🎨 From Side Hustle to $150M Exit: The Behance Story That Redefined Creative Portfolio

In partnership with

Hey Deal Lifters! 🚀

Ready to dive into a tale where creativity meets entrepreneurship? Let's explore how two visionaries transformed the way creatives showcase their work.

StartEngine’s $30M Surge — Own a Piece Before June 26

Private markets are having a moment, thanks to companies like StartEngine.

The leading alternative investing platform is helping everyday investors like you access deals once reserved for VCs and insiders, including exposure to private market titans like OpenAI, Databricks, and Perplexity.¹

How’s it going? In Q1 2025, StartEngine pulled off $30M in revenue, its biggest quarter ever (based on unaudited financials).²

But StartEngine isn’t just a middleman. The company earns 20% carried interest on select pre-IPO offerings, unlocking value for shareholders when these deals succeed.³

How can you tap into this diversification play? By investing in StartEngine.

StartEngine has crowdfunded $85M+ to date, and you can join 45K+ shareholders before the company’s current round closes on June 26.

Invest in StartEngine

_{Reg A+ via StartEngine Crowdfunding, Inc. No BD/intermediary involved. Investment is speculative, illiquid & high risk. See OC and Risks on page.}

💡 The Spark: A Better Platform for Creatives

In 2005, Scott Belsky, a Harvard MBA and former Goldman Sachs consultant, teamed up with designer Matias Corea. Frustrated by the lack of professional platforms for creatives—LinkedIn felt too corporate—they envisioned a space where designers, photographers, and artists could display their portfolios. Thus, Behance was born.

🛠️ Building the MVP: Simplicity at Its Best

With limited funds, they bootstrapped the initial version of Behance. It was a clean, user-friendly platform focusing solely on portfolios. To support operations, they introduced the "Action Method"—a productivity framework accompanied by physical notebooks designed to help creatives manage projects efficiently.

📈 Gaining Traction: Community and Content

Behance's growth was organic. They organized the 99U Conference, named after Thomas Edison's quote, "Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration." This event became a hub for creatives, emphasizing execution over mere ideas.

Their blog and thought leadership content further solidified their position in the creative community.

💰 The Big Break: Adobe's Acquisition

By 2012, Behance had garnered significant attention. Adobe, aiming to enhance its Creative Cloud offerings, acquired Behance for over $150 million in cash and stock.

Scott Belsky joined Adobe as Vice President of Community, ensuring Behance's vision remained intact.

🧠 Key Takeaways for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

1. Identify Gaps in Familiar Industries: Belsky and Corea's firsthand experience in the creative world allowed them to pinpoint a significant gap.

2. Bootstrap When Possible: They maintained control and validated their idea without significant external funding.

3. Diversify Revenue Streams: Products like the Action Method notebooks provided additional income and brand reinforcement.

4. Build a Community: Events like the 99U Conference fostered a loyal user base and promoted.

5. Stay True to Your Vision: Even post-acquisition, Belsky ensured Behance's core mission remained.

🎯 Final Thoughts

Behance's journey from a simple idea to a platform integrated into Adobe's ecosystem is a testament to the power of identifying unmet needs and building with purpose.

Stay inspired and keep lifting those deals! 💼✨

— The Deal Lift Team

Engage Prospects at the Perfect Moment With Our AI BDR

A poorly timed outbound message is a wasted message. Ava tracks your prospects in real-time and waits for them to trigger an intent signal before automatically sending them a personalized email or LinkedIn message.

Hire Ava who automates your entire outbound demand generation process, including:

• Intent-Driven Lead Discovery Across Dozens of Sources

• High Quality Emails with Human-Level Personalization

• Follow-Up Management

• Email Deliverability Management

Book a demo to see how Ava can 10x your outbound.