Seeking Advice on Scaling Our Startup: Marketing, Cloud Costs, and Attracting Foreign Investors

**Hello Everyone,** I am seeking advice and survival tips for my startup. **A Little Flashback** Back in 2021, my team lead and five colleagues from my previous company decided to pursue an idea for a startup. The main plan was from our team lead. The plan was for the team lead to secure clients and funding while also contributing as a developer. Meanwhile, the rest of the team would learn coding and start developing our product. We accepted that as we all were in IT support and had eager to learn coding. In 2022, I transitioned into a DevOps role with moderate expertise in Django and helped build a product. One of my colleagues became a C# developer. However, by late 2022, everyone except me and the team lead left the startup. Currently, the team lead owns 80% of the company, while I hold 20%. By mid-2024, we successfully developed four stable products. We sold the Django-based app to multiple businesses, including two high-profile companies that are actively using it. **The Issues** We now have nine employees, excluding me and the CEO. Starting in early 2025, we expect to generate approximately $4,000 per month in service sales. However, we are facing several challenges: 1. **Marketing:** We have not spent any money on marketing, which limits our growth potential. 2. **Expenses:** The $4,000 revenue will primarily go toward employee salaries, cloud bills (AWS), and office costs. 3. **Cloud Costs:** A significant portion of our expenses is related to AWS. I looked into AWS credits for startups, specifically the Activate Portfolio program, but I am unsure about the process. My goal is to maximize the credits we can obtain to alleviate cloud expenses. **Seeking Advice** * How can we secure angel investors from abroad? We are looking for investors who understand the potential of IT and can offer reasonable funding terms. Unfortunately, investors in Bangladesh often undervalue the sector and demand high equity in exchange for small amounts of funding, which could harm the company’s growth. * Any tips for building a stronger portfolio to attract international investors? * Suggestions on cost-effective marketing strategies to expand our reach would also be very helpful. **Projections** By the end of 2025, with proper marketing, we believe we can attract more large companies both in Bangladesh and internationally. Your suggestions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!