Foundr Magazine Podcast | Learn From Successful Founders & Proven Entrepreneurs, The Ultimate Startup Podcast For Business

Tezza Barton bootstrapped the Tezza app from a two-person passion project into a 25M+ download, $33M/year creative-tech brand—with just 15 employees and zero paid ads for the first four years. In this interview, Tezza breaks down the scrappy path from negative bank balances and collage kits in a 250-sq-ft apartment to building a category-defining editing app and community that creatives actually love. From community-led growth and brand-first product design to pricing pivots, lean teams, and culture-shifting collabs, you’ll learn exactly how she scaled profitably while staying fan-obsessed and creatively uncompromising. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Tezza grew a bootstrapped, creator-led app to 25M+ downloads and $33M revenue • The community-first playbook: DMs, feedback loops, and building demand before launch • Product-led marketing: naming filters (e.g., “Wildflower”), seasonal drops, and experiential launches • Pricing and retention: recovering from a bumpy subscription rollout