Resource Library

Increasingly, startups are claiming to be “AI-powered.” However, in most cases, that just means they’ve slapped a chatbot onto their homepage or added a search assistant inside their app. It’s surface-level, often disconnected from core functionality, and ultimately uninspiring. According to Gartner’s 2025 CEO & Senior Business Executive survey, 77% of CEOs believe AI is transforming their business landscape, yet only 44% trust their CIOs to be AI-savvy. The gap between aspiration and application is wide. The real opportunity isn’t in adding AI as a feature. It’s in embedding AI so deeply into your product’s workflow, automation layer, or output logic that users barely notice it, but feel its impact every time they use your tool. In this article, I’ll explore five startups that are doing exactly that, but first, I want to talk more about why AI-embedded products are here to stay. Contents Why AI-Embedded Products Are the Future There’s a reason AI-native products are winning early, according to McKinsey: startups using embedded AI cut time-to-market by 30% or more. Founders are learning that AI, when built into product logic (not just bolted onto the front-end), creates tangible value fast. Embedded AI drives: Operational Leverage: Automate internal workflows without […]

Picture this: you pour months (and a small fortune) into building the “perfect” product, only to launch to crickets. It’s every founder’s nightmare, and I’ve seen it happen more than once. In fact, a whopping 42% of startups fail because they build something nobody actually needs. The hard truth is that building in a vacuum is a costly gamble. But there’s a better way to improve your odds of success drastically: embrace Lean Product Development and continuous user feedback from day one. Lean Product Development isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a battle-tested approach to creating products that actually resonate with users. It’s about starting small, learning fast, and iterating often. This approach of “build, measure, learn” is how savvy founders turn ideas into thriving products without burning through their runway. At Altar.io, we’ve used this method to help turn numerous startup visions into reality. For example, a fandom app that snagged backing from Sony and Warner Music and a regtech platform that raised $8M after nailing its MVP. The common thread? They all started lean, launched early, and let real user feedback guide every step of their journey. In this article, I’ll dive deep into what lean development really means (and why it works), how to implement an MVP […]

As the CMO at Altar.io, I spend a lot of time thinking about how to create value for founders, not just through what we build, but also through what we share. Lately, I’ve been working with Daniel (our Founder and CPO, and someone who’s led 100+ product builds at Altar.io) on a new video content series. The goal is to explore how great product thinking can be a real competitive advantage, especially in an era where AI and low-code tools make it easier than ever to launch software, but not necessarily easier to succeed. Before kicking off the series, we wanted to take a step back. We asked ourselves: What’s actually going on in the world of product right now? What are founders being told? What’s changing? And what still matters most? So we did the work. We spoke to clients. We talked to people in our network. And we did some in-depth qualitative and quantitative research, exploring what VCs, product leaders, founders, and platforms are saying about building great software products in 2025. Originally, this research was meant to fine-tune our own thinking and positioning for the program. But the findings turned out to be too valuable to keep […]

If you’re building an MVP, you’re not just launching a product, you’re kicking off a cycle of discovery. The most common reason startups fail is simple: they build something nobody wants. But that risk is avoidable… If you approach your MVP the right way. Throughout my career, I’ve been immersed in environments purpose-built to help early-stage startups bring new products to life. I’ve had a front-row seat to what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to turning raw ideas into successful, scalable solutions. One framework that often marks the line between startup success and the startup graveyard is today’s focus, the Build-Measure-Learn cycle. In this article, I’ll break down what it is, why it matters, and, most importantly, how to implement it step-by-step in your MVP journey. Whether you’re validating your first idea or refining an early build, this guide will help you move from uncertainty to traction faster and reduce your time-to-value. Contents What is the Build-Measure-Learn Cycle? If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with the Build-Measure-Learn cycle. That said, I wanted to give you a quick overview to ensure we’re on the same page moving forward. The Build-Measure-Learn cycle is an iterative process designed to rapidly […]

Over the past five years, I’ve worked at a product and software development house built to support startup growth, from napkin sketch to scale-up and beyond. During that time, our team helped over 100 founders turn bold ideas into thriving ventures. One pattern shows up again and again: many founders underestimate the complexity of scaling. Scaling isn’t just about adding features or hiring fast. It’s about evolving intentionally, without losing the clarity and momentum that got you here. According to Genome, 74% of high-growth startups fail due to premature or poorly planned scaling. This guide is here to help you avoid that fate and grow with purpose. You’ve launched your MVP, validated your riskiest assumptions, and gained early traction. Now what? Now comes the hard part: scaling. Here’s how to do it without breaking what you’ve built. Contents 1. Make Sure You’re Actually Ready to Scale Before you write a single line of new code or bring on your first growth hire, take a strategic pause. Ask yourself: Are users coming back because they genuinely find value, or are retention metrics being propped up by reminders, incentives, or hacks? Real product-market fit shows up in behaviour, not vanity metrics. Consistent, […]