How we helped VideoGen acquire 3M+ users and build a global in-house acquisition system.
Scaled a YC-backed AI video app to 3M+ users with a full-funnel acquisition and creative testing system.
Project overview
VideoGen, a YC-backed AI video generation platform, came to us after becoming frustrated with their previous marketing agency. Acquisition costs were rising, creative was fatiguing quickly, and competitors with far larger engineering budgets were outpacing them. They needed a scalable growth system—not just more ads.
I stepped in to replace the external agency and build their entire marketing engine in-house. This included paid acquisition, performance creative, multi-language expansion, lifecycle automation, influencer programs, analytics, and team building.
The goal was clear: engineer a system that could profitably acquire millions of users around the world—fast, predictably, and without relying on heavy funding.
Project execution
We rebuilt VideoGen’s acquisition ecosystem from the ground up.
On paid acquisition, we managed Meta, Google, and Reddit with aggressive creative and audience testing. We applied advanced frameworks personally taught by Dan Birdwhistell (who has managed $800M+ in ad spend), allowing us to rapidly validate new angles, formats, and psychological triggers.
A complete creative pod was hired, trained, and managed—graphic designer, video editor, copywriter, and performance marketer—enabling us to ship 70+ creatives weekly across multiple formats. We used AI tools to translate ads into 12 languages, opening new profitable geos and compounding our learnings globally.
On lifecycle, we wrote weekly emails sent to 1M+ subscribers, along with automated nurturing flows that supported conversion and activation.
We also executed a micro-influencer program, affiliate education, and community-driven content engine that generated meaningful ROI without heavy spend.
Throughout this process, we made decisions through custom analytics dashboards and collaborated closely with the product team to prioritize features that reflected market demand and user psychology.
This was not just media buying—this was full-stack growth engineering.
Project results
With a lean team and a systems-first approach, we helped VideoGen scale globally and profitably:
- 3M+ users acquired
- 70+ creatives shipped weekly, powered by a scalable iteration framework
- Profitable expansion into 12 countries and languages
- Email automations sending 1M+ messages weekly
- Affiliate education program and micro-influencer campaigns generating positive ROI
- Full in-house growth team built and trained
- Complete replacement of the previous marketing agency with a faster, more efficient system
This system gave VideoGen a durable competitive advantage—allowing them to compete with far larger, better-funded companies through superior execution, messaging, and creative psychology.
