Erik Allebest: How I Bootstrapped Chess.com To $100M in Revenue

The Dealroom with Shamus Madan

In this episode, Shamus Madan interviews Chess.com's Erik Allebest about his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges of running a $100 million business, and maintaining balance. They delve into building company culture in a remote setting, growth strategies, and the impact of AI on online chess.

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Learn More About Chess.com: https://chess.com

(0:00) Introduction to Eric Allebest and Chess.com (1:07) Early life and entrepreneurial journey of Erik Allebest (9:53) The realities of entrepreneurship and challenges of running a $100 million business (14:15) Erik Allebest on maintaining balance in entrepreneurship (20:12) Building a strong company culture in a remote setting and the founding story of Chess.com (26:20) Erik Allebest's growth strategies for Chess.com (34:27) Discussion on AI and cheating in online chess (39:17) The stresses of managing a growing company and reaching $100 million in revenue (43:31) Erik Allebest discusses his perspective on wealth and its impact on life choices (46:10) Erik Allebest shares what advice he would give to his younger self (47:08) Conclusion of the episode