By: Maria Williams
Paul Lipen and Slava Kasperovich, the founders of Ninjapromo.io, a full-stack marketing agency that offers an innovative subscription-based approach to their clients, a trend that seems to be getting traction recently. shared insights on how Ninjapromo was established, the common challenges faced by agencies, and how overcoming these obstacles contributed to its current success.

Interviewer: Paul, how did you get started? Can you tell us a bit about your background, notable work experience, and your first encounter with digital marketing?
Paul: “Certainly, everyone had to start somewhere, and I first started doing marketing for other companies after working on a startup in the blockchain industry in 2017, during the turbulent and eventful period for that sector. Even though the project itself did not make it big, in the process of working on it, I met a lot of people, did some networking, and, naturally, learned the best practices of marketing and leading a team. The agency was founded around the same team, and we had no shortage of recommendations, so we just started doing project-based work for web3 and web2 startups, applying what we had learned. Promoting a friend’s startup and witnessing tangible results like scalability, measurability, and flexible strategies was a revelation, and it was just something we ended up doing professionally.”
Interviewer: What events led to the establishment of your agency, and in which year did it happen? What were the initial days like, and who were your first clients?
Slava: “Paul and I have been friends since high school. We decided to leverage our personal experiences in digital marketing. The agency was founded in 2017. We started small and initially handled everything ourselves, but the influx of clients, particularly innovative startups, prompted us to expand our team, quickly turning us into a 360-agency. The challenges included rapid team scaling without compromising the service quality, but we successfully overcame them both through discipline and passion for what we do.”
Interviewer: Share some of the most interesting success or failure stories. Did these influence the agency’s specialization, and if so, how?
Slava: “One significant success was a 2017 blockchain startup project that witnessed extraordinary sales growth. This success reinforced our ability to deliver real results and became a catalyst for specializing in comprehensive digital marketing strategies. In fact, this is what gave us a platform for future success – we had resounding success applying the same techniques to web3 startups over and over again, with great, tangible results.”
Paul: “I can’t say we had a failure worth talking about. There are ups and downs, but nothing critical has ever happened to us. If anything, we learned to find the right clients only because we ran into some clients who did not want to or could not pay us, and it’s a lesson learned the hard way.”
Interviewer: What sets your agency apart from others, if anything? How competitive was the market at the beginning, and how has it evolved?
Slava: “NinjaPromo stood out due to a deep understanding of technology and the ability to generate unique marketing solutions. The key to success initially was probably by getting the promotion of some web3 projects right, then getting recommended to new clients through word of mouth, and doing a little better for each next client.”
Paul: “When we started delving into the sphere of regular startups, the competition was intense at the start, and while it has grown even more, we also quickly learned. Our subscription model and strategic marketing system that works almost like a partnership remain key success factors and really distinguish our approach from that of other agencies in the space.”
Interviewer: What are your current plans, values, and strategies for scaling? Any new services or regions you find interesting, and why?
Slava: “Our future plans involve expanding into new regions and developing services, especially in areas where digital technologies are reshaping traditional approaches. It’s about keeping the momentum going and not having the success or failure of our agency hinge on just a few industries that may eventually run out of steam. It’s really important to be proactive in this regard and stay on top of all trends.”
Interviewer: How many people are currently in the agency, and what are its strengths? How do you retain valuable talent and maintain a creative work environment?
Slava: “Presently, there are over 200 people, including project-based staff. The agency’s strength lies in its professional core team and a well-structured system, coupled with a unique subscription model in the marketing agency industry. It allows us to quickly adapt to any client and scale our work, adding or removing services on the fly while keeping the customer’s goal in sight.”
Paul: “Another reason why our employees stay with us is because we’re a relatively well-known agency, and we’ve worked with some great clients, such as Logitech, Burger King, Samsung, and HTX. It’s a great opportunity to challenge oneself for any marketing specialist and get a nice entry for a professional portfolio. And then people just stick around because they see our internal processes, highly professional colleagues and more great challenges ahead.”
Interviewer: As an agency with lots of clients that are early-stage businesses, what emerging trends are you taking note of?
Paul: “We observe a growing demand for AI and data analytics services, with more and more businesses coming to us asking to come up with a go-to market strategy for them. AI may eventually change how many industries work, including ours. In fact, we already employ AI to help some of our departments with simple tasks.”
Slava: “In 2024, some exciting web3 projects are getting funded again, and we’re also their first stop when it comes to marketing because it’s vastly different now; the crypto market has matured, the legislation has caught up in many countries, and it’s not time for more down-to-earth projects rather than pipe dreams with no real market fit.”
Interviewer: Any advice for competitors or startups in conclusion?
Paul: “As for my advice to startups and competitors, I suppose it is to embrace experimentation and seek unconventional solutions, as they define success in our rapidly changing industry. Everyone has a different approach, so there is no advice that fits everyone. It’s important to take risks, but to do it in a smart way where you learn even from failure – measure success, leverage external expertise if necessary, and rely on teamwork rather than isolated specialists. In our dynamic industry, success often hinges on innovation and adaptability.”