# Mike Slaats

> Mike Slaats, known online as Mike Strives, is a Dutch entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Upvoty, a bootstrapped customer-feedback platform. He previously built and sold Vindy, a home-improvement marketplace, and shares his experience through videos, podcasts, writing and founder coaching.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Upvoty
- **Organizations:** Upvoty, Vindy, SaaS Pirates, Founder Mornings, Zero to SaaS, CopyPaste Lab
- **Nationality:** Dutch
- **Known for:** Built Vindy to approximately $1 million in annual recurring revenue before selling it in 2018., Founded and bootstrapped Upvoty, which reported $30,000 MRR and more than 700 customers in May 2022., Created SaaS Pirates and published practical founder content through videos, podcasts and writing.

## Career timeline

- **Age 19** — Left college and started an online printing business; later ran a marketing agency.
- **Before 2018** — Built Vindy, a home-improvement lead-generation marketplace, to approximately $1 million in annual recurring revenue.
- **2018** — Sold Vindy and developed Upvoty; a private beta launched in August.
- **2019** — Launched Upvoty publicly in February.
- **2021** — Reported $10,435 MRR for January and $20,000 MRR in a November interview.
- **2022** — A May profile reported $30,000 MRR and more than 700 customers at Upvoty.
- **2025** — Discussed Upvoty and CopyPaste Lab in a November saas.unbound interview.
- **2026** — Discussed predictable acquisition, profitability and net revenue retention in a July Baremetrics customer interview.

## Achievements

- Built Vindy to approximately $1 million in annual recurring revenue before selling it in 2018.
- Founded and bootstrapped Upvoty, which reported $30,000 MRR and more than 700 customers in May 2022.
- Created SaaS Pirates and published practical founder content through videos, podcasts and writing.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — At research time, his personal website describes two SaaS exits and emphasizes investing in founders, coaching and educational products; it does not identify both exited businesses.
- **2026-07** — A Baremetrics interview discussed Upvoty’s systems, predictable customer acquisition, retention and profitability.
- **2025-11** — Appeared on saas.unbound with Anna Nadeina to discuss Upvoty, CopyPaste Lab, AI-assisted marketing and delegating work.

## Links

- Website: https://www.mikestrives.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikestrives/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mikestrives
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikestrives
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikestrives/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikestrives

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mike-slaats
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15