How the Founders of HockeyStack Went From Failed Startups to $20M Series A

On this episode, we get into a no-BS conversation with Amir Atlee, CRO and co-founder of HockeyStack, a company that went from a failed Google Analytics alternative to a category-defining revenue acceleration platform. Amir and his team failed 35 (yes, 35!) times before they finally cracked the code, and in this conversation, we dig into what it really takes to build a company that doesn’t suck and actually scales.

Forget the polished startup fairytales—this episode is a masterclass in failure, resilience, and how to turn a scrappy idea into a multi-million-dollar machine.

Key Takeaways

1. The Best Founders Are Sick in the Head (In a Good Way)

Amir describes entrepreneurship as a mental health condition—something you can’t turn off, even if you wanted to. The best founders aren’t in it for the quick win. They’re wired to keep building, failing, and iterating until they hit gold. If you’re the type of person who needs to create, you already know what he’s talking about.

2. Fail Fast, Pivot Faster

HockeyStack didn’t start as a revenue acceleration platform. It started as product analytics software, then pivoted into a Google Analytics alternative (which made money but wasn’t scalable), and finally evolved into a revenue intelligence platform.

Lesson? Most startups die because they don’t move fast enough. If you’re not constantly talking to customers, testing, and iterating, you’re already dead.

3. Build a Category or Get Drowned in the Noise

Here’s the reality: no one cares about your product unless it’s framed in a way that creates demand. Amir and his team rebranded HockeyStack from just another “attribution tool” into a Revenue Acceleration Platform—because "attribution" had too much baggage, and their product was doing way more.

👉 If you’re just competing in an existing category, you’re in a knife fight. If you create the category, you own the game.

4. Content + Community = GTM Superpower

Old-school marketing playbooks are dead. Amir and his team built a LinkedIn machine—posting two to three times a day, creating viral product demos, and running influencer collaborations.

The result? They didn’t have to go knocking on doors—customers came to them.

🔥 Pro tip: Hire creators, not just marketers. Obaid, their first content lead, was instrumental in making HockeyStack’s content stand out.

5. Founders Need to Be the Face of the Brand

Forget hiring CMOs or influencers to be the face of your brand—they leave, and you’re screwed. The most successful brands (Airbnb, Apple, Gong) have founders leading the charge.

If you’re a founder and not building your personal brand, you’re leaving millions on the table.

6. Martech Is Dying—You Need to Be a Core Infrastructure

Most MarTech products are easy to replace, which is why they're dying. Amir explains how HockeyStack made itself indispensable by deeply integrating into Salesforce, HubSpot, and board-level reporting.

If your product isn’t embedded into a company’s daily workflow, you’re just a "nice to have"—and you will get cut.

7. If You Can’t Show ROI, You’re Dead

Enterprise buyers today don’t care about shiny new tools—they want consolidation. If a platform doesn’t drive revenue or replace other tools, it gets the axe.

Lesson? Be a revenue driver, not a cost center.

Final Thought

Most startups fail because they don’t move fast enough, market aggressively, or create demand. HockeyStack’s journey proves that category creation, community-led growth, and relentless iteration are the ultimate cheat codes for success.

If you’re an early-stage founder, take notes. If you’re in B2B SaaS, wake up and rethink your GTM strategy. And if you’re not building your personal brand, good luck fighting for scraps.

That’s the pod. 🤘

Wanna learn how to build a movement? Let’s chat.