My StartX Story: How One Community Shaped My Entrepreneurial Journey

I first arrived in Silicon Valley from Turkey roughly a decade ago, full of excitement yet unsure of how exactly to navigate this new world. Over the years, I launched and ran multiple ventures, but it wasn’t until my second company, Leo, that I found my way into StartX. Frankly, I owe that acceptance largely to my co-founder, Dana Loberg—a Yale alum—and the strong recommendations from my friend, Richard Rabbit. At the time, I didn’t feel like a typical “StartX caliber” entrepreneur, but fate (and a few good words from the right people) put me on a trajectory that would change my career forever.

Seeing the “Why” Behind Silicon Valley

Before StartX, Dana and I had raised funds from more than 50 investors. But despite all that activity, I never fully grasped why investors invested—beyond the basic ideas of product, traction, and potential returns. StartX’s fundraising workshops and presentations opened my eyes to the deeper mechanics and philosophies driving Silicon Valley. That was one of the most pivotal lessons I’ve ever learned in my tech journey: understanding the investor mindset.

StartX didn’t just teach me fundraising. It made me realize that it’s not enough to pitch your startup; you have to pitch the market and demonstrate real timing. StartX also emphasized the concept of VC-market-founder fit, which is the idea that an ideal alignment exists between a venture capitalist’s focus, the market you’re pursuing, and your own strengths as a founder. When all three align, the fundraising process flows more naturally, and partnerships feel more like collaborations than negotiations.

Discovering SaaS as My True Calling

I had spent over 20 years building consumer and e-commerce products—even starting my first business back home in Turkey at just 15 years old. But at StartX, something clicked: SaaS might be my real path forward. Talking with fellow founders in my StartX batch, I saw the power of recurring revenue, the scalability of a well-built B2B product, and—most importantly—how much I enjoyed working with and learning from other entrepreneurs.

I still remember sitting in Palo Alto in October 2019, chatting with a few StartX founders about the nuances of remote work. Having managed remote teams for much of my professional life, I suddenly realized I already had the domain name—remoteteam.com—and a wealth of experience in distributed workforces. In that moment, RemoteTeam was born.

Learning from Rejection and Bouncing Back

When I first applied to StartX with RemoteTeam, I got rejected. I’d gone through multiple accelerators before, but this was different. The StartX interview process, in my experience, is one of the most rigorous and transparent in the Valley. Their rejection came with concrete feedback, which turned out to be instrumental in shaping RemoteTeam’s future.

I took their advice seriously. I refined my pitch, clarified our product strategy, and most of all, demonstrated the market’s urgent need for a simple solution to remote payroll and team management. With those changes, I applied again—and this time, I got in.

Becoming a Fundraising “Machine”

StartX offers more than great mentorship; it provides frameworks and resources that can be studied and internalized. For me, Joseph’s funding strategy sessions and the library of StartX decks became my daily bread. I can’t even count how many times I replayed presentations like “Perfect Investor Intros,” “Negotiating Your Seed Round,” “Mastering the VC Meeting,” and “Controlling Your Valuation.” I had them on constant rotation—on my phone, in the car, while traveling—absorbing every nuance.

Eventually, all that knowledge paid off. Despite English not being my first language, I found myself more confident in front of investors. I understood their priorities. I knew how to highlight market potential while tying it back to our unique value proposition. StartX didn’t just help me raise money; it helped me become a more strategic, more empathetic communicator.

The Gusto Acquisition

Fast-forward to 2021: RemoteTeam was acquired by Gusto. This exit was a milestone for everyone on our team—and a personal triumph I can trace directly back to everything I learned at StartX. During the M&A process, whenever Gusto’s corp dev team, lawyers, or executives saw StartX on our cap table, they would immediately light up and say something positive about the program. That brand association alone speaks volumes about StartX’s reputation in Silicon Valley.

Giving Back: A Pledge to StartX

I’m not sure there’s a way to fully repay the support, knowledge, and community that StartX provided. But one small gesture is to make a pledge to StartX from my company’s proceeds—something I wholeheartedly encourage every founder to do. It’s a way of paying forward the benefits of the community and ensuring future entrepreneurs have access to the same transformative experience I had.

Why StartX Is Different

I’ve gone through five accelerators, but StartX was in a league of its own. The connections I made felt deeper and more genuine. Founder-to-founder chats at StartX weren’t just about pitching or networking; they were about solving real problems together and sharing resources in a way I hadn’t experienced elsewhere. The environment fosters a sense of shared destiny—you’re not just building your startup in a silo; you’re growing alongside other brilliant minds who genuinely want to help you succeed.

A Heartfelt Thank You

Today, I look back on that decision to move to Silicon Valley from Turkey, on the chance acceptance into StartX with Leo, and on the crucial moments that shaped RemoteTeam’s trajectory. Every part of that journey was influenced by the insights, friendships, and guidance I gained at StartX.

I can’t thank the StartX community enough. They took a founder who barely spoke fluent English and helped me become a SaaS entrepreneur who eventually found success with a major exit. For anyone reading this—anyone who’s part of or thinking of joining StartX—I want you to know: it’s worth it. This is a community of genuine founders supporting one another, pushing each other toward better ideas, better execution, and ultimately, bigger outcomes.

StartX changed my life. And I’ll remain forever grateful for that.

With warm gratitude,

Sahin Founder, RemoteTeam (acquired by Gusto) StartX Alumni, Entrepreneur