How Two Founders Grew a Spreadsheet Startup to 1M Users and 20x Growth

February 14th, 2025

Founded By

Humberto Ayres Pereira

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2016

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founded By
Humberto Ayres Pereira: Founders
2

Profitable
Yes: Year Started
2016

Customer
B2B & B2C

Who is Humberto Ayres Pereira?

Rows was co-founded by Humberto Ayres Pereira and Torben Schulz, who both have backgrounds in consulting and entrepreneurship, with Humberto having initially pursued electrical engineering and an MBA, and Torben having worked in startups and tech before.

Humberto Ayres Pereira and Torben Schulz

What problem does Rows solve?

Rows solves the pain of dealing with static, disconnected spreadsheets by allowing users to integrate live data from various sources, automate processes with AI, and share visually compelling insights, which attracts tech-savvy teams needing a flexible and modern way to handle data without the hassle of traditional spreadsheet limitations.

Rows.com

How did Humberto come up with the idea for Rows?

Humberto Ayres Pereira and Torben Schulz, the founders of Rows, were inspired by their extensive experience using spreadsheets in both consulting and in their previous startup. They noticed that traditional spreadsheets like Excel were powerful but lacked integration with modern tools and cloud-based data sources. This realization laid the groundwork for Rows as they aimed to blend the familiarity of spreadsheets with the flexibility of newer technologies.

Prior to fully diving into their venture, the founders conducted informal validations by sharing their vision with peers and industry contacts, gathering interest and support. They also observed a growing need for live data connections in the business landscape and sought to address this by creating a platform that could directly integrate with various online tools. Although the development process was lengthy and complex, involving many iterations, it was this early commitment to solving a clear problem that kept them motivated.

A new challenge during the ideation phase was finding the right balance between technical capability and user experience. The founders learned that while backend capabilities were crucial, an intuitive and seamless front-end experience was equally important to user adoption. Through feedback and insights from their initial user base, they constantly refined their product to align with user needs. The experience showed them the importance of focusing on a specific user problem, committing to solving it, and allowing the product to evolve based on real-world usage and feedback.

How did Humberto Ayres Pereira build the initial version of Rows?

Building Rows involved an intricate and lengthy development process, driven by the ambition to create a next-generation spreadsheet platform. Initially, the team focused on developing a robust computation engine capable of integrating seamlessly with diverse functions and transitioning to a cloud-based platform. They utilized technologies like Flutter for desktop applications, aiming for cross-platform compatibility while ensuring speed and native-like functionalities. It took four years of development from the first code in January 2017 to reach a compelling public beta version, signifying the complexity and challenge involved in crafting their product. Throughout this journey, the team faced the demanding task of validating their product, experimenting with early versions that could execute basic formulas and integrate rudimentary APIs, allowing them to gather crucial user feedback and iteratively refine their offering.

What were the initial startup costs for Rows?

Early Funding Rounds: Rows raised $8 million from a round led by Accel in 2018 and a $16 million Series B led by Lakestar in 2021.

What was the growth strategy for Rows and how did they scale?

Community Engagement

Rows launched a public directory for users to share spreadsheets, fostering a community where users could engage with each other and share templates. This encouragement of user-generated content not only increased engagement but also enhanced visibility, as community members were incentivized to share spreadsheets and integrate them into content, promoting Rows inadvertently.

Why it worked: Creating a community around spreadsheet sharing tapped into network effects, where the value of the platform increased as more users contributed. This strategy incentivized external sharing and acted as a free marketing channel, drawing in new users who were intrigued by community-generated spreadsheets.

AI and Viral Campaigns

The introduction of AI Analyst was a major growth driver. Rows effectively utilized social media and influencer partnerships to spread the word. A clear and concise video demonstrated the feature’s capabilities, and targeted outreach to AI content creators led to viral social media posts.

Why it worked: Launching a timely AI-focused feature capitalized on the growing trend of AI in data analysis, creating a buzz that resonated with both tech-interested audiences and those looking for advanced spreadsheet solutions. The viral nature of the campaign helped Rows gain significant traction quickly, expanding their user base by over 50k in one week.

Product Hunt and PR

Launching on Product Hunt helped Rows gain initial traction, highlighted by winning the 'Product of the Day'. The subsequent PR efforts, particularly placements on notable platforms like TechRadar and coverage on Wired, played a crucial role in reaching a broader audience and establishing credibility.

Why it worked: Product Hunt provided visibility to early adopters who are often influencers within tech communities. Meanwhile, strategic PR coverage helped Rows reach a broader audience and build trust, lending significant weight to their public presence without the massive expense of traditional advertising.

Content and SEO

Rows focused on content marketing by creating tools and calculators, which served as indirect acquisition channels. Their blog targeted specific marketing themes, tying content closely with the interests of their ideal customer profile.

Why it worked: By creating content like templates and calculators, Rows addressed specific user needs and captured search engine traffic. This not only attracted potential users actively searching for these tools but also showcased the product’s capabilities, subtly encouraging sign-ups through demonstrated utility.

What's the pricing strategy for Rows?

Rows offers a free plan with limited features, and scales through three paid plans starting at $59/month, with the top-tier 'Enterprise' plan offering customized pricing based on specific needs.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Rows?

Embrace Bold Experiments: Rows found success by daring to replace traditional landing pages with direct product interaction, significantly boosting user engagement and sign-ups. Aspiring founders should not hesitate to challenge norms to discover what truly resonates with users.
Leverage Product-Led Growth: The company prioritized a product-centric approach, using tools and calculators to attract users organically. This shows that focusing on providing immediate value can be a robust strategy for growth.
Adapt Quickly to Market Needs: Rows used AI to rapidly expand its user base by responding to technological advances, illustrating the importance of staying agile and ready to exploit new opportunities quickly.
Address Real User Problems: Rows' focus on solving practical data management issues with seamless integrations highlights the importance of creating solutions that meet pressing user needs, making the product indispensable.
Iterative Improvements Lead to Big Wins: Rows demonstrated perseverance by focusing on continuous, incremental improvements, showing that consistent small enhancements can eventually lead to significant user growth and success.

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