Startup Advice

When I’m advising a founder who’s still testing whether an idea has legs, I remind them that we’re working in the dark. We don’t yet know if our assumptions are correct or which features will resonate with customers. Every choice we make, from database to framework, carries risk because it might not survive the next pivot. At this stage, it’s less about picking shiny tools and more about choosing the fastest, least painful route to learning what will work within your MVP. Think of it like opening a small shop on a new street. You wouldn’t sink all your cash into a massive storefront and a huge warehouse before you even know if customers will walk in. You’d start with something lean: a modest shopfront that lets people come and browse, and a backroom that holds just enough stock to get by. Building a product is the same. Your “shopfront” is the user-facing app, your “warehouse” is the database and workflows running behind it. In the early days, the smart move is to keep both as simple and low-cost as possible so you can test whether there’s real demand. That said, it’s also important to recognise there are no silver […]

When clients begin their product journey, they naturally focus on the core team: a sharp product designer, strong developers, and a savvy product manager. These are the visionaries and builders who bring the idea to life.  But anyone who’s attempted a complex build knows, whether software, a house, or anything else, having the right team is only half the solution. Without delivery leadership, an intentional focus on process, people and progress, even the best‑coded features will arrive late, cost more or miss the mark. Studies of project management show that coordinated leadership helps ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget and to the expected quality. At Altar.io, we’ve seen first-hand how product teams consistently outperform when they’re supported by structured delivery leadership; namely, a disciplined Project Manager and a nimble Scrum Master. These roles might look like overhead, but in reality, they are lubricants that keep the engine running smoothly. Quietly but powerfully, they remove friction, keep everyone pointed in the right direction and ensure the work flows toward success. In this article, I’ll dive into what these roles do and how they can benefit your startup. Contents Clarifying Roles: Delivery Leadership vs. Product Vision A typical product‑focused team […]

The due diligence of choosing the right accelerator or incubator for your startup is a process I experienced firsthand when I built my first startup. As with many other things on that journey, I made mistakes. And I learned the hard way just how important it is to do proper due diligence. For now, I won’t bother you with the details, if you’re interested in knowing a bit more about that experience you can find it here. The bottom line is finding a startup incubator or accelerator that’s right for you can be like finding a needle in a haystack. The critical factors to consider to make the right choice can feel endless. The amount of funding they provide vs. the amount of equity they’ll take. Profiles of the mentors and the industry they specialise in. How many startups they’ve funded. The community around it. The percentage of startups they accept and the difficulty of the application process itself vs. what they can do for you. The list goes on. It’s a time-consuming process that’s all going on while you’re trying to bring your startup vision to life. So, to make the process a bit quicker for you, I’ve compiled a […]

Early in 2025, “vibe coding” burst onto the software scene. Advocates describe it as coding by instinct: you sketch a feature in natural language, feed it to an AI agent and watch usable code. Stories circulate of hobbyists building games or small SaaS products in hours with nothing more than a few prompts and some looped back error messages. For founders sprinting towards product–market fit, that vision is intoxicating. An AI assistant that writes your MVP overnight seems to promise lower costs, shorter runways and fewer hires. But this narrative glosses over the realities of running a startup: resource constraints, investor expectations and the need to scale a prototype into a maintainable business. Vibe coding cuts corners by skipping design and engineering phases and encouraging developers to hard‑code secrets or rely on whatever package an AI suggests. Those shortcuts may work for a weekend hackathon, but they can become liabilities when you’re accountable to customers and investors. Building robust software means investing in a secure AI coding approach from the outset. Contents Vibe Coding vs. “Free” Coding: Why Senior Oversight Is Non‑Negotiable At first glance, vibe coding looks like a way to bypass seasoned engineers altogether. Many marketing messages imply […]

Everyone wants an AI product. But few know how to build one that actually works. AI is the new gold rush, and founders are sprinting to stake their claim. But in that rush, many are skipping the fundamentals of good product development. The result? AI MVPs that overpromise, underdeliver, and crash before they even get a shot at product-market fit. You’ve seen the headlines: “AI startup raises $5M pre-product.” “VCs doubling down on GenAI tools.” What don’t you see? The quiet shutdowns. The half-baked launches. The burned capital and bruised egos. This article unpacks real AI MVP failures and the lessons founders can learn to build smarter, not just faster. Contents Humane AI Pin: Bold Vision, Bad Execution Humane, founded by former Apple executives Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, launched the AI Pin with a bold vision: to replace smartphones with an AI-powered wearable that projected information onto your hand and responded to voice and gesture commands. The marketing was sleek, the mission ambitious, and the backers, who included OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, convinced. But the reality was harsh. Overheating, battery issues, and slow response times plagued the device. Reviewers panned it for poor usability and unclear value. Internally, multiple […]

There’s a pattern I keep seeing: ambitious teams, great ideas, and stalled momentum. Not from a lack of talent or effort, but from bloated processes and friction-filled workflows. And in a world moving this fast, that friction kills momentum. Meetings get eaten by research. Prototypes take weeks. Validation drags. You’re not alone—this is the reality for many product teams right now. What’s changing that reality for the best teams? Strategic use of AI. Not as a gimmick. Not as a shortcut. But as a real enabler of speed, clarity, and impact. I’ve spent the last two decades working in product and UX. Many of those years I spent as a Product Leader, driving innovation, building high-performing teams, and fostering collaborative environments. I’ve had the privilege of mentoring, advising, and working with dozens of tech founders at different stages of the startup journey. So when I say we’re at a defining moment for product teams, I mean it. AI tools are no longer experimental. Used well, they fundamentally change how we build, validate, and deliver products. But having access isn’t enough. It’s how you apply these tools that creates the real leverage. The roadmap I am about to share is the […]