PubLoft
Autopilot blog management for startups
TL;DR: Autopilot blog management for startups.
Key Metrics
Milestones
Pricing
Tech Stack
Timeline
2017-01
Mat Sherman quits job at Endless Entertainment after ~3 months
2017-02
Started freelance blog writing at $20/article, then grew to $100/article
2017-03
Friend identifies content writing as most valuable service on Mat's offerings list
2017-04-08
PubLoft officially born - purchased domain and set up initial website
2017-04-09
Cold email campaign begins - 300+ emails to YC startups from YCList.com
2017-04-10
First positive response from cold email campaign
2017-04-15
Three customers signed within first week, including Thiel Fellow/YC alum
2017-05
$5,000 contract with 500 Startups through freelance writer introduction - validation moment
2017-06
Began building network of freelance writers to fulfill content orders
2017-08
Reached 15+ clients within four months through cold email and referrals
2017-10
Published first article about PubLoft's journey on Medium
2017-12
Approached ~$5K MRR after 8 months of operation
2018-01
Health issues (Kleine-Levin Syndrome episodes) begin severely impacting operations
2018-01-29
PubLoft 1.0 officially ceases operations due to Mat's health condition
2018-03
Recovery period - Mat steps back from active business building
2018-06
Decision to revive PubLoft with buddy Jeremy as co-founder (operations)
2018-07
PubLoft 2.0 launches - Jeremy handles operations, Mat focuses on sales
2018-08
Key pricing decision: bumped article pricing to $500 per article
2018-09
Cold email machine rebuilt using Mailshake - outbound pipeline scaling
2018-10
Rapid growth phase begins - cold emails plus referrals driving consistent new clients
2018-12
PubLoft reaches $24K MRR peak - $0 to $24K in approximately 7 months
2019-01
Applied and accepted into Jason Calacanis's LAUNCH Accelerator
2019-02
Jason Calacanis invests $100K into PubLoft through LAUNCH program
2019-02
Moved into $4K/month apartment for accelerator period
2019-03
Spent $5K on LinkedIn automation - part of post-funding spending spree
2019-03
Hired full-time salesperson to replace Mat's cold email sales function
2019-04
Realization in LAUNCH that PubLoft is an agency, not a scalable marketplace
2019-04
Hired salesperson fails to generate results despite heavy training investment
2019-05
Co-founder friction between Mat and Jeremy escalates during accelerator
2019-05
Lost largest customer (acquired by another company)
2019-06
Jeremy comes to office: 'no more payroll' - $100K funding depleted in ~3 months
2019-06
Founder salary was only $25,000/year yet company couldn't sustain operations
2019-07
Attempted marketplace pivot - connecting freelancers directly with companies
2019-02
PubLoft shuts down completely - from $24K MRR to zero
2019-10
Mat reflects: 'My ability to raise capital was capped by my network, not my merit'
2020-01
Mat Sherman begins building Seedscout, born from PubLoft's fundraising lessons
Distribution
Growth Story
PubLoft grew from a freelance blog writing side project to a $24K MRR content marketplace through aggressive cold emailing of YC startups. Despite strong initial traction, flawed unit economics, post-funding mismanagement, and co-founder friction led to complete shutdown.
Target Audience
Early-stage startups and YC companies needing consistent blog content without hiring in-house writers
Problem Solved
Startups struggle to produce consistent blog content for SEO and thought leadership. PubLoft offered a subscription where companies got four blog posts per month uploaded automatically, removing the burden of managing writers and content calendars.