... required in any app: good authentication and easy onboarding. If I had started thinking about how these work, it would have made life a hell of a lot easier! Using AI saved lots of time in the planning stage, although it's not a silver bullet. Having built this app, in the future I ll be able to utilise AI in a much more effective manner not only harnessing the power of LLMs but also applying my own experience ... ... enabled me to learn what really matters to them. Lesson: talk to people, even when you're not "ready." --- ### 4. Marketing is its own mountain Building is one thing. Getting people to care is another. We are at the stage

... data engineer who has little experience in full-stack software development, I ve been experimenting with vibe coding tools to move fast in the early stages. My flow looked like this: Prototyped the main UI in V0 (after 300+ iterations/conversations back and forth) Added backend with Supabase for auth, storage, and DB Moved from Replit V0 now AI coding IDEs (Trae, Cursor) to push into full-stack territory Vibe coding is great for speed and validation ... ... already a 'No'. So I m wondering: How do you make the leap from prototype to production when you start with vibe/no-code tools? For non-technical founders, what s the smartest path to avoid being stuck at this stage

... felt how hard it is to find the right person who shares your vision, skillset, and hunger. BuildMate fixes that by helping you connect fast and meaningfully. What you can do: - Create a focused founder/startup profile (skills, startup stage, what you're looking for) - Discover co-founders, teammates, and early collaborators (even investors exploring founders) - Filter by skills, location, startup stage

... ground up." https://openai.com/careers/produ... The trend is unmistakable: employers want to see strategic thinking, creativity, and the ability to deliver working results all in one specialist. Wait, haven't we seen this before? You're right! In early-stage startups, designers almost always work end-to-end: Creating landing pages, banners, and marketing materials Designing key UX flows Developing design systems Managing social media and brand This covers the complete cycle from customer acquisition to retention tasks that were ... ... often work at the strategic level. To become an E2E designer, you need: From strategy to implementation the ability to design interfaces and visuals yourself AI and vibe coding creating clickable, working prototypes without developer involvement in early stages

... community, I'm at that classic "ready for users but have no users" stage of my journey and would love some advice from those who have been here before. I've spent the last few months building what I'm calling a RaaS (Rizz as a Service). It's an AI keyboard for Android designed to help people win conversations with genuinely witty, frame-controlling replies, not the cringey, robotic stuff that's already flooded the market. Now that ... ... what actually worked to get those crucial first users who genuinely cared? Is building a Discord community from day one a must, or is a simple email list enough to manage feedback effectively at this early stage

... been exploring better ways to validate early-stage product ideas not just from gut feel, but through meaningful market signals. In your experience: How do you go about validating a new product idea or GTM direction? Do you lean on user interviews, market data, experiments, or something else? What s worked well (or not so well) for you? As a product person myself, I ve always found this step to be the trickiest especially when time and budgets are tight ... ... found that building a simple prototype and putting it in front of real users is still the most honest form of validation. Comment from Ran(@a11yexpert): So of course this is entirely my opinion, but I think most early-stage

... most common questions I hear from early-stage founders: What metrics should I track? MRR? DAUs? LTV? It depends on what you're building. So I built a little free tool to help: https://www.zapdigits.com/what-s... Just answer 1 2 quick questions: What kind of product are you building? What stage

... years I watched early-stage founders spin their wheels for weeks or months trying to test ideas only to hit a wall or pivot too late. I did it myself. It drained time, cash, and energy. That experience drove me to build mvpAI, a lightweight tool that simulates investor feedback and user reactions in days not months. I m designing mockups and persona-driven tests so founders can avoid burnout and know whether to pivot, proceed, or pause before writing ... ... then simulate a Zoom-style focus group where these AI personas interact with the prototype, share detailed feedback, and discuss their perspectives. All insights are compiled into a structured report and delivered to the idea owner giving them early-stage

... When building a product as a startup, it s almost inevitable that you ll reach a point where you need to pivot, whether it s at the hypothesis stage or after launching a product. But how can we ensure that a pivot becomes more than just a change in direction and actually leads to real growth for the team and product? My conclusion was this: we need to clearly define the domain we want to focus on and pivot only ...

... community I m building a startup and reaching the point where I need to better understand the early-stage funding landscape especially around pre-seed and first checks. There s a lot of theory online, but I d love to hear your real stories and practical tips: How did you raise your first funding? What helped you get those initial intros to angels or micro-VCs? Is it worth bootstrapping until MVP? Or better to start building relationships with investors ... ... earlier? What were your biggest mistakes (or wins) at the early funding stage

... Hello!! What are your recommendations on top acquisition channels at an early stage? Curious to learn from other Makers what other acquisition channels worked for you at an early stage

... community! Over the past few months, we ve been building VichaarVerse a student-led digital magazine that explores India s startup scene with a unique twist: > Instead of only covering unicorns and mega-funding rounds, we spotlight early-stage founders, untold student journeys, grassroots ventures, and youth-centric innovation. But here s the deeper mission behind it: We want to spark entrepreneurial thinking in teenagers especially high schoolers not just as future startup founders, but as creators, problem-solvers ... ... Cross 10,000+ Views Post-Launch Following the successful release of the first edition of VichaarVerse Startup Magazine, one of the most impactful factors in sustaining momentum and extending our reach was how we leveraged social media platforms and alternate

