Filestage
About the Company
Filestage is a leading content review and approval software company co-founded by Niklas Dorn in 2015. The company was fully bootstrapped in its early days and has grown to become a major player in the media SaaS industry. Filestage enables teams to streamline their content approval processes by offering a centralized platform for sharing, commenting, and approving various types of digital content, including videos, images, PDFs, and websites.
Filestage serves over 600 customers worldwide, with 50,000 users relying on the software to manage their content approval rounds. Companies like Sixt, Sharp, Publicis Health, and BBraun use Filestage to consolidate their files, versions, and feedback, making the approval process more efficient. Filestage's platform is designed to eliminate the messy and complicated feedback process that often plagues agencies and marketing teams, allowing them to focus on creativity and productivity.
The company's growth has been fueled by its commitment to customer feedback, continuous product improvement, and a strong marketing and sales strategy. Filestage is now recognized as a leading solution for content review and approval, generating $250,000 in monthly revenue and employing 50 people.
Idea Behind Company
Niklas Dorn's passion for marketing and entrepreneurship led him to co-found Filestage with two partners after completing his master's degree in media management. Instead of pursuing a corporate career, Dorn and his co-founder, Maël Frize, who worked in the advertising industry, identified a significant pain point in content production: the lengthy and inefficient feedback process required to obtain client and stakeholder approval.
The absence of specialized software for streamlining this feedback process inspired Dorn and his team to create Filestage. They wanted to develop a platform to facilitate seamless collaboration among creatives, allowing them to focus on producing high-quality content without being bogged down by excessive email exchanges and version management.
Dorn and his co-founders bootstrapped Filestage in its early stages, relying on a small business angel investment to sustain their operations. Their fresh-out-of-university perspective and willingness to embrace lean operations enabled them to concentrate on winning customers early on and refine their product based on real-world feedback.
Creating the Company
From the beginning, Filestage prioritized gathering user feedback to inform the development of its platform. Before writing any code, the founders conducted interviews with over 30 professionals from the film and marketing industries to understand how creatives collaborated on content. These insights helped shape the initial prototype, which allowed users to share and comment on videos directly in the browser.
The commitment to feedback became a core habit at Filestage, leading to continuous product improvements. Even today, user feedback remains essential to Filestage's growth strategy, as the company seeks to refine its features and ensure they meet customer needs effectively. This feedback-driven approach has enabled Filestage to transition from an early-stage startup to a more mature company, continuously enhancing its offerings based on user insights.
As Filestage evolved, the company continued to introduce new features while maintaining a focus on user feedback. This approach has helped Filestage grow its customer base and revenue while ensuring that its platform remains relevant and valuable to users across different industries and creative fields.
Launching the Business
Launching Filestage was challenging due to limited resources for marketing and development. The founders had to rely on creativity and motivation to attract early users and customers. By being open and transparent about their journey, Dorn engaged with online communities, such as Facebook filmmaker groups, to share their story and offer free access to the product in exchange for feedback.
This approach generated buzz and beta sign-ups, allowing Filestage to refine its product based on real user experiences. The founders also learned the importance of investing in senior talent, realizing that experienced professionals could significantly enhance their team's capabilities and efficiency.
Filestage's initial success was driven by a content-driven approach, focusing on content marketing to attract new users. They published educational articles on topics like project management, marketing, and video production, using internal links to support other pages on their website. This strategy helped generate traffic and drive sign-ups more effectively.
Earnings
Today, Filestage operates with a sophisticated marketing strategy and is backed by venture capital from Newion, HTGF, and seed+speed. The company closed its series A funding round in early 2021, which enabled them to invest heavily in product development and customer service. Filestage expanded its team from 25 to 50 employees, focusing on providing a top-notch product and exceptional customer support.
Filestage's revenue growth has been remarkable, increasing by 80% in the last year. The company generates around 20% of new customers through the viral effects of its product and attracts new clients through its blog, newsletter, social media, and software comparison platforms like G2 and Capterra. Filestage's customer success team plays a crucial role in supporting clients, ensuring they maximize the benefits of the software and become long-term users.
In addition to product-led growth, Filestage produces valuable content for marketing and creative professionals, offering insights through blog articles, masterclasses, and free templates. The company's focus on customer feedback, continuous improvement, and strategic marketing has solidified its position as a leading content review and approval software provider, with $250,000 in monthly revenue.
