Finding the cohorts that compound
A browser built for work, with strong potential and no rhythm. Narrowing the product to its four strongest cohorts lifted activation, quadrupled monthly revenue and opened a B2B line. Sidekick was later acquired by Perplexity.
- Dec 2022 — Aug 2024
- 20+ person cross-functional org
- Consumer + B2B
to ~$700K
from ~60%
18 months
3 months
Starting point
In the CEO’s words, the product “had strong potential but lacked the structure and rhythm needed to scale effectively.” Progress was sporadic.
The product was trying to serve more than ten user segments at once, activation sat around 60%, and there was no B2B business.
My role
CPO, leading a 20+ person cross-functional organization.
Owned the 12–18 month product strategy, the roadmap and the consumer growth funnel.
What I did
- Narrowed the product to four cohorts
Took more than ten user segments down to the four strongest product-market-fit cohorts and rebuilt the funnel around them.
- Installed a weekly shipping rhythm
Hypotheses were tested systematically, experiments were tied to measurable outcomes, and the team shipped on a consistent weekly cadence. Time-to-market dropped by about 50%.
- Ran the monetization experiments
Pricing, paywall, messaging and localization experiments drove monthly revenue growth.
- Built B2B from zero
Launched a B2B offer and reached 200+ teams in three months.
What changed
Activation rose from roughly 60% to 77%, DAU tripled in 18 months, monthly revenue grew 4× to approximately $700K, and 200+ B2B teams signed on in three months. Sidekick was later acquired by Perplexity.
Acquired by Perplexity
Summary
Focus did the compounding: four cohorts instead of ten, a weekly rhythm instead of sporadic launches, and pricing and B2B built for the people who already valued the product.
“Nikita introduced a disciplined product process where hypotheses were systematically tested, experiments were translated into measurable outcomes, and the team began shipping with consistent weekly cadence.”