... they help startups are neutral or harmful) The network is insane , especially for b2b companies. It will accelerate your G2M like nothing else. You'll learn what real speed looks like , by grinding alongside the top early stage founders. Every time I talk to a current or recent YC company or go to the events, I'm reminded what top speed looks like. And I'm also reminded that the speed that start-ups are capable of gets faster every ... ... until then, but if so I will apply for sure. Thanks for the heads-up! Comment from Mohamed Ashraf(@dagermohamed): I have already applied, and I am building an open-source business management platform that could serve as an alternative

... table, you'd clearly see where different types of tools come into play. We've been looking at how AI is reshaping this process from two main angles: Boosting Efficiency Where can AI significantly boost efficiency? How were these stages done before, and what can AI replace or optimize now? Advancements in Multimodal Output Today's AI has made huge strides in its multimodal output capabilities. This means any content creation tool can directly generate videos, audio, animations ... ... these tools more relevant to real-world needs but also aligns better with human nature and business logic. The two main things we're working on right now actually revolve around these two directions: First, in the idea validation stage

... real business A beta launch product/market fit Early traction sustainable growth These mistakes aren t just common: they re predictable. Some of the most frequent pitfalls I see: Building without validating a real pain point Skipping the problem/solution fit stage Mistaking early adopters for broad market demand Lacking a clear path to scale Burning cash before finding the right business model Not knowing where they actually are in their startup journey That s why I built StartupScan.ai ... ... free AI-powered assessment tool that helps you diagnose your startup s maturity and gives you a clear, actionable roadmap to grow faster and smarter. What it does: Assesses your startup across 6 key growth stages

... replies, retweets and DMs to harvest the language your audience actually uses. 2. Rapid-fire experiments We never waited for launch day. Instead, we treated our entire buildup as a real-time lab: Email CTA swaps ( Try Chronicle Pro vs. See Cursor in action ) Slack micro-polls in our beta channel ( Which benefit would you tweet? ) Tweet thread formats (numbered list vs

... feel like there is a lot of talk about product, marketing, and launch strategies, but not enough about people. So, I m curious: in your experience, what truly makes an early-stage team work well ? And , on the flip side, what are the red flags or common pitfalls that can derail a team early on ? Was it about the complementary skills? Shared obsession? Clear roles? Or... Maybe it was misaligned expectations? Ego clashes? Or just moving at different speeds ...

... user or with actual experts far more! Simulated users, on the other hand, are significantly cheaper, always under $1 per simulation. This means you can run many more tests, more frequently, without burning through your budget. Early-Stage Insights : One of the most significant advantages is the ability to use them as "thinking partners" in the earliest stages

... Just asking, QuickBooks? Google Sheets? Something you hacked together with AI? We built a very simple AI-driven tool and want to hear what s working (or not) for early-stage teams. Comment from Saule Ibrayeva(@salleisha): @luigi_receiptorai  Amazing, thanks for sharing! Comment from steve beyatte(@steveb): What does the AI tool do that QuickBooks, Numeral, etc. don't? Comment from Meghan Henry(@meghan_henry): My cousin set me up with Wave, it's free and kind ... ... tool @Receiptor AI especially helpful since we ve got a mix of inbox receipts and physical ones. Comment from Saule Ibrayeva(@salleisha): @steveb  simplicity and low pricing, plus a free personalized calendar and automated reminders for early-stage

... friends I m one of the team members behind TaxHero 2.o, an AI tax assistant built for early-stage founders. After helping dozens of startups over the past few years, we kept seeing founders paying hundreds for basic filings, confusion over IRS forms and deadlines, and surprise fines from missed paperwork. We thought, there has to be a simpler way, so we built one. Perfect for pre-revenue or < $5K MRR Delaware C-Corps. Simple, affordable, and built ...

... everyone We just launched TaxHero AI 2.o . It s a super simple AI tax app for early-stage startups. It helps with stuff like: Knowing what tax deadlines are coming up Monthly bookkeeping Filing federal & state taxes Mainly built for Delaware C-Corps, early stage

... everyone We just launched TaxHero 2.o. It s a super simple AI tax app for early-stage startups. Let AI handle the IRS forms and deadlines so you can keep your focus where it belongs: building your product. It helps with stuff like knowing what tax deadlines are coming up, monthly bookkeeping, filing federal & state taxes Mainly built for Delaware C-Corps, early stage

... founder of an early-stage edtech startup, I've been a little "overwhelmed" with which social media platforms to stick with. I'm not sure which ones to invest most of my time into and which to steer clear of. Given that target audiences vary between different companies, how successful have you found TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, and even Product Hunt in gaining traction for your company? Have you spent the money investing in advertisements or "promotions?" Was it worth ... ... juice, but you're walking a razor's edge between going viral and getting banned. Comment from Najish(@deleted-7275267): Totally get where you're coming from! Social media can feel like a guessing game when you're early-stage

... nobody can surprise you later) Breathing techniques and non-verbal communication once I interviewed a voice coach for Slovak Forbes and she advised the following techniques/practices: practice non-verbal communication (upright posture) adequate eye contact making grimaces (e.g., alternately pursing your lips and smiling broadly) to activate the jaw muscles imitating different sounds yawning is a great help because it stretches the muscles in the throat the larynx is lower than in the starting position and relaxes. Comment from Nika ... ... practice talking about the value how it solves a real problem. I even rehearse in front of a mirror or record myself. That s brutal honesty, but it works. Shift the mindset I stopped thinking of it as me vs

... past few months, I ve been working on an idea that means a lot to me a simple app concept that supports both pets and humans emotionally. It s called PetPal It s still in its early prototype stage the robot and full features aren t built yet but I ve created a walkthrough to share the vision and invite early feedback. The idea is to track your pet s mood, care routines, and provide gentle AI insights especially during ...