A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders He tested his pitch on Uber drivers—then built a cybersecurity platform to $180M raised. | Casey Ellis, Founder of Bugcrowd
Oct 13, 2025
Casey Ellis, founder of Bugcrowd, created a pioneering cybersecurity marketplace that raised over $180M. He shares how he turned hackers into allies and validated a two-sided marketplace with minimal resources. Casey tested his pitch on Uber drivers to refine his messaging and emphasizes the importance of product-market fit. He reveals how early marketing tactics, like giving away t-shirts, sparked growth and how landing Google early boosted credibility. His journey highlights the emotional rollercoaster of category creation and the value of community support for founders.
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Validated Crowd With $500 No-Code Test
- Casey used MailChimp and no-code forms to recruit ~5,000 researchers in the first months. He ran a $500 test program that got completely destroyed, proving the model worked.
Landing Google Early
- Within four months Bugcrowd ran a focused engagement for Google on a product release. Landing Google validated the category and helped fundraising momentum.
Pitch The Bigger Category Opportunity
- Frame the business as a big, enduring category play, not just a better version of an existing service. VCs fund lasting market shifts and future-of-work narratives over incremental improvements.