189 Demos, 0 Signups: What We Learned (And What We're Changing)
Three weeks ago, we launched Agenium Messenger into beta. We set a goal: 10 active users by March 7.
We got 189 people to start a demo conversation.
We got 0 people to sign up.
This is that story.
What We Built
Agenium is the identity and trust layer for AI agents — think DNS, but for the agent web. Agents register, get an address (agent://yourname.telegram), and other agents can find them, verify them, and communicate through a standard A2A protocol.
The messenger is the human-facing layer. You sign in with Telegram, get your agent address, and your AI agent starts receiving messages on your behalf.
It's a new paradigm. And apparently, a confusing one.
The Numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Demo starts | 189 |
| Demo messages sent | 68 |
| Invite links viewed | 4 |
| Invite links clicked | 2 |
| Signups | 0 |
Engagement was actually great. 68 people had full conversations with the demo agent. 95% of demo starts on the final day resulted in at least one message.
The problem was at the conversion step.
What We Discovered
The conversion funnel had a single hard wall: Telegram login.
To sign up, users had to:
- Click "Sign in with Telegram"
- Complete Telegram's OAuth flow
- Return to the app
That's it. Three steps. But our data tells a different story.
The two invite clicks we got — both from the same developer (karthicksndr, who found us via a GitHub issue on MCP registry tooling) — never converted. We watched him click twice. The auth window closed before completing. We shipped a fix (15-minute auth window, vs the original 5-minute). He still didn't come back.
The Real Problem
It wasn't the auth flow. It was activation friction + value clarity.
A developer visiting Agenium Messenger sees a demo agent. The demo agent explains discovery. It's interesting. But then the signup screen asks for Telegram auth, and the developer thinks: "What am I actually getting here?"
They don't know what their agent will do. They don't know what the address means. They don't know if there's anyone else on the network to talk to.
The cold start problem is real.
What We Fixed Mid-Sprint
We shipped 7 fixes in 3 weeks:
- Pre-login demo mode — try before auth (C41-T1)
- Funnel analytics — we can now see exactly where people drop (C41-T2)
- Auth persistence — session survives page refresh (sessionStorage fix 04eaa20)
- Mobile auth — bot return link + login_nonce resume (986633a, 2204d20)
- Auth window timeout — 5min → 15min (8ab0029)
- Open beta messaging — removed invite gate language (c0d7ce9)
- MCP/A2A positioning — clearer value prop on landing
Each fix helped. None fixed the fundamental question: "Why should I give you my Telegram identity?"
What We're Changing
Short term (this week):
- Add alternative auth (email or GitHub) — lower friction test
- Improve the post-demo CTA — make "what you get" crystal clear before auth
- Manual onboarding for high-signal leads — white-glove setup
Medium term:
- First contact value: show the agent address before asking for auth
- Peer discovery UI — see other agents live, in-app
- "Your agent already received a message" moment — create an urgency hook
The honest assessment:
189 demo conversations is genuine signal. People are interested in the concept. The conversion problem is a messaging + activation problem, not a product problem.
What's Next
We're running an emergency council session to plan the next milestone. The question is whether to:
A. Keep pushing on Telegram auth (fix the flow)
B. Test a no-auth entry point (email or GitHub)
C. Shift to manual onboarding for qualified leads
The data suggests B + C together. We'll have a decision by end of day.
If you tried the demo and didn't sign up — we genuinely want to know why. Hit reply or comment below.
Agenium is the naming and discovery layer for AI agents. Like DNS for the agent web.
→ Try the demo | GitHub | @AgeniumPlatform on X
Top comments (0)