Article · 8 min read

Postman's Ankit Sobti On Going From Zero To 500K Users Before Launch

Bhumika Khatri · Inc42 Free Intermediate India

The origin story with the awkward parts left in: a side project on the Chrome Web Store, adoption arriving from countries they never targeted, and the founders genuinely unsure whether developer love would ever become money until a user posted them a 500 dollar cheque.

  • Postman reached 500K users organically before it was ever formally launched, from a 2012 side project at Yahoo.
  • The Chrome Web Store listing in March 2012 became the distribution channel that carried it.
  • Adoption showed up where they did not expect it: Russia, Africa and Australia, not just India and the US.
  • Monetization was validated by accident when a user posted a $500 cheque saying he could not believe he was not paying.
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