Demi Abatan

I remember getting rejected by a VC (@HustleFundVC) on January 6, 2026. They were worried about how expensive it would be for us to acquire customers at scale. The funny part? We didn't even have traction yet. 😭 We were still figuring things out and trying to get the product off the ground. Found this email again today and laughed. It reminded me how interesting the startup journey can be.

If I offered to invest $100k in your startup today, what would you use the money for, and what are you building? Be specific. 👀

A friend of mine discovered a problem worth solving, but the solution doesn't necessarily require AI. I told him to build it anyway. Not every problem needs an AI solution. The most important thing is solving a real problem. However, he's also paying attention to current trends and what investors are interested in. So I'm curious: Should he focus on solving the problem he's discovered, or should he also consider market trends and what investors are currently looking for? What would you advise him?

What's the difference between giving up too early... and knowing when it's time to stop? As a founder

Why do some founders insist on finding a technical co-founder when AI tools and no-code platforms can help them build an initial version of their product? Is having a technical co-founder still essential for a non-technical founder, or has the situation changed?

It's Saturday. Are you building today or touching grass and enjoying a little time in nature?

let’s connect 🤝 founders, builders, designers, developers, and people working on interesting ideas. what are you building, and what stage are you at right now? drop a reply. let’s find our people on here. 🫂

Does every product really need paid ads to acquire users?

Imagine spending a year building a product, only for a bigger company to launch the same feature in a week. They have more money, more users, and a bigger team. What can a small startup realistically do in that situation?

Be honest: Would you hire a developer who relies heavily on AI to write code?

“Build something you would use yourself.” Sounds like great advice. But what if you're not your target customer? Should founders still follow it?

Imagine spending five years building a company around a problem. Then technology advances to the point where that problem almost disappears. Your product becomes less necessary precisely because the world is getting better. Would you celebrate the progress or panic about your business?

Between Grok Bot, ChatGPT Dots, Claude Duet, Meta Muse and all these new AI agents popping up... How do you even decide which one to use when they seem to offer so many of the same capabilities? What actually makes one worth choosing over the others? Which one should I pick?

AI and vibe coding have flipped the script. We went from having more developers than founders to having more founders than developers. If everyone's building, who's buying? Are we all just building for each other, or is B2B the way forward? 💁

One thing that frustrates me about Nigeria is how much we rely on prayers and the hope that one helper will come and change our lives. Meanwhile, we're not doing enough to build businesses, create opportunities and demand accountability. A country cannot develop on prayers and expectations alone. Have we ever seen a nation develop through prayers alone?

New month, fresh energy, bigger goals. Happy New Month to you 🧑‍💻🎉

My country has a serious engagement problem. The most trivial things get everyone's attention, but intellectual conversations, meaningful ideas and discussions that could actually move society forward struggle to get the same energy. Is this common everywhere?