Our startup journey: pivots, lessons, and unexpected twists
I decided to share our story about how we dedicated 8 months to one project, only to pivot entirely to another idea.

We are a trio: CEO Ilia, CTO Pasha, and CMO Kate. Ilia and Pasha have been friends since high school, sharing a bond for 25 years. Both pursued engineering, with Ilia specializing in product design and Pasha in complex systems development. Kate, working towards her PhD in sociology, transitioned from product management to marketing. She is also Ilia's wife; they met 9 years ago over a game of ping pong at a corporate job. Originally from Russia, we relocated to Latvia five years ago and now reside in Spain with a startup visa.

October 2022. The startup journey begins
A year ago, Ilia, tired of his salaried role, left his position as Design Director in a thriving LegalTech startup. He envisioned a product to streamline product development based on user feedback. Joining forces with Pasha, they initiated the development phase.

By January 2023, Kate was brought onboard to handle marketing. This marked the formation of our tight-knit, skill-diverse founding team.

February 2023. The first launch of Kaleido.so
We actively reached out on Linkedin and Facebook. Market interest was evident, but retention was a challenge. Our initial interactions with investors gave a deceptive impression of imminent success.

March. Integrating AI
We recognized how ChatGPT could enhance our product. Consequently, we integrated pattern search in Kaleidoscope using a grant from OpenAI.

April. Engaging with users
A realization struck: we were building based on our insights, sidelining user feedback. Despite our extensive startup research, we hadn't engaged with users directly. We began mastering the art of cold calling without the intent to sell.

May. Launch on ProductHunt
On May 3rd, our launch generated significant site traffic and piqued investor interest. We made it to a list of "40 under 40" entrepreneurs in Spain. With increased engagement and new users, the potential for success seemed palpable. However, we hadn't incorporated monetization into our product yet.

June. A dip in user engagement
By June's end, momentum waned, and user engagement plummeted. Morale hit rock bottom. Personal life challenges added to the gloom. We decided to regroup, rest, and re-strategize.

July. Rejuvenated spirits
Post a week's hiatus, we resumed with a vengeance. Efforts were redirected to Castdev, enhanced mail campaigns, hypothesis testing, and user engagement. We figured a way to incorporate payment options.

August. A difficult decision with Antler.
Our engagement and sales efforts began bearing fruit. Antler Iberia extended an invite, but with a condition to exclude one team member. Unacceptable to us, we declined, deciding to target only American accelerators.

September. A new venture - Sendforsign.com
An unexpected twist led to a new startup. Ilia's expertise in CLM drew a request for assistance. A closer look revealed the complexities developers faced with CLM integrations. This triggered the idea to pause Kaleido and design a user-friendly API for contracts. Fueled by inspiration, we quickly created an MVP for hassle-free contract signing.

Surprisingly, while in discussions with Berkeley SkyDeck for Kaleido, we pitched Sendforsign, believing in its potential. Techstars too showed interest.

October 2023. Broadening our horizons
As Sendforsign gains traction, we're on the lookout for mentors and investors and have applied to YC.

Reflecting on a year.
Our year-long journey highlighted our networking deficiencies. We now understand the importance of accelerators, expert advice, and angel investments. Entrepreneurship resonates deeply with us. Despite financial setbacks, we view our journey as a valuable hands-on MBA. Our team's bond remains our greatest asset.

I hope our story resonates and inspires you to pursue your dreams relentlessly, regardless of uncertainties.