What if pizza was the secret ingredient to skyrocketing a tech company's revenue? For Matthew Parkhurst, the 26-year-old cofounder and CEO of Antimetal, it was exactly that.
With a tight $15,000 marketing budget, Parkhurst took an unconventional approach: he sent more than 1,000 pizzas to potential clients, venture capital firms and tech influencers in New York and San Francisco.
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The pizzas, sourced from local pizzerias, weren't just lunch – they were a statement. Each box carried Antimetal's branding and contact details, turning every slice into a clever pitch for the company's cloud optimization services. Any undelivered pizzas were given to drivers, who also received tips of several hundred dollars each.
The results were remarkable. According to internal documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, 75 companies that received pizzas became paying clients, generating over $1 million in annualized revenue. "The ROI is insane," Parkhurst said. "It wasn't just effective – it was fun and supported local businesses."
Antimetal's core business involves saving startups money on cloud infrastructure costs. Companies spending tens of thousands monthly on platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS) can pay Antimetal $599 monthly to identify inefficiencies and reduce those expenses.
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But standing out in the tech world is no small feat even with a valuable service. Parkhurst knew he had to do something different to break through the endless emails that flood executives' inboxes.
Rahul Sonwalkar, CEO of Julius AI, was one such executive. He recalls seeing Antimetal's name in a cold pitch and promptly ignoring it. Then, a pizza arrived at his office. "We opened the box, started eating and realized this wasn't random.
I looked online and Antimetal was everywhere," Sonwalkar said. Intrigued, he signed up for the service and says he plans to remain a client as long as the savings continue.
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Another recipient, Paul Klein, founder of Browserbase, had a similar experience. He remembered hearing of Antimetal but didn't understand the company's value proposition until the pizza campaign caught his attention.
"As a founder, you get bombarded with pitches. This was different – it made me stop and take notice," Klein said. Like Sonwalkar, Klein is now a paying customer.
Parkhurst admitted the idea wasn't his first choice. He considered traditional swag like T-shirts and champagne but found both options uninspired or too expensive. Pizza offered an affordable, shareable and unforgettable alternative. It also aligned with his goal of creating a viral moment for Antimetal's launch.
The response exceeded Parkhurst's expectations. "You usually brace yourself for some backlash when you do something bold like this," he said. "But this time, nobody was mad they got the pizza."
The buzz helped Antimetal gain visibility in a competitive market. According to Data Center Dynamics, global cloud services spending is projected to reach $138.3 billion by 2024.
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