Samee Khan

Pathways to Tech Week #2 at  Headstarter: Being surrounded by people who are building amazing software and companies is a truly inspiring experience. My favorite speakers were: • Tariq Ahmed: First Engineer at AppLovin ($30Billion IPO) • Julian Alvarez 🚀: CEO of Wisdolia • Hamza Ali: CEO of Olostep  Here's what I have learned from them: 𝟭- "𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁" Tariq, one of the first engineers at AppLovin, shared that AppLovin tried several things in their early stages that failed. However, the company had incredible success when it pivoted to mobile advertising; They didn't have expertise in the field. Today if you've experienced in-app advertising, AppLovin was likely behind it. 𝟮- "𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻." Julian runs Wisdolia a startup aimed at helping college students actively study. By simply asking what types of students they were. His team found that medical students were the ones the ones who converted the most into paying customers. It seemed evident because they were the most overwhelmed by the amount of information they had cram. But the evidence in their face was a lightbulb moment for Wisdolia. 𝟯- "𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗮𝗿." Hamza, CEO of Olostep, describes his company as "a company that enables AI agents to browse the web just like humans". I was fascinated when I heard that, and as the Olostep team acquires more customers they value scrappy and people that initiative on board. Those qualities set engineers apart when building successful products.

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Shame not one person of color (i.e. Black, Latino/a) included. So why aren't these VCs investing in AI coding startups helmed by this demo? For articles such as this, at least a quote from the powerful organization Black in AI should be included so we can all make sure the industry is as robust as possible. Amazing ideas come from all kinds of demos, not just one. Business Insider #tech #AI #leadership #startups

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The Automation Takeover: Are Software Engineers Becoming Obsolete? The speed at which LLMs have dominated the industry creates evidence of substantial change, including the evolving role of the software developer. from a 10,000-foot view, what is this signaling for what’s to come for jobs across sectors? LLMs are not just tools for generating text; they are becoming increasingly adept at understanding context, interpreting nuance, and engaging in meaningful conversations. This expansion of capabilities raises profound questions about the future role of software engineers. Are we entering an era where LLMs will take on more responsibilities traditionally handled by human developers? How will this impact the skill set required in the tech industry? Hessie Jones Jones explores the implications of LLMs' rise and the potential transformations awaiting the software engineering landscape in her thought-provoking piece. Check the first comment below. #ai #chatgpt #automation #softwareengineering #forbes #innovation

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I founded Underscore as a Webflow-first design and development studio, which means we build sites exclusively on Webflow (for now, at least). Many have asked—why Webflow? I personally discovered Webflow in 2017 while studying at LASALLE College of the Arts and was immediately impressed by its capabilities compared to WordPress. To designers, Webflow is a playground for bringing our creative visions to life, enabling us to implement complex interactions and animations effortlessly. Ever since, Webflow has been my tool of choice for prototyping, creating sites for diverse clients, and notably, for developing Seedly PFF, the largest personal finance festival site, in my previous role. Curious about Webflow or facing challenges with your site? Let's chat! #webflow #singapore

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AI toolsets are evolving at breakneck speeds allowing the power of LLMs to be leveraged by your SMEs and taking some of the mystique out of building powerful AI applications for business. The article below from Gusto parallels what I am seeing in AI's ever evolving state and is very exciting. Thoughts?!

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Highly recommend this interview from the All-In Podcast summit with Tekedra N. Mawakana, Co-CEO of Waymo. Great work by Jason Calacanis, Chamath Palihapitiya, David O. Sacks, and David Friedberg. Here are some insights that stood out to me: 🚦 Why does Waymo avoid freeways? Freeways are pretty straightforward and Waymo is more focused on denser, unpredictable environments since they help the AI learn faster and better. 🤖 Tekedra referenced the ‘Waymo Driver’ often, which is an interesting term - in a way, they are building ‘one new driver’. 🤝 Will Waymo disrupt and decimate Uber? Well they’re partners so it would be an awkward yes so take this one with a grain of salt. Tekedra said that they don’t want to be experts at everything. They partner with OEMS on the vehicle side, so it made sense to partner with Uber on the rideshare platform side. I buy that.

