Bootstrapping SaaS in 2025: Lessons from Building Postly and Onu

In the startup world, the stories that garner the most attention are typically those about massive funding rounds. Founders are raising millions before even launching. Unicorn valuations. Splashy headlines.

But what about those of us who don’t raise? What about the founders who bootstrap - who build with grit, creativity, and persistence instead of VC capital?A

That’s been my story. I’m Paul Onu, founder of Postly Technologies, Inc., and over the last few years, I’ve been building two products - Postly and Onu - almost entirely bootstrapped. This is what I’ve learned about building SaaS in today’s world without the safety net of endless funding.

The Bootstrapping Reality

From the beginning, I knew I wasn’t cut out for a traditional 9–5. I’ve always been entrepreneurial at heart, and routine felt like a cage. With my background in Electronics Engineering and years of software engineering experience, I found myself drawn to product management - the sweet spot between vision and execution.

Bootstrapping wasn’t just a financial choice; it was a mindset. It forced me to prioritize ruthlessly, build lean, and listen closely to what customers wanted. It’s not glamorous. It means saying “no” to ideas you love because there’s no budget. It means shipping slower than you’d like because resources are limited. But it also means every feature, every customer, and every dollar matters.

Building Postly in a Crowded Market

My first product, Postly (postly.ai), is an AI-powered social media publishing and collaboration platform. The social media management market is crowded, no doubt. However, it’s also enormous - projected to reach over $20 billion in the U.S. by 2030, driven by the $ 100 billion-plus global digital advertising industry.

How do you stand out in such a crowded space? By solving real pain points. Postly was built for creators, agencies, and marketing teams that wanted a smarter way to handle multi-platform publishing. Instead of clunky workflows, we focused on automation, AI-powered content creation, and team collaboration.

The most validating moment? We achieved early monetization within months. Customers were willing to pay. That’s when I knew we were solving a real problem.

Onu: The Future of Ambient AI

If Postly was about solving marketing headaches, Onu (heyonu.com) was born from something much more personal: overwhelm.

Like many entrepreneurs, I was juggling too much - managing my finances, tracking my productivity, trying to stay aware of my own energy and mood. None of the tools out there really “got it.” They were either too complex or too shallow.

That’s when the idea for Onu came to me: an ambient AI assistant for awareness, finance, and productivity. Instead of waiting for you to ask, Onu quietly tracks, analyzes, and offers insights in the background. It helps you notice patterns in your mood, spending, and even team meetings - things most of us overlook until it’s too late.

Early feedback has been exciting. Users call it a “wow” product, something that feels like it’s anticipating a future where AI isn’t just reactive, but proactively helpful.

Challenges and Lessons Along the Way

The hardest part of bootstrapping is obvious: resources. Every founder dreams of moving faster, but when funds are tight, you learn the art of patience and discipline.

For me, it’s been a crash course in:

• Resilience: pushing forward even when progress feels slow.
• Prioritization: deciding what’s truly essential.
• Creativity: finding scrappy ways to do more with less.

There were moments when I almost gave up. But then a customer email would land, saying Postly saved them hours of work, or a user would tell me Onu helped them understand their own habits better. That’s the fuel that keeps you building.

The Road Ahead

Over the next three years, my ambitions are big:

• Scale Postly into a top-tier SaaS platform in the U.S., serving tens of thousands of creators, agencies, and enterprises.
• Establish Onu as the go-to app for ambient intelligence - creating a whole new category of productivity and finance tools.
• Grow our team from about 15 today to 50+ talented builders, with a focus on creating jobs and innovation in the U.S.
• Personally, I want to be recognized as a builder and thought leader in the space where SaaS and AI intersect.

It’s not about chasing hype. It’s about building products that make people’s lives simpler, smarter, and more meaningful.

Closing Thoughts

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: you don’t need to be in Silicon Valley or have millions in the bank to make an impact. You need clarity, persistence, and a willingness to keep going when it feels impossible.

That’s the philosophy behind everything I’ve built so far. Postly proves that you can monetize early and win customers in a competitive market. Onu proves that innovation can be deeply personal and still resonate with others.

The journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it. And honestly? It’s only just beginning.