Vlad Malanin, MD, PhD and co-founder of SpeedSize, shares how he scaled an AI-powered media optimization SaaS from $400K to $6M ARR with just 25 employees. SpeedSize helps enterprise and mid-market brands deliver high-quality images and video without sacrificing site performance, serving over 200 global customers.

In this episode, Vlad breaks down SpeedSize's capital-efficient growth strategy, enterprise pricing model, partnership-led GTM motion, and the hard founder decisions required to survive near-zero runway during wartime—while maintaining low churn, strong expansion revenue, and founder control.

NOTES:

Founder background

Surgeon turned AI scientist and CTO

Forbes Technology Council member

Ukrainian-Israeli founding team navigating geopolitical risk

Company overview

AI-powered image and video compression for rich media websites

Focus on preserving visual quality while improving load speed

Core customers: fashion, apparel, marketplaces, travel, jewelry

Revenue & growth

$400K ARR in 2022

~$1.5M ARR in 2023

~$3M ARR in 2024

~$6M ARR today

200+ paying customers

Low churn with strong net revenue expansion

Pricing & ACV

Annual contracts only

Pricing based on:

Data transferred (GB)

Number of original assets / SKUs

ACV ranges:

$10K–$20K (lower mid-market)

$50K–$100K (mid-market)

Low seven figures (enterprise)

Multiple customers paying $100K+ annually

GTM & acquisition

Minimal reliance on paid ads

Partnership-led growth strategy:

AWS Premium Partner

IBM Cloud partnerships

Agency referrals

Focus on cloud providers lacking native media optimization

Sales motion

Land-and-expand strategy

Customers grow usage as they adopt richer media (video, animations)

Enterprise-focused negotiations vs self-serve SMB motion

Team & operations

Team downsized from 50 to ~25 for efficiency

~70% engineers

High revenue per employee

Cash-flow controlled with variable spend levers

Capital & fundraising

~$5M total raised (2022–2023)

Founders retain 70%+ ownership

Pre-Series A

Lessons learned from VC-driven spending pressure

Crisis management

Two months of runway during 2023 war escalation

Cash dropped below $300K

Founders cut their own salaries first

Focused on survival, efficiency, and customer retention

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Founder Story

Transitioning from medicine to AI SaaS

Building during war and geopolitical uncertainty

Making survival-first leadership decisions

Pricing & Revenue

Structuring enterprise SaaS pricing by usage

Designing ACV tiers from $10K to seven figures

Using land-and-expand to drive ARR growth

GTM & Partnerships

Why SpeedSize prioritized partnerships over outbound sales

How AWS and IBM partnerships actually work

The realities of enterprise marketplace distribution

Acquisition & Retention

Why low churn matters more than hypergrowth

Enabling customer expansion through product value

Avoiding paid ads in favor of scalable channels

Scaling & Operations

Downsizing teams without killing momentum

Managing cashflow with variable spend

Staying capital-efficient while retaining founder control

This episode is a must-watch for SaaS founders, operators, and investors interested in pricing, GTM strategy, retention, capital efficiency, and real founder resilience.

Vlad Malanin, MD, PhD and co-founder of SpeedSize, shares how he scaled an AI-powered media optimization SaaS from $400K to $6M ARR with just 25 employees. SpeedSize helps enterprise and mid-market brands deliver high-quality images and video without sacrificing site performance, serving over 200 global customers.

In this episode, Vlad breaks down SpeedSize's capital-efficient growth strategy, enterprise pricing model, partnership-led GTM motion, and the hard founder decisions required to survive near-zero runway during wartime—while maintaining low churn, strong expansion revenue, and founder control.

NOTES:

• Founder background

  • Surgeon turned AI scientist and CTO

  • Forbes Technology Council member

  • Ukrainian-Israeli founding team navigating geopolitical risk

• Company overview

  • AI-powered image and video compression for rich media websites

  • Focus on preserving visual quality while improving load speed

  • Core customers: fashion, apparel, marketplaces, travel, jewelry

• Revenue & growth

  • $400K ARR in 2022

  • ~$1.5M ARR in 2023

  • ~$3M ARR in 2024

  • ~$6M ARR today

  • 200+ paying customers

  • Low churn with strong net revenue expansion

• Pricing & ACV

  • Annual contracts only

  • Pricing based on:

    • Data transferred (GB)

    • Number of original assets / SKUs

  • ACV ranges:

    • $10K–$20K (lower mid-market)

    • $50K–$100K (mid-market)

    • Low seven figures (enterprise)

  • Multiple customers paying $100K+ annually

• GTM & acquisition

  • Minimal reliance on paid ads

  • Partnership-led growth strategy:

    • AWS Premium Partner

    • IBM Cloud partnerships

    • Agency referrals

  • Focus on cloud providers lacking native media optimization

• Sales motion

  • Land-and-expand strategy

  • Customers grow usage as they adopt richer media (video, animations)

  • Enterprise-focused negotiations vs self-serve SMB motion

• Team & operations

  • Team downsized from 50 to ~25 for efficiency

  • ~70% engineers

  • High revenue per employee

  • Cash-flow controlled with variable spend levers

• Capital & fundraising

  • ~$5M total raised (2022–2023)

  • Founders retain 70%+ ownership

  • Pre-Series A

  • Lessons learned from VC-driven spending pressure

• Crisis management

  • Two months of runway during 2023 war escalation

  • Cash dropped below $300K

  • Founders cut their own salaries first

  • Focused on survival, efficiency, and customer retention

---

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Founder Story

• Transitioning from medicine to AI SaaS

• Building during war and geopolitical uncertainty

• Making survival-first leadership decisions

Pricing & Revenue

• Structuring enterprise SaaS pricing by usage

• Designing ACV tiers from $10K to seven figures

• Using land-and-expand to drive ARR growth

GTM & Partnerships

• Why SpeedSize prioritized partnerships over outbound sales

• How AWS and IBM partnerships actually work

• The realities of enterprise marketplace distribution

Acquisition & Retention

• Why low churn matters more than hypergrowth

• Enabling customer expansion through product value

• Avoiding paid ads in favor of scalable channels

Scaling & Operations

• Downsizing teams without killing momentum

• Managing cashflow with variable spend

• Staying capital-efficient while retaining founder control

This episode is a must-watch for SaaS founders, operators, and investors interested in pricing, GTM strategy, retention, capital efficiency, and real founder resilience.