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Bootcamp Season 4 Class 1: Build and sell an agent from end-to-end 8/24 12pm EST https://lnkd.in/ePwQCZ3H Class 2: Marketing and sales agents to grow on autopilot 8/25 12pm EST https://lnkd.in/ea2aWSrK You can use Live mode to quickly validate an idea before building anything. Always sell before you build. To prepare for Bootcamp Season 4, validate your ideas like this: 1) Write down 5 problems with urgency, frequency, and no solution on Google. 2) Use Live mode to generate just the landing page and a signup form with early pricing. 3) Launch it to your network, or pay a newsletter $200 to get a big email blast you can use to test conversion rates. We have a 40k email list, so we'll help validate ideas submitted to the reddit by 8/24. 4) If you get sales, build the agent, start charging customers, and iterate to product-market-fit. Otherwise, repeat 1-3 going down the list of problems. All Saas products are basically automating something, so the solution space is actually very large with agents. You can technically do this by going to an existing product in the market, then use Live mode to clone the landing page that worked as a starting point. Install our extension, go to a website, hold ALT+S, and enter this to try: "generate a landing page that looks like this but instead make it for an AI for dogs with a pricing section, blog section, and sign up form. " To prepare for Bootcamp Season 4, generate your first landing page and post it to https://lnkd.in/e9QHwCa5 to get feedback from me and attract teammates to work together. I regularly mentor people who are currently homeless, so that forced me to focus on making it easier for them with each Bootcamp. BS4 has been optimized down to 2 days and requires no logins, so feel free to share these links with friends. Doing difficult things begets the ability to do difficult things.

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The $10,000 Mistake Most Founders Make! (Before Building Their Product) I've seen it happen time and time again: Passionate founders pouring their life savings into building a product... only to realize no one wants it. This $10,000+ mistake (often much more) is heartbreaking, but entirely avoidable. So what's this costly error? Failing to validate your idea before building. Here's why this happens and how to avoid it: 1. The Enthusiasm Trap Founders fall in love with their idea and assume everyone else will too. Solution: Detach emotionally. Your idea is not your baby; it's a hypothesis to be tested. 2. The "Build It and They Will Come" Myth Many believe a great product will automatically attract users. Reality Check: The market is crowded. Even great products can fail without proper validation and marketing. 3. Overestimating Market Need Just because you think it's a good idea doesn't mean there's a market for it. Action Step: Conduct thorough market research. • Use surveys, • interviews, • and competitor analysis. 4. Ignoring the MVP Approach Trying to build a perfect, feature-rich product from the start. Better Way: Start with a Minimum Viable Product. Test core features with real users before scaling. 5. Neglecting Customer Discovery Building based on assumptions rather than actual user feedback. Fix: Talk to potential customers BEFORE writing a single line of code. How to Validate Without Breaking the Bank: • Create a landing page to check the interest • Use no-code tools to build a prototype • Run small-scale ads to test messaging • Conduct pre-sales or crowdfunding campaigns • Offer consulting services in your niche to understand pain points    It's cheaper to find out your idea won't work before you build it than after. Even the most brilliant ideas can fail if there's no market demand. --- Want to build your MVP or dive deeper into any of these steps? 👉 DM me word "MVP". --- Follow Mikail Bayram for actionable tips, real-world examples, and lessons learned from building 15+ products from scratch.

