Justin McKelvey

Building technology that shapes the future | SaaS | eComm | B2B | B2C

Helping to level-up your team & get more work done... faster!

I’m a creator, speaker, engineer, & consultant. I have a passion to partner with leaders and organizations to help them boost their growth through clear messaging and simplified technologies in accomplishing their goals. I love coming alongside from strategy to development to create KPI measurements and implementing the correct analytics to track success. 

I have partnered with a few of my closest friends, who are incredibly talented in their fields to start SuperDupr. SuperDupr helps businesses clarify their messaging to boost revenue, by offering custom software, web design, social media advertising, video production, digital marketing, graphic design, branding, SaaS & eCommerce consulting. 

I most recently architected a multi-level marketing ecommerce platform for a direct to consumer (B2C) subscription service, and B2B component to scale. (It's a mouthful ... I know)

When I'm not helping businesses reach their max potential, you can find me hunting down a good coffee shop or planning my next trip to the mountains.

You can see more of my work on my website: https://JustinMcKelvey.com or https://SuperDupr.com

I would love to connect with you on Twitter or Instagram: @JustinMcKelvey

Chief Technology Officer

The first media buying platform built for sales.

I’m the Co-founder & COO of Swipelux — an API-first fiat payment infrastructure backed with stablecoins.

Our mission is to connect the fiat world with Web3 by offering frictionless crypto purchases, seamless on/off ramping, and decentralized identity tools for the next generation of digital users.

Over the past 4+ years, I’ve led operations, go-to-market strategy, compliance support, and investor relations — helping scale Swipelux to 180+ clients globally, raise multimillion-dollar funding, and secure a VASP license in Estonia.

I’m deeply passionate about the intersection of technology, finance, and human behavior, and I’m especially excited by the transformative potential of AI and startups to reshape how we live, work, and connect.

Whether I’m building infrastructure, mentoring early-stage founders, or exploring new ways to reduce friction in the digital economy — I care about creating tools that enable progress, inclusion, and better user experiences.

Filip Kollert

Why Quibi Raised $1.75B — And Still Failed

In 2020, Quibi launched with:
– $1.75B in funding
 – A-list Hollywood talent
 – Massive media attention
 – World-class investors

Six months later, it shut down.

Not because it lacked resources.
Not because nobody noticed it.
And not just because of COVID.

Quibi failed because it overestimated demand before validating behavior.

The team assumed people wanted premium short-form video on their phones—   but they never proved when, why, or how often users would actually come back.

They optimized heavily for:
– Production quality
– Big launches
– Press and perception

But underestimated:
– Habit formation
– Retention mechanics
– Natural distribution
– Context of use

Early downloads looked promising.
Ongoing usage didn’t.

COVID didn’t kill Quibi — it simply removed the one daily moment (commuting) the product quietly depended on.

What Quibi lacked wasn’t capital or talent.

It lacked pull.

Funding didn’t create that.
It only amplified the burn rate and shortened the feedback loop.

Most startups don’t fail because they can’t raise money.
They fail because they build something impressive before proving it’s necessary.

Real question:
If your funding disappeared tomorrow — would users still fight to keep your product alive?

Helping startups fundraise | Founder at Swipelux | Startup advisor | Fundraising, GTM & Scaling

Why Hiring Too Early Quietly Kills your Startup (And What to Do Instead)


Most startups don’t fail because they hire too late.
They fail because they hire too early — and mistake it for progress.

More people feels like momentum.
In reality, it often creates friction, distance from users, and slower decisions.

Here’s what actually breaks when you hire too early — and how to fix it.

What early hiring really costs (but nobody models)

1. Founders lose contact with reality

The moment founders stop doing sales, support, or onboarding themselves,
they stop hearing the truth.
And without truth, strategy turns into storytelling.

2. Ownership becomes blurry

Early hires often get vague roles:
“Growth”, “Ops”, “Product”, “Strategy”.

Translation:
No one fully owns outcomes — only tasks.
That’s how execution speed dies.

3. Coordination replaces execution

Every new hire adds:
– more meetings
– more alignment
– more explanations

Instead of shipping faster, 
you start managing complexity before you have product-market fit.

4. Problems get passed instead of solved

Instead of fixing issues directly, founders delegate them.
But delegation without clarity doesn’t remove problems —
it just moves them further from the source.

When hiring actually makes sense
Here’s the rule I use with founders: Don’t hire for roles. Hire for recurring pain.

If something:
– breaks every week
– blocks progress
– can’t be ignored
– and founders are already doing it themselves
Then — and only then — it deserves a hire.

The founder-stage hiring framework

Before every hire, answer these 4 questions:

1. Can I explain this job in one sentence?
If not, the role isn’t real yet.

2. Is this replacing founder work — or avoiding founder work?
Good hires replace repeatable work.
Bad hires replace uncomfortable learning.

