He hit $1M ARR by sending 500,000 cold emails—then raised a $25M Series A in 6 days. | Mark Hughes, Co-Founder of Solidroad

Mark was running a startup out of a tiny annex office in Dublin with zero product usage. Then one customer turned it on and overnight he saw usage spike to thousands of simulations. He got to $1M ARR 100% through outbound, by sending 500,000 cold emails. A few months ago he closed a $25M Series A.

In this episode, Mark breaks down the pivot from sales roleplay to customer support that unlocked his first real traction, the cold outbound playbook that took him to $1M ARR (500K emails, 250 meetings, 40 customers), and why doorstepping customers in Utah is what drove his net revenue retention to 186%.

Why You Should Listen

• Exactly how to use a cold outbound strategy to hit $1M ARR.
• Why getting on 56 flights last year to visit customers led to 186% NRR.
• How he closed a $25M Series A in just 6 days.

Keywords startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, finding pmf, AI startup, customer support, cold outbound, Y Combinator, Series A, enterprise sales, SaaS, Solid Road

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:06:10 The Pivot From Sales to Customer Support
• 00:12:54 Why Moving to SF Changed Everything
• 00:22:34 Cold Outbound to $1M ARR
• 00:32:47 Doorstepping Customers for 186% NRR
• 00:39:17 Closing a $25M Series A in 6 Days

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