Founder Friday is a content series from SuperAngel.Fund that highlights companies across our portfolio and the inspiring founders behind them.
Companies know what their customers bought.
But very few know who they actually are.
In our 61st edition, meet Zach Zelner and Noah Friedman, co-founders of OuterSignal, the customer intelligence, personalization, and execution platform for modern consumer businesses.
Today, most companies know surprisingly little about their customers beyond what they purchased or clicked. Existing “personalization” tools are largely behavioral, tracking opens, purchases, and browsing activity.
They tell brands what customers did, but not who they actually are.
As a result, businesses market to customers like strangers.
High-value relationships go unnoticed. VIP customers remain invisible.
OuterSignal solves this by turning basic customer data into rich customer intelligence.
Using proprietary open-source intelligence technology (OSINT), the platform allows merchants to connect their Shopify store, CRM, or marketing stack and instantly receive rich customer profiles in real time.
A single order can suddenly reveal an executive at a Fortune 500 company, a major creator, a retail buyer, an investor, or a highly influential customer.
This intelligence powers smarter retention, segmentation, customer experience, outreach, and increasingly, autonomous marketing workflows.
And the customer love has been exceptional.
“OuterSignal exceeded all expectations and paid for itself the day we installed it. A buyer at the largest retailer in the world placed an order on our site using her personal email. OuterSignal identified and flagged it and we got a meeting. Highly recommend it to all Shopify merchants — it’s a no brainer.”
–Dan McCormick, Founder of Create
“OuterSignal gave us something we couldn't find anywhere else — precise, actionable clarity about who our customers really are. From uncovering hidden influencers and potential investors to shaping high-impact personas, it transformed how we target, segment, and speak to our audience.”
–Brian Keller, Founder of Rorra
The team behind OuterSignal is just as impressive.
Co-founders Zach Zelner and Noah Friedman bring a rare combination of technical, operational, and commerce expertise.
Zach is a 5x founder who has built, acquired, and invested in businesses generating hundreds of millions in revenue across SaaS, logistics, eCommerce, and marketing.
Noah co-founded Top Shelf Ventures, a prominent consumer venture fund, and also co-founded Uncharted, a global network of high-profile founders and investors.
In a world where every brand is trying to build deeper customer relationships, OuterSignal is helping companies move from generic marketing to truly intelligent personalization.
Want to learn more about OuterSignal? Reply to this email and I’ll connect you with their team.
And see what Zach and Noah have to say in this week’s Q&A 👇
*OuterSignal is a SuperAngel.Fund II portfolio company
Describe your company in 5 words or less.
Zach: Market to humans, not orders.
Noah: Market to humans, not orders.
What was your primary motivation for starting your business?
Zach: I’ve spent my career building brands and ecommerce companies, and personalization has always been at the core of how I work. OuterSignal is the platform I always wished I had. We’re ushering in the next era of commerce — and the brands working with us are already living in it. It’s deeply personal to me, and it’s my life’s work.
Noah: I’ve spent years investing in and helping consumer brands scale. The best brands build deeply human connections with their customers. OuterSignal is the tool that unlocks these capabilities and gives brand superpowers. This is the only thing I could possibly see myself doing. Building companies with people that motivate and inspire me is the ultimate dream.
What new product/feature are you most excited about and why?
Zach: We’ve already given brands an entirely new way to understand who their customers are. What comes next will make it just as easy to act on that understanding — without the friction and lack of personalization that’s defined marketing for the last decade.
Noah: TRUE persona-based marketing opens up a whole new world of growth, retention, and connection with consumers. Brands are already loving OuterSignal but wait until they see what’s coming next :)
What piece of advice would you give an entrepreneur starting a business today?
Zach: Pick an intense curiosity, dedicate your life to it, and work so hard that failure itself would be unreasonable. The founders who win are the ones who couldn’t put it down if they tried.
Noah: Remember that it’s SUPPOSED to be hard... nothing worth doing is easy. Building companies is equal parts insanely difficult and insanely thrilling. Enjoy the ride and when things get hard, lean in even harder.
What do you love to do in your free time?
Zach: Fly airplanes.
Noah: Exercise, golf, surf!
What is the most interesting place you’ve visited recently and why?
Zach: South of France. I got engaged there — it forever has my heart.
Noah: Costa Rica. Blows me away every time.
What is your favorite app or tool in your work life and in your personal life?
Zach: Work life: Claude Code. Personal life: ForeFlight.
Noah: Work life: Claude Code. Personal life: therapy.
What do you want to be when you grow up (besides a successful founder)? 😊
Zach: Cookie Chef.
Noah: Actor :)
What do you believe is the most important skill or attribute of a successful founder?
Zach: Obsession.
Noah: Resourcefulness and relentlessness.
Know a founder building something exceptional?
Reply to this email — I’m always looking to meet great entrepreneurs.
SuperAngel.Fund is an early-stage venture capital fund led by Ben Zises that invests in Consumer, PropTech, & Future of Work 😇.
Fund II is backed by the AngelList Systematic Fund-of-Funds (anchored by Sequoia Capital and Squarepoint, a $100B asset manager). Based on their data, SuperAngel ranks in the top 1% on markups over baseline.
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