Florence, South Carolina, United States
T.LY is a URL shortener and link management platform founded in 2020 by Tim Leland, a solo developer operating the business as a side project alongside a full-time job. The platform allows users to create, brand, track, and share short URLs, with paid plans adding features such as custom domains, advanced analytics, API access, and smart URL redirects based on device or geography.
As of April 2022, T.LY had surpassed 10 million short URLs created and 100 million clicks tracked across those links. The Chrome browser extension, which serves as the primary growth engine, had accumulated 400,000 active users. The business was generating over $4,000 in monthly recurring revenue from more than 600 paying customers, with hosting costs of approximately $300 per month representing the largest operating expense.
Leland bootstrapped the company to profitability without outside investment or additional staff, relying on organic SEO and virality across his portfolio of Chrome extensions to drive user acquisition. He declined an informal acquisition offer of approximately $60,000 in the months prior to the interview, citing a preference to continue growing the platform independently.