Rounded was ready to scale, but needed strategic clarity.
Rounded had done what most SaaS startups strive for: build meaningful traction as a challenger brand in a category dominated by bigger players.
Thanks to a strong product and a loyal customer base, early growth came organically through word-of-mouth, smart SEO, and high-trust referral and partner networks. But now, the team was ready for the next step.
“We knew we had a strong product-market fit. We’d established a strong user base and were ready to scale. However, we wanted to make sure we did it in a disciplined, measured way.” - Oliver Garside, Co-Founder
The team wanted to pinpoint which channels held the most potential, where to invest deeper, and how to build a repeatable, scalable growth engine.
The Process
1. Full-Funnel Audit
Before unlocking new growth, I needed to understand where Rounded was losing potential customers and where the biggest gains were hiding.
I ran a full-funnel audit to uncover friction points, performance gaps, and untapped opportunities. This included:
- Analyzing user behavior with heatmaps, session replays, and surveys
- Segmenting web performance by persona, device, and traffic source
- Mapping CAC, lead volume, and conversion rates across all major channels
- Evaluating messaging and positioning against what truly influenced purchase
I also drilled into key buyer personas to understand where they went to evaluate solutions, what they were using instead of Rounded today, and what beliefs needed to shift before someone signed up.
2. Fixing the friction
As a quick win, we built targeted landing pages mapped to specific buyer personas that addressed the motivations, objections, and goals of that segment. This improved relevance, reduced bounce rates, and lifted conversion across the board.
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3. Testing new channels
I rigorously trialed paid marketing channels using high-intent audience segments and a methodical creative testing process. Every campaign had to meet strict CAC targets while still delivering high-LTV subscribers.
This combination of funnel clarity and disciplined experimentation helped me identify the channels worth scaling and build a growth engine that could go the distance.
The Results
Rounded grew free trial signups by 207% in just six months, powered by sharper messaging, tailored landing pages, and disciplined ad experimentation.
One campaign consistently converted 11% of clicks into signups throughout the year.
Although early campaign CACs were in the triple digits, I brought them down by 61%, achieving a sustainable, double-digit cost per acquisition that aligned with Rounded’s LTV and margin goals.
I’m continuing to work closely with the team to scale what’s working and identify the next wave of growth opportunities.
