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 ListenExactly 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 RoadChapters00:00:00 Intro00:06:10 The Pivot From Sales to Customer Support00:12:54 Why Moving to SF Changed Everything00:22:34 Cold Outbound to $1M ARR00:32:47 Doorstepping Customers for 186% NRR00:39:17 Closing a $25M Series A in 6 DaysSend me a message to let me know what you think!