Startups Gamma and Engine show viral social media isn’t the only path to growth

At TechCrunch Disrupt, founders from Gamma and Engine shared how their startups scaled without relying on viral social media strategies. Gamma leveraged influencer marketing to reach a multi-billion-dollar valuation, while Engine bootstrapped to $150 million in bookings using traditional sales tactics. The discussion underscored that customer acquisition doesn’t always require a social media splash.

Tarun Mottlia

Editor, Lazyfounder

Published Oct 24, 20263 min read

Startups Gamma and Engine show viral social media isn’t the only path to growth — Image: Slava Blazer Photography via source

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Gamma used influencer marketing via its ‘Gambassador’ program to scale and reach a multi-billion-dollar valuation.
Engine bootstrapped to $150 million in bookings without a social media strategy, relying on traditional sales tactics.
Google Ventures partner emphasized the importance of working closely with influencers to ensure they understand and communicate a product’s value.
Traditional sales methods, such as phone calls and in-person events, can outperform viral social media content for customer acquisition.

Influencer marketing as a growth lever

Gamma, an AI-driven presentation startup, scaled its business using a structured influencer program called ‘Gambassador.’ According to TechCrunch, the program helped the company reach a multi-billion-dollar valuation by leveraging influencers to amplify its brand.

Grant Lee, Gamma’s founder and CEO, emphasized that simply giving influencers a platform isn’t enough. Founders must actively collaborate with them to ensure they understand and communicate the product’s value effectively. This approach contrasts with the ‘set it and forget it’ mentality often seen in creator marketing.

Bootstrapping with traditional sales

Engine, a travel software company, took a different path to growth. The company bootstrapped its way to $150 million in bookings without a visible social media strategy, relying instead on traditional sales methods. Elia Wallen, founder and CEO, shared that phone calls, in-person events, and even hiring a magician to attract prospects to their booth drove their customer acquisition.

Wallen’s approach highlights how unconventional tactics—like live performances at events—can create memorable engagements that translate into sales. Engine’s success demonstrates that viral content isn’t a prerequisite for scaling.

The role of data in identifying evangelists

Crystal Huang, a general partner at Google Ventures, stressed the importance of identifying and nurturing evangelists. She noted that startups should analyze customer usage data to spot patterns like recurring usage or referrals, which can reveal potential super fans. These users can become powerful advocates, driving organic growth without paid campaigns.

Huang’s insights align with Gamma’s and Engine’s experiences, showing that a deep understanding of customer behavior can inform effective, low-cost growth strategies.

What this means

Lazyfounder analysis — our interpretation, not reported fact.

The stories of Gamma and Engine challenge the assumption that startups must pursue viral social media strategies to scale. Gamma’s success with influencer marketing—paired with active founder involvement—shows that quality and clarity matter more than reach alone. Meanwhile, Engine proves that traditional sales tactics, when executed creatively, can outperform flashy digital campaigns.

For founders, this is a reminder that growth strategies should align with the product and audience, not trends. A bootstrapped model, like Engine’s, may work for B2B startups with longer sales cycles, while influencer marketing, like Gamma’s, can be effective for consumer-facing products. The common thread is the focus on understanding and engaging customers directly, whether through data, collaboration, or unconventional sales tactics.

Key takeaways

Founders can achieve significant growth without viral social media strategies, as demonstrated by Engine’s bootstrapped success.
Influencer marketing requires active collaboration and clear messaging to drive meaningful customer acquisition.
Data-driven identification of super fans and evangelists can amplify organic growth and retention.
Unconventional sales tactics, like in-person events, can create memorable engagement and drive conversions.

Sources

TechCrunch · 2026-10-23
Startups don’t need to go viral to win customers

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