James Evans’ Lessons Learned Building a >$50M YC-Backed Business & Selling it to a Public Company | Ep 95

Send us a text In this episode, James Evans, co-founder of Command AI (acq by Amplitude), shares his entrepreneurial journey- from childhood ambitions to launching a startup in college and scaling it through YC. He talks about turning a side project into a venture-backed company, navigating the startup grind, and eventually getting acquired by Amplitude. James breaks down the realities of startup life, including hiring, sales vs. product-led growth, and the psychological weight of being a founder. He also walks through the acquisition process, post-acquisition integration, and how he’s continuing to grow in a new role. This episode is packed with candid insight into early-stage building, decision-making, and what comes after the “win.” 00:00 Starting a Company: The Myth vs. Reality  00:08 Interview with James Evans: Early Life and Entrepreneurial Aspirations  01:41 College Days: The Birth of Command AI  02:50 From Side Project to Startup  04:31 Entering Private Equity After Graduation  05:34 The YC Experience and Why Speed Matters  13:26 Marketing and Growth: What Actually Works  16:32 Conserving Innovation and Picking the Right Bets  16:54 Remote Work as a Strategic Choice  17:48 Marketing: From Popups to Planes  19:17 Avoiding Overthinking and Moving Fast  20:30 Angel Investing and Operating Insights  22:38 Hiring, Firing, and Early Team Building  26:02 The Amplitude Acquisition: How It Happened  30:14 After the Exit: Integration and Personal Growth Connect with Paige 🌱💜 Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/ Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/ Twitter | https://x.com/paigefinnn Links 🔗 James Evans – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbevans/ 🔗 CommandBar – https://www.commandbar.com/ 🔗 Y Combinator – https://www.ycombinator.com/ 🔗 Amplitude – https://amplitude.com/ Support the show