Why I Want to Build a Startup
An ambitious but grounded look at the problems I care about, what draws me to early-stage work, and how I’m preparing to build something of my own.
Types of problems that excite me
- UX-heavy — Where the product wins or loses on clarity, speed, and delight. I’m drawn to tools that people use every day and that get out of the way when they’re good.
- Data-intensive — Problems where making sense of lots of data (logs, events, transactions) directly helps users decide or act. I like turning complexity into something understandable and actionable.
- AI-driven — Where LLMs, RAG, or other models can change how people work, as long as the UX and reliability are built in from the start. I want to ship AI features that feel useful and trustworthy, not gimmicky.
- Real-world workflows — Operations, approvals, maintenance, support—domains where software touches physical processes and real people. I like the constraint of “this has to work in the field,” not just in demos.
What I enjoy about early-stage building
I like being close to the problem and the user. Early-stage means shorter paths between an idea, a shipped solution, and real feedback. I enjoy feedback loops, end-to-end ownership, and making decisions that shape both the product and the underlying system.
I’m also drawn to small, focused teams, where communication is direct, responsibility is clear, and progress isn’t slowed by layers of process. I’d rather have meaningful impact early, before optimizing for scale.
How frontend, backend, and product thinking come together
I don’t see different parts of the stack as separate concerns. The best products come from thinking holistically: what the user experiences, how interfaces are shaped, how APIs are designed, how data flows, and how systems are observed and debugged in production.
Product thinking ties it all together—starting with the question of what problem we’re solving and how we’ll know if we’ve solved it. I like aligning technical decisions with user outcomes and business goals so we’re building the right thing, not just building it well.
What I’m learning as I prepare to build
- Customer and problem discovery — Learning how to talk to users, surface real pain points, and test assumptions early, so ideas are grounded before significant engineering investment.
- Go-to-market and distribution — Understanding how early users are found, how products are positioned and priced, and what “launch” looks like at the beginning.
- Deciding what to build first — Getting better at scoping MVPs, sequencing features, and shipping small, valuable slices instead of waiting for something “complete.”