🚀 The Pivot That Built a $3B Unicorn in Just 2 Years

In partnership with

Hey Deal Lift crew! 🚀 

Ever wondered if switching gears could turn your startup dreams into a literal billion-dollar fairy tale? Well, grab your coffee ☕ and buckle up, because Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen—two MIT brainiacs turned startup superheroes—are here to show you how it’s done. Their wild ride from coding wizards to unicorn founders is the stuff of legend, and we’re spilling all the juicy details! 🔥

Add a piece of the energy sector to your portfolio.

• Access to 300 million barrels of recoverable oil reserves

• Royalty-based investment model reducing operational risks

• Projected 25+ years of potential royalty income

Join the Raise

Read the Offering information carefully before investing. It contains details of the issuer’s business, risks, charges, expenses, and other information, which should be considered before investing. Obtain a Form C and Offering Memorandum at invest.klondikeroyalties.com.

📜 The Origin Story: Smart Guys, Big Dreams

Picture this: Two dudes, both rocking perfect 5.0 GPAs from MIT (yeah, they’re that smart 🤯), kick off their careers at big-time gigs—Varun tinkering with self-driving cars at Nuro, and Douglas geeking out on Oculus at Meta. Solid, right? But these guys weren’t here to just clock in and out. Nope, they had visions 💭.

So, in 2021, they teamed up to launch Exafunction, a startup all about making deep learning less of a headache for companies. Think GPU virtualization—fancy tech that helps businesses squeeze every ounce of power from their hardware without breaking the bank. 💰 They scored a cool $3M seed round right out the gate, and by April 2022, they were swimming in a $25M Series A, with heavy hitters like Greenoaks and Founders Fund cheering them on. Things were looking sweet! 🍬

🔄 The Big Pivot: Enter Codeium

But here’s where it gets spicy. 🌶️ Late 2022 rolls around, and Varun and Douglas start noticing something: sure, their infrastructure game was strong, but developers out there were dying for tools to make coding faster and easier. So, what did they do? They didn’t just tweak things—they flipped the whole script! Total company makeover: new focus, new name, new EVERYTHING.

Say hello to Codeium! 🎉

In December 2022, they dropped their shiny new toy: a free AI-powered code autocomplete extension that plugs right into faves like Visual Studio Code. Imagine typing away, and bam—Codeium’s got your back with real-time suggestions, significantly reducing dev time and zapping bugs like a digital superhero. 🦸‍♂️

📈 From 1,000 Users to Unicorn Status

Early 2023? Codeium had under 1,000 users. 😬

But word spread fast—by mid-2023, developers were flocking to it like it was free pizza night! 🍕

Fast forward to 2024, and things got crazy:

✅ Jan: Raised $65M at a $500M valuation

✅ Aug: Closed a $150M Series C, hitting $1.25B valuation 🦄 

✅ Dec: Over 600,000 developers + 700 enterprises onboarded 🤯 (some Fortune 500s reportedly in the mix!)

And now? As of Feb 2025, whispers on the street say Codeium’s in talks for a new funding round that could peg them at almost $3B. 💰

🎯 The Lesson: Stay Open to Change

So, what’s the secret sauce? 🧐

Varun and Douglas had guts and smarts. They started Exafunction with big dreams, but when the universe dropped a hint about something bigger, they didn’t cling to the old plan—they pivoted like pros. It’s that “strong convictions, loosely held” vibe—believe in your idea, but don’t be afraid to ditch it for a better one. 🔄

Oh, and fun fact: Codeium’s AI doesn’t just autocomplete—it’s now got features like bug detection, code explanation (for when you’re like, “What did I even write?” 😵‍💫), and even a beta voice-command mode that’s got coders losing their minds on X lately. Posts are popping off like, “I just told Codeium to fix my loop, and it DID IT IN 3 SECONDS.” Wild, right? 🤯

Also, their Windsurf Editor is a game-changer—an agentic IDE designed to work with AI-native features. And for enterprise customers, they offer fully self-hosted deployment options, ensuring that sensitive IP never leaves the network. That’s some serious peace of mind for companies concerned about data security. 🔐

Takeaway time, Deal Lift fam 🚀: Don’t be scared to change your mind—or your whole dang company! Varun and Douglas prove that a bold pivot could be your ticket to the unicorn club.

So, what’s your next big move? Drop us a reply—we’re dying to hear! 💬

Stay awesome,

✨ Your Deal Lift Crew ✨

Smarter Investing Starts with Smarter News

The Daily Upside helps 1M+ investors cut through the noise with expert insights. Get clear, concise, actually useful financial news. Smarter investing starts in your inbox—subscribe free.

Join 1M+ readers today.