3. Will this reduce confusion — or add another layer?
If it adds coordination before clarity, it’s too early.

4. Would this role exist if we had half the customers?
If the answer is no, wait.

What high-performing early-stage teams actually do

Instead of hiring early, they:
– Keep founders in sales and product longer
– Let friction expose what actually matters
– Build roles after the work is clear
– Hire when speed increases, not just workload

They optimize for:
learning speed > headcount growth

The counterintuitive truth

In early-stage startups:
Friction isn’t a bug.
It’s feedback.
If everything suddenly feels “smooth”,
you’re probably too far from the problem.

Real question:
If you removed your last hire tomorrow — would your startup move slower…
or would it suddenly become clearer where the real problems are?

Co-Founder & CEO @ Swipelux | One API for on‑ramp routing, KYC + custody + swaps, and off‑ramp.

Swipelux featured in the latest Fintech Brainfood.

Thank you Simon Taylor for including us in your "4 Fintech Companies" selection!

Simon's take on what we're building:

"While Bridge and BVNK focus more on stablecoins, Swipelux looks more like a European-focused zerohash. It's a toolkit for anyone who wants to move different types of value across different chains without assembling all of those parts themselves. The value prop around reconciliation and compliance feels much more like a classic Fintech than crypto."

That last line captures exactly what we're trying to do. Stablecoin infrastructure that feels like fintech infrastructure. Compliance baked in, not bolted on.

Simon also noted: "When there's so much M&A in the infrastructure space lately, it's good to keep your eye on companies like this."

We're watching too. And building.

Getting recognized here means a lot to our team.

More to share soon.

--

Full link: https://lnkd.in/evmQ7zK6

They spent $1.8M on a domain — and got 26M views in return.


At first, people called it reckless.
Founders laughed.
Twitter said it was a waste.

But that single move delivered something most startups struggle to buy:

→ Instant trust
→ Clear positioning
→ Built-in distribution

No ads. No funnels. Just signal.

This is what real GTM creativity looks like:

Not louder marketing — Smarter bets on perception and leverage.

Honest question:
Was this irresponsible… or one of the cleanest growth moves you’ve seen?

Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Fundraise — Part I

My first fundraise didn’t fail because of the deck. It failed because of what I didn’t understand yet.

Looking back, there are things I wish someone had told me earlier:
1. Investors don’t fund ideas — they fund signals.
2. “Interesting” is not a yes.
3. Fundraising is momentum, not persuasion.
4. Clarity beats confidence.
5. Timing matters more than perfection.

Fundraising is less about convincing 
and more about proving readiness.

Most founders learn this only after hearing “no” too many times.

Question worth thinking about:
If you had to pause fundraising today —
what would you spend the next 60 days fixing before trying again?

Why Investors Pass — Even When the Idea Looks Strong



Most founders think deals fall apart because of:

Market size.
Competition.
Traction.

Reality:
Most rejections happen because of founder signals — not slides.

Here are the real red flags investors notice early (and founders often miss):


🚩 1. You answer faster than you think

Strong founders pause.
Weak founders rush to sound confident.
Investors read this as:
“I haven’t actually thought this through yet.”

Signal to flip it:
Say how you’re thinking, not just what you think.


🚩 2. You defend instead of explore

When challenged, some founders protect the deck instead of examining reality.

Investors hear:
“This person optimizes for being right, not for learning.”

Signal to flip it:
Curiosity > certainty.


🚩 3. You talk vision before constraints

Big vision without clear constraints feels inspirational — but not investable.

Investors want:
What’s hard?
What’s broken?
What can’t scale yet?

Signal to flip it:
Show you understand limits before talking upside.


🚩 4. You confuse motion with progress

Meetings, pilots, partnerships — but no behavioral signal of pull.

Investors look for:
User behavior, not activity.

Signal to flip it:
Explain what users do differently because of your product.


🚩 5. You avoid saying “I don’t know”

This one kills trust fast.
Investors don’t expect certainty.
They expect honesty about uncertainty.

Signal to flip it:
Clear unknowns > fake confidence.


What investors are actually pattern-matching for

Not polish.
Not storytelling.
Not decks.

But:
– How you reason
– How you update beliefs
– How you handle pressure
– How clearly you see reality


Founder takeaway

Before your next investor meeting, ask yourself:

Can I explain:
1. What’s not working yet
2. What I’m most unsure about
3. What would kill this business
— without sounding defensive?

If yes, you’re ahead of 90% of founders.


Real question:
Which of these red flags have you seen — in yourself or others — that killed momentum without anyone realizing why?

