Vision to Victory

Featuring Michel from LearnWise (ex-Eesysoft)

Episode 7 of the Building the Dream podcast, hosted by Leopold van Oosten, titled "Vision to Victory" was published on May 28, 2024 and runs 61 minutes.

May 28, 2024 ·61m · Building the Dream

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Summary

Michel did everything to nurture his start-up for > 5 years before it could pay him a first salary. Another 7 years later (+- 3 million ARR, + 175 clients and +-3,8 million end users) he did a massive textbook exit.No external startup capitalNo sales & marketingPure focus on building the best productAnd waiting for the momentum…Listen to my latest podcast with Michel Visser, the co-founder of Eesysoft (now Instructure).We talked about his career full of commercial roles that led to the foundation of his first compant Eesysoft together with his partner Jan; how they built that and sold it to a strategic buyer (Instructure) in the middle of the Covid crisis when their business skyrocketed.His time in Purmerend & BarcelonaHow to use your “golden handshake bonus” from your last job to start a businessTaking a job next to your startup to give it time to growWaiting for the momentum to scaleHow to build a great company cultureBeing ghosted during an exit processHow Covid helped Eesysoft to grow and bring exit opportunitiesHow life changed after exitingHis new AI adventures!His biggest failure and best advices (hint; don’t invest in boats)And much more!Eesysoft is a wonderful example of a company that has grown quietly, has made a few small pivots by carefully looking at the needs in the market and has managed to take action at the right time. And all in a very pleasant and controlled way. For me, Michel has always been the epitome of control itself. Much respect for these achievements; and I am very curious to see how Michel's comeback in Edtech will turn out during the current AI revolution.Thanks so much Michel for your time and a highly interesting conversation!

Episode Description

Michel did everything to nurture his start-up for > 5 years before it could pay him a first salary.

Another 7 years later (+- 3 million ARR, + 175 clients and +-3,8 million end users) he did a massive textbook exit.

No external startup capital
No sales & marketing
Pure focus on building the best product
And waiting for the momentum…

Listen to my latest podcast with Michel Visser, the co-founder of Eesysoft (now Instructure).

We talked about his career full of commercial roles that led to the foundation of his first compant Eesysoft together with his partner Jan; how they built that and sold it to a strategic buyer (Instructure) in the middle of the Covid crisis when their business skyrocketed.

His time in Purmerend & Barcelona
How to use your “golden handshake bonus” from your last job to start a business
Taking a job next to your startup to give it time to grow
Waiting for the momentum to scale
How to build a great company culture
Being ghosted during an exit process
How Covid helped Eesysoft to grow and bring exit opportunities
How life changed after exiting
His new AI adventures!
His biggest failure and best advices (hint; don’t invest in boats)
And much more!

Eesysoft is a wonderful example of a company that has grown quietly, has made a few small pivots by carefully looking at the needs in the market and has managed to take action at the right time.

And all in a very pleasant and controlled way.
For me, Michel has always been the epitome of control itself.

Much respect for these achievements; and I am very curious to see how Michel's comeback in Edtech will turn out during the current AI revolution.

Thanks so much Michel for your time and a highly interesting conversation!