Creating a podcast from scratch. How the Ukrainian startup micdrop works

In our recurring Who Are These People segment, Vector offers founders an opportunity to discuss their projects, covering aspects such as their products, marketing strategies, monetisation, investments, and business plans. The focus this time is on micdrop, a Ukrainian startup.

Editor-in-chief Yuliia Tkach interviewed Oleh Idolov, CEO and co-founder of midcrop, about the product’s features, promotion, investments, and plans.

Conception

micdrop has four founders:

• Oleh Idolov, CEO. As a founding designer of a Ukrainian startup Awesomic (Y Combinator S21), Oleh brings more than 10 years of experience in art direction and design management and is focusing on managing creative teams and crafting visual communication. 
• Oleksandr Tarasov, CTO. As a full-stack developer at Awesomic, Oleksandr has more than five years’ experience in web and app development. He is also an avid audio, video production, and startup enthusiast. He has completed 40+ client projects, including those for Y Combinator startups. He graduated from the incubation programme at Demium. With 13 years in production (mechanical decorations), Tarasov launched an animatronics factory, developing it from a sole enterprise into full-cycle internal production in a corporate environment.
• Alina Shvydko, Founding Producer. Alina is a screenwriter, producer, and editor with more than 10 years of experience in media, documentary filmmaking, and podcast production. She has expertise developing scripts for animated and educational videos as well as video production management.
• Oleksii Kushnir, Founding Producer. As the ex-CEO of IZONE Media, Kushnir has accumulated over five years of experience in podcast production and has more than a decade of experience in the media industry. 

Oleh and Oleksandr were colleagues at Awesomic. Oleh mentioned that it was then that they understood how crucial automation is for the creative sector. As a podcast host, Idolov says he has personally experienced the challenges and pain points faced by users. This insight allowed him to learn how to foster a comfortable experience for content creators and their audience.

Oleh and Oleksii have known each other since grade school, and they co-hosted the civil society-oriented podcast called «Podcast Podcast».

The idea for micdrop first came up as a topic of conversation in late 2023.

As stated by Oleh, «it stemmed from the challenges we faced managing podcasts. We also wanted to make podcasting straightforward and accessible, bypassing the technical production challenges you need to learn before you can even start creating an episode.

When you are in the launch and subsequent production phase, it is important to consider:

• audio quality control (hedge against the possibility that technical difficulties could result in the audio not being recorded);
• visual design (to ensure compatibility with all platform formats);
• branding (to establish a unified style and format);
• audio and video editing (to enhance and improve audio, edit footage, and introduce effects);
• reels (essential for promoting a channel across social media platforms);
• motion design (animated logos, intro sequences, dynamic titles, etc.);
• sound design (to develop a tailored sound package for opening, closing, and cutscene segments); and
• timely distribution across all channels.

The need for such a broad range of expertise may deter many from trying to start their own podcast. This is how creators miss their chance to have their voices heard: 90% of podcasts fail to make it past the third episode, largely because of the fragmented creation and distribution process», — states Oleh Idolov.

Their first clients came on board in late summer 2024. In autumn 2024, the company was registered in the USA. «As we edge closer to our international debut, we’re overcoming the hurdles of remote market entry and exploring the nuances of our audience, all in search of the ideal strategy to connect with American podcasters», — shares Oleh Idolov.

Presently, the team includes four co-founders and a dynamic talent pool of about 20 to 30 audio and video experts, along with graphic and motion designers. They plan to attract a wider array of specialised experts across various time zones to enhance the platform’s offerings.

Product and audience

micdrop serves as a virtual podcast producer, enabling users to create and publish podcasts effortlessly, without any technical expertise. The producer is responsible for controlling the recording, coordinating the production team to adhere to the podcast’s format, and ensuring that episodes are published in a timely manner.

micdrop consists of:

• a remote agent that links with the user and oversees the creation of audio and video podcasts;
• a post-production marketplace facilitating connections between clients and producers, as well as between producers and content creators; and
• a project management platform that creates a roadmap for each episode, ensuring control and transparency throughout the process.

How it works: 

1. The client signs up and initiates a project.
2. The platform assigns a producer and develops a concept.
3. Episodes are recorded remotely by the producer and the client.
4. The micdrop team handles editing, audio processing, episode publishing, and promotional support.

We entered the market in «stealth-mode» in 2024 after participating in the Mission Possible programme. During this time, we have worked with clients including the UK Foreign Office, the Seeds of Bravery program, and several Western productions for which we offer white-label services.

The upcoming phase involves automating and optimising every stage of this process in order to develop an AI producer that can handle everything from blueprint to reality.

Our mission is to make audio and video podcasts user-friendly for everyone, regardless of one’s technical knowledge, so your audience can find and engage with your content.

This product is targeted towards professional podcasters, business creators, and brands looking to streamline their podcast creation and promotion processes. The product is aimed at the US and global podcasting and post-production markets», — Oleh says.

Business model and marketing strategy

micdrop’s current business model is a B2B subscription, and in the near future, they plan to implement a B2B SaaS model, focusing on both independent podcasters and corporate podcasts that have gone commercial.

micdrop offers a subscription service model billed monthly:

• Bi-Weekly Episodes — $999 per month: two podcast episodes per moth (including video and audio formats). Each episode is up to 60 minutes long; 
• Weekly Episodes — $1,899 per month: four podcast episodes per month (including video and audio formats). Each episode is up to 60 minutes long;
• Podcast Launch — $999 (one-time fee): a remote assistance service to help create a podcast «from scratch», tailored for those new to podcasting;
• Custom plans available upon request from corporate clients.

Each package offers the following: producer assistance throughout each stage of the episode creation process, including audio and video editing, publication on major platforms, unlimited edits, and two promotional short videos (reels) per episode.

The team subsidises the trial version of the service as a strategy to promote the product.

• They offer a free trial episode featuring their watermark/advertisement.
• Annual subscription plans come with discounts and bonus services.
• A referral system to incentivise existing users to recommend the product to others.

The team also partners with offline podcast studios and producers in Ukraine and abroad, implements direct marketing techniques, and experiments with targeted strategies.

How the subscription works: the client chooses a suitable package using the website or application. Monthly fees are charged automatically.

The team is also considering introducing a new package with an alternative pricing model designed for seasonal podcasts, like a bundle of 12 episodes purchased together that will be offered with a discount.

Investments

«Our project remains a prime example of a bootstrap approach. The founders used their funds, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars, and those investments have already been recovered. We have had investment offers and are increasingly aware of the need to secure funds to scale up. However, it’s vital to ensure we are adequately prepared first, and we are currently taking steps in that direction. Currently, we have a registered C-corp in the United States, which underscores our strategic objectives».

Plans

«We aim to incorporate various services and tools to optimise and automate critical processes. For example, there could be a requirement to insert or change the host or guest lines in an episode that has already been edited but where re-recording isn’t feasible.

We want to incorporate these features within the agreed-upon cost per episode, ensuring we can provide maximum flexibility to achieve the desired outcome.

Additionally, our team has a strong background in developing AI agents, which we aim to incorporate to automate and streamline services. This will help us enhance our processes significantly, ensuring efficiency and a comfortable experience for our clients.

The overarching goal for the client is to integrate all services within one unified platform:

• a user-friendly interface that facilitates uploading materials to our repository;
• transparent management of the different project stages;
• customized asset oversight; and
• direct engagement with a producer.

We plan to refine our MVP, roll out new features, and achieve a tenfold increase in growth, expanding our market share», — summarises the co-founder.