Substack Bestseller · 24,000+ readers
For the people who own growth
Each issue turns one breakout into 8 sourced growth mechanics, using filings, hiring data and 20+ founder podcasts. Data, not opinion.
Every playbook, past and future · Cancel anytime
By Ivan Landabaso (JME Ventures, ex-Meta)
It's not an access problem. It's a signal problem. Most startup content is opinion dressed up as analysis: hot takes written in 20 minutes off the same recycled headlines. The mechanics that actually moved the curve are buried in filings and three-hour founder podcasts you'll never get to. You don't need more content. You need the one move you can act on this week.
There's a better way to read ↓Torn down so far
Ramp$0 → $1B+
Sierra$0 → $165M
Synthesia$0 → $150M
Mistral$0 → $400M
Replit$2.5M → $250M
Clay$0 → $100M
How Pro works
Each issue picks a single outlier and reverse-engineers exactly how it grew. Built to be read in the gap between meetings, not saved for a "later" that never comes.
Not the full corporate history. The 8 moves that actually made the difference (channel, pricing, narrative, loop), broken down so you can take one to your team and test it this week.
Every number is real and cited. If a lever only worked because of luck or context that won't repeat, we say so. The mechanism, separated from the myth.
Recent teardowns, real numbers, sourced
Ramp$0 → $1B+ revenue
Sierra$0 → $165M ARR
Synthesia$0 → $150M ARR
Mistral AI$0 → $400M ARR
Clay$0 → $100M ARR
Replit$2.5M → $250M ARR
Your job depends on finding the next thing to try. Every issue hands you a play your team hasn't seen, backed by real numbers.
Propose the mechanic to your boss or your founder with the sources to defend it. Research you can put in a slide, not a hot take.
Most subscribers pay for it from their learning budget. Substack sends a receipt with every payment.
Why it reads like a research desk, not a blog
This is the part most newsletters skip. Here is the actual process behind each teardown:
Most newsletters tell you what someone thinks. This one shows you what the data says. That's the difference.
Why trust the teardown
Written by Ivan Landabaso, investor at JME Ventures and ex-Meta, who researches and filters every breakdown himself. Recommended by operators like Sean Ellis.
Choose your plan
Annual and monthly get you the same full Pro access. Free is for sampling a public teardown before you decide.
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No lock-in, no games. Read your first issue. If it doesn't earn its place in your inbox, cancel in one click from any email.
It's the opposite trade. Most newsletters add to your unread pile; this one is built to replace it. One company per issue, 8 sourced mechanics, a 15-minute read. If an issue doesn't leave you with something to test, it didn't do its job.
Data. Every number is cited: filings, earnings calls, founder interviews, hiring data. When something is our interpretation, we label it as one. You're paying for research you can defend in front of your team, not takes.
Yes. Several full teardowns are free on startupriders.com, and the Growth Index ranks the companies with the strongest product-market fit right now, for free. Read one, then decide.
Most subscribers do. It's a research subscription, it fits a learning and development budget, and Substack sends you a receipt with every payment.
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