How do I build a defensible GenAI startup as a founder?

How do I build a a defensible GenAI startup as a founder?

Every tech startup I mentor has different problems.

Some on GTM, others on product roadmap and most on getting pilot customers.

Here are 5 reasons how successful startups operate differently

1️⃣ Are you a hammer in search of a nail?

8 out of 10 folks I speak to have solutions that look like wrappers to existing LLMs – wanting to jump onto the AI bandwagon or pivoting from Web3.

2️⃣ In times of change, focus on what remains the same – the fundamentals : The best CEOs and founders I have spoken to focus not on the hype but on foundations – what is the problem the customers “desperately want to solve for”

An Healthcare AI CEO recently shared the life-changing experience of how one of their patients learnt about an anomaly that would have resulted in a 90% heart blockage because of the capabilities their AI tools allow them to capture their historical health trends that were earlier missed by their physicians

3️⃣ Problem first, Tech second :

Not all of the solutions need Generative AI – I would even argue that less than 10% of the capabilities really need to be generative. But yes, it has brought in new focus on even traditional discriminative AI.

4️⃣ Obsessive about solving for customers JTBD

I love the jobs to be done framework. Like the popular adage goes, do you need a 9 inch nail or a 9 inch hole?

Founders who obsess about JTBD – how can I help B2B customers understand the plant meat market with a curated GPT generated research saving weeks of consulting expense/time vs a I am building a ‘faster photo editor’

5️⃣ Governance and Integrity – Are you playing the long game.

Integrity and customer value tend to go together. In this new world where responsible AI is still getting defined, the ones I tend to trust are the ones who do the right thing – even when no one is watching.

Or governing.

#ScalewithGenerativeAI is a #WeeklySeries I am running on mentoring #TechStartups and #SmallBusinesses to leverage the power of AI to scale.

If you run a small business or a startup and looking to chat, I have opened up some weekend slots here : https://topmate.io/ranjaniandvignesh/342974

Especially if you have a women co-founder 🙂

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Ranjani Mani

#reviewswithranjani

#Technology | #Books | #BeingBetter

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