How a BJJ Black Belt Built Gymdesk from Nights and Weekends to a Multi-Million Dollar SaaS Company
Starring
Eran Galperin is the founder of Gymdesk and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with over 20 years of software development experience. He built Gymdesk from a bootstrapped side project in 2016 to a $3M ARR company, partnering with Five Elms Capital in 2024. Now based in Tokyo, Eran focuses on product strategy while investing in and mentoring early-stage SaaS founders.
Alex Cuevas is the CEO of Gymdesk, joining in 2024 to lead the company's growth and scaling. A lifelong martial artist with a black belt in Taekwondo and active training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, Alex brings extensive experience in sales, customer success, and strategic planning from leadership roles at GoSite, Planet DDS, and other tech companies. His deep connection to the martial arts community and commitment to empowering small business owners aligns perfectly with Gymdesk's mission.
About the Gym
Founded in 2016 as "Martial Arts on Rails," Gymdesk was built on a simple philosophy: create software that's actually easy to use, offer transparent pricing, and solve real business problems for gym owners.
Eran shares how his background as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and 20-year software veteran shaped the product's development, the challenges of learning marketing and customer acquisition, and the decision to step back from daily operations after partnering with Five Elms Capital in 2024. This conversation offers a candid look at the realities of bootstrapping a SaaS company, achieving product-market fit, and knowing when it's time to bring in new leadership to scale.
Summary
What started as a side project in 2016 grew into Gymdesk, serving thousands of gyms worldwide. Eran Galperin, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and software developer, built Gymdesk from the ground up—working nights and weekends while holding a full-time CTO position, refining the product based on customer feedback, and achieving product-market fit after a major redesign in early 2020.
This episode captures Eran's transition from founder-operator to strategic advisor. After growing Gymdesk to $3 million in ARR and 16 employees, Eran partnered with Five Elms Capital in 2024, bringing on CEO Alex Cuevas to lead the company's next phase of growth. Eran shares the complete journey: building the product, learning marketing, surviving COVID-19, and ultimately stepping back from day-to-day operations to focus on product strategy and mentoring the next generation of SaaS founders.
