Building a ChatGPT Alternative with a Bootstrapper Budget
August 11, 2026
340,000 users. No paid ads. And a direct competitor in ChatGPT. That combination shouldn't exist, but Ajelix made it a reality. In this episode of SaaS That App, hosts Aaron Marchbanks and Justin Edwards talk with Agnese Jaunošāne, Co-founder and COO of Ajelix, about how she and her co-founder built a spreadsheet-to-insights platform out of Latvia to that scale on organic growth alone. They get into why the company stayed self-funded for years, how a European Commission-backed grant fits into that story now, why Ajelix is pulling back from the US market to focus on Europe instead, and the freemium pricing mistake that cost them more than they expected.
This podcast is brought to you by Delta Systems, your one-stop shop for front-end, back-end, and full-stack software development. At Delta, Justin and Aaron share the same philosophy when it comes to clients: they treat people like colleagues, not just customers. Maybe that’s why Delta typically spends years working with the same companies: how many software engineering firms can you say that about? So, if you’ve got a big SaaS project in mind but have no idea where to start, come and get a free scope and estimate from Delta Systems at: https://deltasystems.com/
Got a burning idea for an episode, or a SaaS question you absolutely must know the answer to? Leave us a voice memo: https://www.speakpipe.com/SaasThatApp
340,000 users. No paid ads. And a direct competitor in ChatGPT. That combination shouldn't exist, but Ajelix made it a reality. In this episode of SaaS That App, hosts Aaron Marchbanks and Justin Edwards talk with Agnese Jaunošāne, Co-founder and COO of Ajelix, about how she and her co-founder built a spreadsheet-to-insights platform out of Latvia to that scale on organic growth alone. They get into why the company stayed self-funded for years, how a European Commission-backed grant fits into that story now, why Ajelix is pulling back from the US market to focus on Europe instead, and the freemium pricing mistake that cost them more than they expected.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why freemium pricing is deceptively expensive and how to measure who actually converts
- What it’s like building a global SaaS company from a small country where most people don’t even know what SaaS is
- How to build a content-driven growth engine without paid channels or influencer deals
Agnese Jaunošāne is the co-founder and COO of Ajelix, a platform that transforms spreadsheet data into actionable business insights, now serving over 340,000 users worldwide, all through organic growth without external funding or paid advertising. With a background spanning Accenture and Printful, where she witnessed firsthand how startups scale differently and serve global markets, Agnese brings a unique blend of corporate strategy and entrepreneurial resilience to SaaS building.
This podcast is brought to you by Delta Systems, your one-stop shop for front-end, back-end, and full-stack software development. At Delta, Justin and Aaron share the same philosophy when it comes to clients: they treat people like colleagues, not just customers. Maybe that’s why Delta typically spends years working with the same companies: how many software engineering firms can you say that about? So, if you’ve got a big SaaS project in mind but have no idea where to start, come and get a free scope and estimate from Delta Systems at:
https://deltasystems.com/ Highlights and YouTube Chapters:
- [02:53] How Printful Shaped a Founder's Mindset
- [04:29] You’re Never Ready for Entrepreneurship
- [07:17] Launching Two Months Before ChatGPT
- [09:00] Competing with Giants as a Small Bootstrap Team
- [12:19] Pivoting Toward Europe for Survival and Opportunity
- [14:32] The Philosophy Behind Staying Bootstrapped
- [17:29] Why Spending Your Own Money Makes You Learn 10x Faster
- [19:40] Building a Global Tech Company From a Small Country
- [22:12] The Zero-Budget Marketing Engine
- [25:23] The Freemium Trap Agnese Wished They'd Avoided
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