He sold his first 2 startups. His 3rd grew to $1M ARR in 3 months. | Chaz Englander, Founder of Model ML episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 12, 2026 · 49 MIN

He sold his first 2 startups. His 3rd grew to $1M ARR in 3 months. | Chaz Englander, Founder of Model ML

from A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders · host Mistral.vc

Chaz has founded 3 companies. The first sold for over $40M. The second sold to GoPuff for even more. Now, he’s on his third act with Model ML, having just raised $75M Series A <2 years in.In this episode, Chaz breaks down the playbook behind his successes. He reveals how he raised his first million by pitching strangers on LinkedIn, why his delivery startup was just a text message system on the backend, and why speed is the only defensive moat left.Why You Should ListenHow to pitch strangers on LinkedIn for angel checks.Why you should always say you're raising "a bit more" than you actually are.Why "Product Market Fit" is no longer static in the age of AI.How to launch a massive consumer business.Why getting a paid design partner isn't enough.Keywordsstartup podcast, startup podcast for founders, serial entrepreneur, fundraising strategy, product market fit, rapid scaling, AI startup, exit strategy, MVP, fintech00:00:00 Intro00:04:46 Pitching Strangers for Angel Checks00:07:51 The "Fake" Fundraising Strategy00:23:28 Why MVPs are Dead in the AI Era00:25:01 Selling to GoPuff While Running Out of Cash00:32:25 The Origin of ModelML00:38:30 The Design Partner Playbook00:46:13 From $5k to $100k MRR in 3 MonthsSend me a message to let me know what you think!

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Chaz has founded 3 companies. The first sold for over $40M. The second sold to GoPuff for even more. Now, he’s on his third act with Model ML, having just raised $75M Series A <2 years in. In this episode, Chaz breaks down the playbook behind his successes. He reveals how he raised his first million by pitching strangers on LinkedIn, why his delivery startup was just a text message system on the backend, and why speed is the only defensive moat left. Why You Should Listen How to pitch stra...

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He sold his first 2 startups. His 3rd grew to $1M ARR in 3 months. | Chaz Englander, Founder of Model ML

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