Brandon and Ishmael, the founders of Paragon, focused on acquiring their first customers even before building their product. They utilized various tools to create a landing page that showcased the value proposition of their product. By running ads and sending cold emails to potential prospects, they aimed to see if people would convert and express interest in purchasing the product. This approach allowed them to validate the market need and ensure that there was a meaningful problem worth solving before investing time in product development.
Iterative Pricing Strategy
In the early stages of Paragon, Brandon emphasized the importance of testing pricing strategies to gauge product-market fit. They started by charging $30 a month for their service and planned to incrementally test higher price points, such as $50 a month. This iterative approach not only helped them understand the value of their product but also provided insights into customer willingness to pay, which is crucial for validating the strength of their offering in the B2B market.
Sell Before You Build
Before building the product, Brandon and his team asked potential customers to pay for the product, even before it was developed. They started with a price point of $30 and managed to secure a few dozen customers willing to pay, which validated the demand for their solution. This approach allowed them to gauge interest and refine their offering based on customer feedback.
Launch Stage
Building a Go-To-Market Strategy in Parallel with Product Development
As Paragon was being developed, Brandon recognized the importance of having a go-to-market strategy alongside product development. He reflected on his previous experience with Polymail, where they struggled to gain traction in the B2B market. This time, he aimed to define the target market and the specific problems they were solving from the outset, ensuring that the product was designed with customer needs in mind. This proactive approach led to strong product-market fit shortly after launch.
Learn more about Paragon
Lessons Learned as Second Time Founders | Paragon Co-founders, Brandon Foo, Ishmael Samuel