How to build a GTM that actually scales (not just looks good on slides)

Most GTM frameworks fail for one simple reason:

They’re designed for growth — before they’re designed for learning.
Founders start with channels, funnels, and CAC targets…before they understand who buys, why they buy, and what actually moves them to act.

Here’s a simple GTM framework that works at every stage — from zero to scale.

1. Start with a narrow buyer, not a big market
Don’t target “SMBs” or “mid-market.”
Target one painful use case for one specific persona.
If your ICP can’t be described in one sentence, your GTM won’t scale — it’ll blur.

2. Sell manually before you automate anything
If founders can’t close customers themselves, no outbound engine, ads strategy, or growth hire will fix it.

Manual sales = real feedback.
Real feedback = real positioning.
This is the most skipped step.
And the most expensive one to ignore.

3. Lock one channel before touching the next
Most teams fail because they try:
LinkedIn + cold email + paid + partnerships + content — all at once.

Scaling doesn’t come from more channels.
It comes from one channel that compounds.
Win one.
Then expand.

4. Optimize for learning speed, not revenue at first
Early GTM isn’t about ARR.
It’s about shrinking uncertainty.

Your real KPI in month one:
– How fast are we learning who buys?
– Why they buy?
– What stops them?
Revenue follows clarity.

5. Only scale what works without founders pushing
If growth only happens when founders personally push deals, you don’t have GTM — you have heroics.

Real GTM scales when:
– messaging works without explanation
– leads convert without persuasion
– deals move without founders chasing

That’s the handoff point.

The pattern I see in winning startups:

They don’t build GTM engines.
They build GTM loops.

Learn → simplify → repeat → systematize → scale.
Most teams skip straight to “scale” — and wonder why nothing sticks.

Question worth thinking about:
If your GTM had to grow without you personally pushing every deal next month… would it survive? Or collapse?

Why a Stunning Deck Won’t Get You Funded

I see it all the time:

Founders spend weeks obsessing over slides — colors, charts, animations, TAM numbers — thinking a polished deck will solve everything.

It won’t.
Not if the story underneath is weak.

Here’s the truth: investors don’t buy decks.
They buy clarity, insight, and conviction.

A strong story answers three things:
1. Why this problem matters.
Not just in theory, but to real people who experience it today.
2. Who actually pays today.
Not projections, not “someday” visions — real customers, real behavior.
3. Why you can win.
Not your team resume or fancy slides, but why your execution and perspective make you the only one who can solve it.

Polished slides make you look prepared.
A compelling story makes investors believe you understand reality.

Your deck should reflect your story, not hide its gaps.

Before you add another bullet point, ask yourself:
- Can I tell this story in one sentence a stranger understands immediately?
- Can I back every claim with evidence or data?
- Am I showing insight, not optimism?

Most founders skip this step.
They polish, tweak, animate — and the story remains weak.

Reflection for today:
Think about your last pitch.
If someone put your deck down, what would they actually remember?
Are you selling a story they believe, or just slides that look nice?

Take a moment. Write down the one thing your story needs to be unforgettable.

Few startup tips & latest startups news from the world! 🔥

How Startups Make Real, Measurable Progress Most startup advice sounds exciting. Very little of it prepares you for how quiet, slow, and uncomfortable

Open article: Insights, Lessons & News from startup world by Filip Kollert • 4 min read

Insights, Lessons & News from startup world

Why Investors Skip These Slides First (And What They Actually Want Instead)



Most founders think investors care most about:

Market size.
Financials.
Product features.

Reality:
Those are often the first slides investors mentally skip.

Not because they’re unimportant —
but because they’re meaningless without context.

Here’s what investors are actually pattern-matching for.


Slides that get skipped fastest

– Feature-heavy product demos
– 5-year revenue forecasts
– Massive TAM slides with no wedge
– Vision decks with no execution proof

Not bad slides.
Just low signal early.


Slides investors lean into

– The problem slide (is this real or theoretical?)
– Early traction (not numbers — behavior)
– Why you specifically understand this space
– What broke before this idea existed

They’re asking:
“Does this founder see reality clearly — or just pitch confidently?”


What investors are really evaluating

Not your deck.
Not your storytelling.

But:
– How you think
– How you explain uncertainty
– How you reason under pressure

The strongest signal isn’t polish.
It’s clarity.


Founder takeaway

Before optimizing slides, ask:
Can I explain my business without slides — in 60 seconds — to someone outside tech?
If not, no deck will save it.


Real question:
If investors skipped half your deck tomorrow —
would the remaining slides still tell a convincing story?

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The Battle

Justin McKelvey

Filip Kollert

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The Battle

Justin McKelvey

Filip Kollert

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Filip Kollert's LinkedIn Performance

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