Hardware Podcasts

(July 2021) Ben Chestnut: From Side Business to $12 Billion – The Accidental Triumph of Mailchimp

How I Built This · 25 Aug 2025 · 1h 19m

What this episode covers

Ben Chestnut, co-founder of Mailchimp, explains how a web design agency accidentally built an email marketing tool that grew into a $12 billion SaaS business without outside investment. He details the pivot from service-based revenue to a freemium model, the viral marketing success of sponsoring the podcast 'Serial', and the leadership challenges of scaling from a garage startup to a large enterprise. Chestnut also discusses the company's culture reset following public allegations of sexism and the eventual acquisition by Intuit.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Intuit, Constant Contact, U.S. Bank
Products
Mailchimp, Dropbox, Evernote, Joe Rogan Experience

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