Building AEFIS was an incredible journey—from an underdog idea to a market-leading assessment management platform used by 60 universities serving approximately 750,000 students worldwide. The timing of our growth was remarkable: just before the COVID-19 shutdown, we closed a successful SEED round that positioned us perfectly for the unprecedented demand that followed. In that first pandemic year, we grew 80%, followed by 70% growth the second year, ultimately leading to a full private equity exit. There were challenges at every step: raising funds, pitching to universities hesitant to adopt new tech, and forging a dedicated team when resources were scarce.

Here are the biggest lessons I learned along the way:

1. Solve Real Problems, Not Imagined Ones
When we started AEFIS, we didn't build what we thought higher education needed—we built what they told us they needed. We spent countless hours with assessment coordinators, faculty, and administrators, understanding their pain points and workflows before writing a single line of code. This deep understanding of the problem space became our competitive advantage.

2. Patience Is More Than a Virtue—It's a Strategy
Higher education moves slowly. Sales cycles can stretch 12-18 months, and implementation timelines are often tied to academic calendars. We learned to build this reality into our financial planning and growth strategy. What seemed like a disadvantage actually became a moat—competitors without the patience to navigate these cycles couldn't gain traction.

3. Build for Scale from Day One
Even when we had just a handful of clients, we architected our systems as if we had hundreds. This meant higher upfront costs and longer development cycles, but it paid off tremendously when growth accelerated. We never had to pause sales to rebuild our infrastructure or rewrite core systems.

4. Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast
In a bootstrapped company, every hire is critical. We couldn't compete on salary with tech giants, so we built a culture that valued autonomy, impact, and purpose. We looked for people who were passionate about education and gave them meaningful problems to solve. This approach helped us attract and retain talent that might otherwise have been out of reach.

5. The Power of Strategic Partnerships
Some of our most significant growth came through partnerships with complementary platforms and industry associations. These relationships extended our reach far beyond what our small sales team could accomplish alone. The key was finding partners whose success was directly tied to ours—creating true win-win scenarios.

As I build Sociail, I'm applying these lessons in a new context. The AI collaboration space moves much faster than higher education, but the fundamentals remain the same: understand your users deeply, build for the long term, create a culture that attracts exceptional talent, and forge strategic partnerships that accelerate growth.

From Bootstrap to Exit: The Real Numbers

Looking back, our journey had several pivotal moments:

• 60 universities across multiple continents
• 750,000+ students impacted by our platform
• 80% growth during COVID's first year
• 70% growth in year two
• Successful SEED round just before the pandemic
• Full private equity exit

These lessons aren't just historical artifacts—they're the foundation of how I'm building Sociail. The difference? This time we're moving faster because we know exactly which constraints to embrace and which to challenge.

The AI collaboration space moves at a different velocity than higher education, but the fundamentals remain unchanged: solve real problems, build for the long term, and never compromise on the team.

These lessons from bootstrapping AEFIS continue to shape my approach to building in the AI space. The constraints that seemed like disadvantages often become the very things that force innovation and create lasting competitive advantages.