Copperlane on The Vesting Show

We recently joined Brycent on The Vesting Show to talk about how Copperlane started, and what selling into mortgage really looks like.

Here were two of our favorite moments from the conversation.

Sometimes the worst moment becomes the turning point

Copperlane did not start as one company.

We were originally building separate companies in the same YC batch. Around the same time, both of us went through co-founder breakups. Suddenly we were both starting from zero.

Instead of quitting, we decided to team up and rebuild together.

"The statistic is that 60% of startups die because co-founders break up. We went through both. And we both refused to die. Refused to give up on the company. Refused to go back to school."

We had no revenue, no product, and very little time before demo day. This pressure forced speed and clarity.

Three weeks later, we had a funded company.

Sometimes losing everything removes distractions and forces focus on what actually matters.

In mortgage, relationships are everything

We also talked about what early sales actually looked like.

Cold emails did not work. LinkedIn did not work. Automated outbound did not work.

Mortgage is still a relationship-driven industry, so we focused on showing up in person. Conferences, dinners, informal time together.

One of our first customers came from simply spending a few days together at a conference.

"I worked him at the bar. I went to the gym with him at the conference. After 3 days I know about his dating history."

It sounds unconventional, but in industries built on trust, familiarity compounds.

"When you're selling into relationship-heavy industries, the person who shows up wins."

Sometimes progress looks like a product demo. Sometimes it looks like a chat at the bar at an event. With the latter, we can write off having fun as part of the job.

Thanks to Brycent Johnson and The Vesting Show for the conversation.

Watch the full streamed podcast episode here