Mentors Make It Possible: A Tech Startup Story with Autelo
Episode 25 of the Tech Startup Stories Podcast features James Ker-Reid, CEO and Founder of Autelo, with host Natalie Binns. In this episode, they explore what it really means to build a product as a solo founder, how to navigate the reality gap between marketing theory and marketing execution, and why surrounding yourself with the right mentors and advisors can help you avoid some of the most expensive mistakes in early-stage tech.
Listen to the Podcast
Available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Autelo started with a simple but difficult moment, a major client walked away from James’ sales consultancy and pointed directly to failures in marketing as the reason. That loss, and the frustration behind it, led him to write down a question on his phone: “What if you could build a marketing engine for B2B startups that cost a fraction of the usual spend, but still helped companies grow?” That question became the foundation for what he is now building.
Listening before building
James might have started out thinking Autelo would serve overwhelmed founders, but he quickly realised he needed to validate the idea more thoroughly. After speaking with over 100 B2B marketers, the original concept shifted. The people best positioned to use and benefit from the product weren’t necessarily the ones who needed convincing about marketing, they were the ones already doing the work and feeling the pain.
James talks about the influence of the people around him, he credits early mentors with shaping his thinking, challenging his assumptions, and encouraging him to pursue proper validation before investing heavily. He designed a paid beta programme involving twenty companies, and focused on developing the product alongside real users.
Bootstrapping with structure and intention
Rather than seek external funding from day one, James chose to self-fund Autelo and the decision to bootstrap came from a desire to maintain control during the riskiest phase, and to ensure there was a working product in place before raising capital.
As the first beta users came onboard, something unexpected happened, whilst Autelo was built with B2B SaaS in mind, the first customers to pay were from agencies, consultants and small professional firms that needed help showing up on LinkedIn in a more consistent, engaging and strategic way. This led to a rethink on the Go-to-Market plan and opened up a wider opportunity in a segment often overlooked.
Rewriting the playbook
For founders who are bootstrapping, navigating solo or thinking about pivoting their product to meet the real needs of the market, this episode offers a practical and reflective view on what the early days can look like. There are no silver bullets or hyper-growth promises here, just a founder working with purpose, building alongside his users and figuring it out one conversation at a time.
Listen to the Podcast
Available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Connect with James Ker-Reid and learn more about the platform, visit their website.
