Ep.143 - Un round à la fois (70M$ USD, YC & pivot)

3 Jul 2025 · 48 min
SaaSpasse

3 Jul 2025 · 48 min

0:00

In this on‑stage interview recorded at Québec Slush, host Speaker A talks with Jérôme Soucy Rousseau, co‑founder and VP of Operations at Fight Camp, an at‑home boxing platform that combines hardware (punch/kick trackers, gloves, bags) with software (interactive workouts, leaderboards, multiplayer). Jérôme outlines the company’s 12‑year journey: from its early days as Ixo, a high‑end tracker for elite athletes, through a founder breakup and later reconciliation, a stint at Y Combinator Winter 2016, and a massive Series B raise (~$70 M). He shares key metrics (≈25 k users, $20 M annual revenue, $12 M recurring, $1 k average order value, $39/month subscription), the hybrid business model’s advantages and pains (hardware cash‑flow vs. software scalability, quality‑control nightmares, statics issues), product evolution (MVP on phone, then a dedicated console enabling up to four trackers and multiplayer), and the company’s go‑to‑market mix (≈50 % paid social/search, organic YouTube, word‑of‑mouth). Jérôme also discusses the “layering” process when the firm outgrew its original leadership, his transition to VP Operations, and the importance of humility, low‑key leadership, and coaching. He reflects on personal traits that helped him as a founder, the limited impact of his athletic background, common mistakes (losing sight of unit economics, delayed team‑dynamic interventions), and how he leverages AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT for research and decision‑making. The conversation ends with a quick recap of errors, favorite SaaS tools, and a series of sponsor shout‑outs.

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