Maxime Jama

Maxime Jama: Beside's $32M Series A & AI-First Phone App

Maxime Jama explains how Beside operated in stealth for 18 months under the codename 'M1,' reaching $4M ARR and 20,000 paying customers by ignoring tech-Twitter hype and marketing to 'real economy' users — tradespeople, construction workers, even priests. He traces the origin from selling his mental health app to Alan, getting obsessed with conversation as untapped AI context, and rebuilding the phone and messaging app AI-first, with the AI answering your calls as the core value prop. He covers the $32M Series A from Index Ventures and EQT, plans to expand across platforms and into teams, Apple's Siri versus a possible OpenAI device, and why he now believes putting a face on the product matters.

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