About this episode
100 restaurants. Every order processed manually. Zero lines of code. Zhong Xu built Deliverect by turning integration partners into a SaaS distribution channel that scaled his product 10x faster than direct sales. Here's how he reached 80,000 restaurants and nearly $100M ARR through partnerships instead of cold outreach.
Zhong shares why he launched with a Wizard of Oz MVP, how he convinced competing software companies to distribute his product, and why he opened 10 offices in a single quarter during COVID to block local incumbents before they could form.
Plus: Zhong's take on why AI might turn his platform into commodity infrastructure - and his strategy to stay ahead.
Deliverect connects delivery platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash to restaurant systems across 50 countries. Zhong previously co-founded a restaurant software company that merged with Lightspeed, which IPO'd in 2019.
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? Key Lessons
? Build a SaaS distribution channel through integration partnerships: Zhong partnered with 10+ software companies who each brought 100 restaurants monthly, reaching 80,000 locations across 50 countries faster than any direct sales team could.
?? Launch with a Wizard of Oz MVP before writing code: Deliverect signed up 100 restaurants and manually processed every order before building anything, proving demand without wasting months on unvalidated features.
? Attribute leads to distribution partners to avoid conflict: Zhong always credited partners for deals regardless of how customers arrived, eliminating the channel conflict that destroys most partnership-driven growth programs.
? Enter every market before local incumbents emerge: Deliverect opened 10 offices in one quarter during COVID, betting that being number 1 or 2 early was cheaper than displacing entrenched local competitors later.
? Always charge early customers - free users give less feedback: Zhong found that non-paying customers feel guilty requesting help and stay silent, while even $50/month customers actively engage and provide honest product feedback.
? Deep domain expertise creates unfair SaaS distribution advantages: Zhong's 12+ years in restaurant tech meant he had every partner CEO's phone number at launch, turning cold outreach into warm partnership conversations.
? Build the intelligence layer before you become commodity infrastructure: Deliverect is racing to add AI-powere
