Dawson Botsford was recently featured on the youtube channel Starter Story. Dawson's the man behind Earnifi, a super fast growing web3 startup that helps Ethereum users find and claim unclaimed airdrops, essentially free money from various crypto projects. As a solo-preneur and software engineer, he built Earnifi in a matter of hours and scaled it to a million-dollar business, all while living out of a van in Boulder, Colorado. What a story!

Dawson Botsford on the Youtube Channel Starter Story

The Birth of Earnifi

Dawson's journey to creating Earnifi began with his fascination for hackathons during his college days. Hackathons were awesome for software development, allowing him to create quick, impactful solutions. This passion followed him through his career at Uber and beyond, ultimately leading him to explore the potential of Ethereum and the crypto space.

In a month-long hackathon, Dawson conceptualized and built Earnifi in less than a day. He waited until the last moment to start coding, but once he did, the solution flowed naturally. Earnifi's simplicity and utility captured the attention of the crypto community, allowing users to discover unclaimed airdrops quickly.

Going Viral

Dawson's viral marketing strategy was a key component of Earnifi's initial success. By crafting an engaging tweet and showcasing the app's potential, he got 10,000 organic signups within 48 hours. The tweet featured a video demonstrating how Earnifi worked, enticing users with the possibility of finding unclaimed crypto funds.

Monetization and Growth

Despite the initial surge of free users, Dawson faced the challenge of monetizing Earnifi. His solution was an anti-email strategy: users would only receive emails if they had significant airdrops to claim. This approach led to exceptionally high open rates and user engagement, as it essentially trained his users that his emails got them money, every time they opened.

He then introduced a paywall, where users had to pay to see the details of their unclaimed airdrops, turning Earnifi into profitability, with over $100,000 in monthly revenue.

Acquisition and Beyond

Earnifi's success caught the attention of the popular crypto podcast Bankless, leading to an acquisition. This move allowed Dawson to become the CTO of Bankless, a dream come true for him. However, post-acquisition life brought its own challenges, as Dawson navigated finding new purpose and meaning beyond his startup.

Life on the Road

Now, Dawson balances his time between skiing, consulting, and working on open-source projects while living in his van. He continues to engage with the tech community through conferences and meetups, driven by his passion for creating impactful solutions.

Now, without further adieu, here's the video from Starter Story: