Rob Walling

Co-founder of Drip, MicroConf and TinySeed^{Source [3]}^{Source [14]}

SaaSBootstrappingEmail marketingStartup investingAcquisitions

Unclaimed profileLast verified Oct 2, 2026

About

Rob Walling is a software entrepreneur and investor who focuses on SaaS companies built without venture capital. He describes himself as having started six companies, five of them bootstrapped.^{Source [3]}^{Source [1]}

His best known company is Drip, an email marketing automation product he co-founded with developer Derrick Reimer. Work on Drip began in December 2012, funded by revenue from HitTail, a keyword tool Walling had bought in 2011. Leadpages acquired Drip in July 2016 for an undisclosed sum, and Walling moved from Fresno, California to Minneapolis with the deal.^{Source [4]}^{Source [5]}^{Source [2]}

He co-founded MicroConf, a conference and community for bootstrapped SaaS founders that held its first event in Las Vegas in 2011, and in 2018 he and Einar Vollset announced TinySeed, a remote, year-long accelerator that invests in capital efficient B2B SaaS companies. He is a General Partner at TinySeed.^{Source [6]}^{Source [7]}^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]}

He hosts the weekly podcast Startups for the Rest of Us, which passed 850 episodes in September 2026, and has written books including Start Small, Stay Small and The SaaS Playbook. His site states he has invested in more than 240 startups, including WP Engine and SparkToro (self-reported).^{Source [10]}^{Source [11]}^{Source [12]}^{Source [3]}

Watch

How to Validate Your Idea & Launch to $7k in Recurring Revenue - Rob Walling - MicroConf 2014 by Rob Walling on YouTube

Career

2011 to 2015

2011 to now

2012 to 2016

2018 to now

Company	Years	Role	Status
TinySeed Co-founded the SaaS accelerator with Einar Vollset after the two saw MicroConf founders choosing only between bootstrapping and venture capital; he is a General Partner.^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]} Announced TinySeed with Einar Vollset in 2018 as a remote, year-long program for capital efficient SaaS companies.^{Source [8]} TinySeed says it has backed more than 180 SaaS companies across four continents (as of October 2026).^{Source [8]} Suggest a correction to TinySeed	2018 to now	Co-founder and General Partner^{Source [8]}^{Source [9]}	Active
Drip Co-founded the email marketing automation product with Derrick Reimer and led it as CEO until Leadpages acquired it in July 2016.^{Source [4]}^{Source [5]}^{Source [2]} Started Drip as an email capture widget and autoresponder; coding began in December 2012, funded by HitTail revenue.^{Source [4]} Said five potential acquirers approached Drip over about 18 months before the Leadpages deal.^{Source [4]} Sold Drip to Leadpages in July 2016; Leadpages noted the product had been built with 7 employees. Terms were not disclosed.^{Source [5]}^{Source [2]} Suggest a correction to Drip	2012 to 2016	Co-founder and CEO^{Source [4]}^{Source [5]}	Acquired
HitTail Bought the long tail keyword SaaS tool in August 2011, grew it and sold it through broker FE International in 2015.^{Source [13]}^{Source [7]} Became owner at the end of August 2011 after about three months of negotiation, then migrated its aging infrastructure.^{Source [13]} Reported growing its revenue 10x in 15 months; told Mixergy it went from about $1,500 to $2,000 a month to roughly $25,000 to $30,000 a month (self-reported).^{Source [7]}^{Source [4]} Used HitTail's revenue to fund Drip, then sold it with FE International as broker.^{Source [7]}^{Source [4]} Suggest a correction to HitTail	2011 to 2015	Owner^{Source [13]}^{Source [7]}	Acquired
MicroConf Co-founded the conference and community for bootstrapped SaaS founders, which began with a gathering in Las Vegas and has run since 2011.^{Source [6]}^{Source [14]} Hosted the first MicroConf in early 2011.^{Source [7]}^{Source [6]} MicroConf reports 19 events with nearly 200 speakers since 2011 (as of October 2026).^{Source [6]} Suggest a correction to MicroConf	2011 to now	Co-founder^{Source [14]}^{Source [6]}^{Source [3]}	Active

Milestones

2026-09Startups for the Rest of Us published episode 852.^{Source [10]}
2023Published The SaaS Playbook.^{Source [15]}
2018Announced TinySeed with Einar Vollset.^{Source [8]}
2016-11Profiled by WCCO after relocating to Minneapolis with Drip.^{Source [2]}
2016-07Sold Drip to Leadpages.^{Source [5]}^{Source [2]}
2015Sold HitTail through FE International.^{Source [7]}
2012-12Began building Drip with Derrick Reimer.^{Source [4]}
2011-08Acquired HitTail.^{Source [13]}
2011Hosted the first MicroConf in Las Vegas.^{Source [6]}^{Source [7]}
2010Published Start Small, Stay Small.^{Source [16]}

Boards, investments and other roles

Organization	Role	Years
Startups for the Rest of UsMedia	Host^{Source [11]}^{Source [10]}
Angel investmentsInvestor	Investor in more than 240 startups (self-reported), including WP Engine and SparkToro^{Source [3]}

Books

Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup 2010^{Source [16]}^{Source [14]}
The SaaS Playbook 2023^{Source [15]}^{Source [12]}
The Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together, Co-author^{Source [12]}
Exit Strategy^{Source [12]}

Links

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Sources

Rob Walling (@robwalling) profile, read via api.fxtwitter.com, X. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Minnesotan To Meet: Rob Walling, Co-Founder Of Drip, CBS Minnesota (WCCO), 2016-11-15. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
About Rob Walling, RobWalling.com. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
How Drip started as a widget and was acquired by Leadpages for a life-changing sum, Mixergy. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Announcement: Leadpages Has Acquired Drip, Leadpages, 2016-07-08. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
About, MicroConf. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
What I Learned Buying, Growing, and Selling My Startup, RobWalling.com, 2015-12-02. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
About Us, TinySeed. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Our Team, TinySeed. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
The Startups For the Rest of Us Podcast, Startups for the Rest of Us. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
About, Startups for the Rest of Us. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Rob Walling's Books, RobWalling.com. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
The Inside Story of a Small Startup Acquisition (Part 1), RobWalling.com, 2012-01-25. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Rob Walling, Co-Founder of MicroConf and TinySeed, MicroConf. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
The SaaS Playbook, Open Library. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.
Start Small, Stay Small, Open Library. Accessed Oct 2, 2026.

History

Oct 2, 2026: Profile created from public sources (Founded editors)

Compiled by Founded editors from the cited public sources. Editorial policy / Request removal