322: The Rise Of Messenger Marketing, With ManyChat Co-Founder and CEO Mikael Yan

The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

Mikael Yan, Co-Founder and CEO, ManyChat

When Mikael Yan launched ManyChat in 2015, other messaging apps were trying to impress investors with their fancy AI and NLP technologies. But not him. Instead, he made it clear to investors that his app was solely meant to solve a business problem: helping companies better communicate with and market to their customers.

Investors who were initially interested in ManyChat immediately lost interest. But not for long. Even though Yan and his founding team initially had to bootstrap their product, investors eventually recognized the potential behind their vision and got on board.

Today, ManyChat has over one million Facebook pages connected to its platform in over 190 countries. The company also recently raised its Series A from Bessemer Venture Partners. Given that 2020 is the first time in history that the number of messaging app users will surpass the number of social media users, it’s clear that ManyChat is just getting started.

Listen to this interview to learn more about Yan’s thoughts on the future of messenger marketing, the global mobile industry, and the importance of mindset as an entrepreneur.

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Key Takeaways

• Why Yan, after years of dabbling in the consumer space, turned his eyes to B2B
• How ManyChat made timely use of Telegram Messenger’s API in 2015 and introduced the world of messenger marketing
• The rise of private vs. public channels
• Yan’s analysis on why China is so ahead when it comes to mobile and messaging apps
• Why Yan believes in being product obsessed and understanding the customer experience above everything else
• How Yan avoided the trap of building a product for the “cool” factor (and initially lost investor interest as a result)
• The power of self belief in entrepreneurship, and how to cultivate this mindset
• Yan’s personal glass ceiling
• A look into the future of ManyChat and what Yan is most excited about when it comes to the messenger app industry

Key Resources From Our Interview With Mikael Yan

• Visit the ManyChat website
• Follow Yan on Instagram