Episode

He pivoted at $1M ARR—then raised $120M. | Kevin Tian, Co-Founder of Doppel

Podcast
A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders
Published
Feb 19, 2026
Duration seconds
2181
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https://www.buzzsprout.com/1889238/episodes/18638819-he-pivoted-at-1m-arr-then-raised-120m-kevin-tian-co-founder-of-doppel.mp3
Audio
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1889238/episodes/18638819-he-pivoted-at-1m-arr-then-raised-120m-kevin-tian-co-founder-of-doppel.mp3
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Summary

Kevin was building a successful startup in the NFT space. They'd hit $1M ARR. But he looked at the market and realized it wasn't big enough. So he made the terrifying choice to pivot the entire company into cybersecurity. In this episode, Kevin breaks down how he navigated that transition without killing the business. He reveals how he sold his first $5k/month contract with no product, why he raised a massive seed round he didn't need, and how he convinced Andreessen Horowitz to lead his Seri...