Stage 1
Key figure: 0paying customers
Launch-ready
How you can tell: The MVP is live, but nobody signs up.
What we do
- Define your target customers
- Pilot customer programme
- Cold calling
What you have afterwards: Your first paying pilot customers.
Stage 1 · Launch-ready
Software's done. Nobody signs up?
This is stage 1, from 0 to 1. Together we land your first paying pilot customers before a single euro goes into ads.
As featured in
Portfolio & partners
A selection of the partners we work with and the companies we hold stakes in.
Portfolio
+ 10 more
Partners
We’re Deno and Maxi. We’ve built and sold software ourselves.
More about us01Where it gets stuck
The site is live. And then: nothing.
Empty inbox
The site is live, but sign-ups don't come.
You're guessing what's missing
Without real users you can't tell what's missing.
Too early
Right now an ads retainer buys clicks on an offer nobody has tested.
What we do at this stage
Together we define your target customers, build a pilot offer and pick up the phone ourselves until the first ones pay.
02The 5 stages
Every stage needs something different.
We've been through stages 1 to 4 ourselves, with our own products.
Stage 2
Key figure: 1 to 5paying customers
Pilot customers
How you can tell: The first ones are paying. There's no system yet.
What we do
- Cold calling
- Build in feedback
- Sales process
What you have afterwards: An offer that sells again and again.
Stage 3
Key figure: 5 to 100paying customers
Predictable
How you can tell: You know who buys, but leads only trickle in.
What we do
- Funnels & ads
- Sales system
- Data with X3
What you have afterwards: Leads you can plan with. Up to around 100 customers.
Stage 4
Key figure: 100+paying customers
Automated
How you can tell: It's growing. Sadly, so is the manual work.
What we do
- Automation
- AI where it saves time
- Referrals
What you have afterwards: Growth that no longer depends on you.
Stage 5Outlook
Key figure: Severalmarkets
Expansion
How you can tell: Your home market is working. Now what?
Topics
- Internationalisation
- Scaling up
- Exit
What you have afterwards: New markets, scaling up or an exit.
03The right order
We don't just build sales. We build you a system.
From 0 to 1, in the right order. With exactly what you need right now.
0
paying customers Stage 1
What we do with you
We call target customers with you and win your first pilot customers.
1 to 5
paying customers Stage 2
What we do with you
We build their feedback in until the sale repeats itself.
from 5
paying customers Stage 3
What we do with you
First we do the base setup. When it makes sense, we bring in the right partner to take it further.
Ads specialistGoogle AdsLinkedIn
Measured with X3: by paying customers, not clicks.
You see what the partner delivers and decide whether they stay.
04Invested ourselves
We have skin in the game.
We've built software projects, taken stakes in them and put in our own money. Whatever works there, we bring to you. And we'll tell you about what didn't work, too.
Our own tool
X3 Suite by X3 Growth Intelligence
We follow every ad euro all the way to the closed deal.
We used to work with plenty of service providers ourselves and wanted to see what each one actually delivered. That became X3. Today marketing teams use it too.
Try it yourselfFree, no credit card needed
Sample data First-party, no cookies. For every visit you see which ad it came from.
See what each ad costs and what it brings in. Across every channel.
- Google Ads
- TikTok
For every lead you see where it came from, how well it fits and the path it took. Even across devices.
Watch real visits. Form inputs are masked.
Closed deals flow back to your ad accounts server-side.
Leads land straight in your CRM. Meetings and closed deals come back.
- HubSpot
- Pipedrive
Test headlines, buttons and funnel steps against each other.
Through MCP, Claude plugs straight into your numbers. Just ask.
- Claude
StakeVacabee
Travel software with its own booking platform
500Customers
approx.2M USDRaised
This is where we found each other. We connected Amadeus and several airlines. Medical tourism is next.
StakeServioo
AI software for restaurants
0 to 150paying customers
QR ordering and an AI waiter for restaurants.
05Founders
Deno and Maxi.
Stage 
Code
Day to day
We’re part of international projects.
Our software projects work across borders, so that’s how we live and work too. We’re on the ground with our partners and projects and make sure they succeed.
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Playa del Carmen
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Croatia
- Greece
- Dubai
X3 PartnersTraining 
Training first, then the first call.
X3 PartnersSea air 
The good ideas come out on the water.
X3 PartnersSea view 
A table on the beach. Calls as usual.
X3 PartnersLayover 
At the gate. A book instead of emails.
X3 PartnersDiving 
Going under. No laptop.
X3 PartnersBreather 
Step outside, clear your head.
X3 PartnersOn the move 
Out on foot, phones in our pockets.
X3 PartnersSunset 
Done for the day.
06Is this a fit?
We work with only a few.
With people like us: hungry for the work, honest about the numbers.
A fit
- Your product is live, as SaaS or on a subscription.
- You roll up your sleeves and bring what you do best.
- You want paying customers, not just clicks.
Not a fit
- You only have an idea and are looking for someone to build it.
- You want to grow without putting in time yourself.
- You're only looking for someone to run ads.
- You're looking for a shortcut. We haven't found one either.
07FAQ
Short questions, short answers.
What does a partnership cost?
Honestly: we don't have a fixed price tag yet. In the first call we tell you what it would cost in your case and whether it pays off for you. On stages 1 and 2 we won't sell you ads on a retainer.
Which industries do you work with?
Subscription software, the industry comes second. Our own products are in travel, hospitality and marketing data.
How long does it take to reach the next stage?
Honestly: that depends on your product, price and market. We only put a time on it once we know your numbers.
We already have someone running our ads. Now what?
Keep them if they bring in paying customers. With X3 you see in black and white what they deliver, and we tell you whether that fits your stage.
Do you invest in your partners?
Vacabee and Servioo are backed by our own money.
Why only a few partners?
Because we roll up our sleeves ourselves, and that only works with a few. We'd rather make a handful of products really strong than many a little.
You travel a lot. How do you work?
Remotely, with fixed calls and X3, where we both see the same numbers. The only way you'll notice where we are is the time zone.
How does the intro call work?
You tell us what you're building, and we tell you how we work. Afterwards we both know whether you really need us and whether it's a fit.
08Get in touch
Tell us where you are right now.
Pick your stage, add a few details.Then choose a time that suits you.
- 1Stage
- 2You
- 3Call
Pick your stage, add a few details, choose a time.
Step 2 of 3
Stage 1: From 0 to 1. We've been there too.
Now tell us about you.
Then you pick a time. A conversation, not a pitch.
Rather send a message?Message Deno and Maxi on WhatsApp