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Gary Gensler Quits. Halving in a day. United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler duped more than a few X users into believing he was resigning from the SEC on Wednesday — before saying he was “not done.” "It’s been an honor to serve as [SEC] Chair. Over the past 3 years, I’ve seen firsthand how the incredible staff at the SEC serve investors and issuers alike," Gensler wrote in an April 17 X post. In following posts, he noted the "more than 2,000 enforcement actions" and rules that the SEC has finalized under his stewardship, which appeared to be teeing up a resignation announcement. "And we’re not done," Gensler added, delivering the final punchline. Source: Cointelegraph If you really thought Gary Gensler would quit a day to the halving, right when the bull run is about to kick off. Then the joke is on you. 😂 Who is going to declare all the coins that pump in the bull run a security right before he and his friends open a short position? You? 😁 Now with Bitcoin Halving and Dubai filled with a crazy amount of liquidity at the moment literally and figuratively, there are a lot of expectations. For one I am expecting a nice orange Lambo. 😌 But it's important to tamper those expectations, do good research and don't mess things up by aping into every next Ethereum killer. #web3 #sec #ethereum #bitcoin #halving

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My cohort is the best Machine Learning Engineering class you'll find online. I shouldn't say it myself, but I'm too old to be modest. The next cohort starts in February. If you want to get your butt kicked and learn a ton, consider joining. Link to join: ml.school.

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Yesterday's Zoom call with Headstarter AI was a game-changer! 🤯 Huge shoutout to Shariar Kabir, Miguel Acero, Dustin Beadle, Logan Havern, and Nabeel Alamgir for sharing their invaluable insights. Key takeaways: Communication is key: It's more than just talking; it's about connecting. Know your audience: Understanding who you're speaking to is crucial for success. Embrace challenges: Failures are stepping stones to greatness. Network like a pro: Build strong relationships and seize opportunities. Feeling inspired and ready to level up my game! 🚀 #Pathways2Tech #networking #personaldevelopment #careergoals #startuplife

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finding great tech builders is tough. there are sooo many for software. if you're bootstrapped or funded, fractional can be great option. this post not sponsored... i'm not looking but i'm always assessing ppl. Kwame Ampem is unique: - was key engineer at Numero, YC-backed. - fin-tech, health-tech, social tech. - hands on code. - 10 years of that at companies. - based in US. - and... like other VC-backed founding teams i meet, he's good on... - focus, saying no. - core features. - core tech. - growth tactics. ...likes soccer n that movie, Sing. --> if u know a startup that needs to focus and go 0 to 1 with a tech lead who has gone thru the fundraise juggle, then Kwame. #startups #yc #software #engineering

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🚀 I'm Co-Founding a Startup! 🚀 I'm excited to announce that I've joined forces with my friend and fellow Signal Sciences alum, Vernon Thommeret, to co-found Loopable. Loopable provides a platform that connects world-class coaches with leading retailers, enabling them to offer value-aligned services that deliver outstanding customer outcomes. Our vision is to unlock the full potential of expertise online, making it accessible, scalable, and profitable for everyone. We're in the process of launching with a major customer and are moving quickly to make our vision a reality. I took a recent break from social media because we've been heads-down building, but going forward I'll share insights from the journey regularly here and in my weekly articles on Better by Design, where I explore the intersection of craft, tech, and personal growth. I'm incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement I've gotten from my network throughout my career. Simply put, I couldn't have done it without you. I'm excited to start this new chapter and would love to have you in my corner for what I'm guessing will be the most challenging journey yet. Follow along here and subscribe to my weekly blog posts on Better by Design to stay in the loop. Don’t hesitate to say hello! #startup #entrepreneurship #coaching #ecommerce #expertise #technology #growth

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Are you a note-taker? Do you long for meeting minutes? I do, and I love the Fathom AI Notetaker! You can choose to summarize your recorded meeting with AI notes - with a choice of several AI personas, from stand-up meetings, sales, and a full recap of all Q&As. Each summary provides a direct hyperlink to that section of the recorded conversation. DM me with samples of how I am using the built-in features with advanced AI prompts to take the value even further or for comparisons to other note-takers like Zoom's default. #productivityhack #AI #meaningfulmeetings

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Read these books as a startup founder or indie hacker. h/t to Derrick Reimer for this awesome list. What other books will you add?

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