CEO Essentials: How I Found PMF at Browserbase

Paul Klein IV, Founder & CEO

Hi, I’m Paul, founder of Browserbase. These are my essentials for getting code to market.

Twitter / X

My first essential has to be X—Twitter. It’s so important to have a direct channel to interact with developers. I’ve set up a bunch of alerts for keywords like “Browserbase,” “web agents,” “Stagehand,” and “Director” (some of our products), and I try to reply to everything—even if we’re not tagged.

It’s where I post, ship things, and engage. But more importantly, it’s where I listen to the people using our product.

Claude Code

I'm a developer, but I’ve never been the terminal/Vim power user type. So I was hesitant when I heard about Claude Code’s terminal-based interface. But now I use it daily.

It’s not just for generating code. I’ll use Claude Code to:

• Write queries and fetch data

• Analyze that data

• Draft support emails

• Prototype workflows

It helps automate repetitive tasks so I can focus on harder problems.

FigJam and Figma

For strategy, content, or product planning, FigJam is my go-to. I love being able to drop into Figma edit mode when needed, since all my assets are already there. I even use Figma Slides to turn those ideas into presentations.

Centralizing all our design and brand content in one place has made it way easier to move fast—from brainstorming a blog post to publishing a polished graphic.

Slack

My toxic trait? I still have push notifications turned on for every Slack message at Browserbase.

We’re a 30-person team, and I still like to dive into the details. Sometimes I jump into conversations out of the blue because I’ve been following the context.

I’m starting to mute channels now and create more space—but it's been a hard habit to break.

PostHog and Weekly Metrics

I always have PostHog open. It’s how I stay on top of signups, conversions, and what’s working.

I used to be a monthly-metrics person. Now, I check daily. Weekly metrics have changed how I think. You can see the impact of a single post or product tweak in real time. It makes it much easier to learn and adjust.

Spotify

Music helps me get into flow. We have an office playlist going all the time, and curating that vibe is a subtle way to improve team productivity.

Our rotation changes—recently the new Bieber album, before that Bad Bunny, sometimes country or reggaeton. It depends on who’s playing DJ that day.

The Tungsten Cube

I keep a tungsten cube on my desk. It’s a thinking object. But I once dropped it and put a massive dent in my wife’s brand-new laptop. That’s how powerful it is.

I think GMO eventually got a tungsten pyramid after seeing mine. I want to get one etched with the Browserbase “B” next.

Fundraising Tactic: Never Be Fundraising

Every round we’ve raised was preemptive. The secret is to build real relationships long before you ask for money.

I knew every one of our investors for over a year before I started Browserbase. They knew me, knew how I thought, and when the moment was right—it was easy for them to say yes.

I also wrote a 3,000-word essay laying out the full vision:

• Why this space matters

• Why big companies won’t build it

• How we’d win

That clarity helped me sleep at night and move fast once we raised. We still follow that playbook today.

Go-to-Market Advice

To get early traction, I did 50 customer interviews before writing a line of code. When we launched, we had a product that solved a real problem—and we had people ready to use it.

Word of mouth only works if your product is great and focused. I also went hard on geography. I wanted to be the headless browser guy in San Francisco. That local focus helped amplify everything.

Product vs. Distribution

The biggest shift between first-time and second-time founders:

First-time founders focus on product.
Second-time founders focus on distribution.

I spent a year before Browserbase learning distribution. It helped me shape our brand, voice, and early audience.

Our first GTM hire was actually an intern—Alex. He handled ground-level execution while I shaped the strategy. Over time, we added more specialists—DevRel, channel marketers, etc.—but that founder-led GTM was crucial early on.

LinkedIn

A marketing tool I have to use—but hate—is LinkedIn. I’m still just copy-pasting tweets and hoping they land. I don’t think developers really use LinkedIn the way B2B marketers want them to.

Still, this clip is going on LinkedIn. Give me six months—I’ll get better.

Final Thought

I think people polish too early. Yes, software quality matters. Yes, your landing page should be responsive. But you should still ship something that feels a little unfinished.

If your product is holding you back, that’s great—you can fix that. If your distribution is holding you back? That’s much harder.

For us, our brand has always led the product by 10–15 percent. It gives us something to live up to. Every week, we ship something that gets us closer.