Eric Anderson’s Post

🚀 SCALE Founder Interview: Cortex! 🚀 We're excited to share our latest edition featuring Anish Dhar, CEO of Cortex! Cortex has built an Internal Developer Platform (IDP) that helps engineering teams manage thousands of microservices. With backing from Sequoia Capital, IVP, Y Combinator, and Scale Venture Partners, Anish and team has taken Cortex from zero customers and zero competitors, to a $470M valuation at Series C. In this edition, Anish shares invaluable insights on creating a market including: + Finding the right champion (SREs!) for enterprise sales + Converting technical validation into executive buy-in + Building without a blueprint While you might have already seen Cortex in TechCrunch, Forbes, and Entrepreneur Magazine, there's a lot more to learn from Anish! 👉 Read Cortex's full story here: https://lnkd.in/gCqhSDJC #DeveloperTools #EnterpriseStartup #CategoryCreation #YC #ProductStrategy #SCALE #VentureCapital #TechStartups #Engineering #StartupGrowth #SeriesC

🚀 Scale x Cortex: Building Products People "Don't Need" 🚀 Thrilled to share our latest edition where Aryaman Banerjee and I had a great conversation with Anish Dhar about the challenges of creating entirely new product categories. "I was probably sending 1000s of cold emails a week to everyone I could think of... I'd get 2 replies, one would be 'not interested'" Despite this initial resistance, Cortex (backed by Sequoia Capital, IVP, Y Combinator, and Scale Venture Partners) grew from zero customers to a $470M valuation by mastering one crucial skill: turning skeptical "we don't need this" prospects into enthusiastic champions. Anish shares candid insights about: + Why technical validation isn't enough + How to identify and empower internal champions + Converting pain points into purchase orders + Building conviction when no market exists 👉 Read the full story in the original post below! #DeveloperTools #CategoryCreation #YCombinator #ProductStrategy #SCALE #VentureCapital #TechStartups #Engineering #StartupGrowth #SeriesC #Sales

How many of your users would be very disappointed if your product disappeared tomorrow? That’s the golden question. According to Sean Ellis, if 40% or more say they'd be devastated, you've hit Product-Market Fit (PMF). Simple, right? Well, not exactly. Let’s unwrap that nugget of wisdom. It’s a little like saying, "If you want to lose weight, just eat less and exercise more." True in principle, but profoundly tricky in practice. Finding PMF is much the same—it’s not just about building something peoplelike;, it’s about consistently tweaking, adjusting, and iterating your way to a product people can’t live without. Iterating your way to PMF is a race against time… and more importantly, a race against your bank balance. It’s not about slapping on a few cosmetic changes and hoping the market falls in love. No, every iteration has to be laser-focused, data-driven, and built with a clear understanding of customer behavior. That’s where Launch comes in. We’ve developed a service precisely for startups who’ve nailed MVP but need help accelerating to PMF before the runway runs out. We bring in the heavy artillery: a handpicked team of experts who live and breathe this critical phase of the startup journey. So, if you're at the MVP stage and looking to leapfrog to PMF before the clock runs out—let’s chat. PS: Launch comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. If we don’t deliver what we promise, you don’t pay us. No fine print. No awkward emails. Explore Launch: https://lnkd.in/dysb9PFY

Tech Founders' most common mistakes: 1. Slow iteration. 2. Hiding their ideas. 2. Not Launching MVP fast enough. 3. Optimizing nonvalue add-features 4. Thinking about scalability when there is no PMF or no growth.

Tech Founders' most common mistakes: 1. Slow iteration. 2. Hiding their ideas. 2. Not Launching MVP fast enough. 3. Optimizing nonvalue add-features 4. Thinking about scalability when there is no PMF or no growth.

Tech Founders' most common mistakes: 1. Slow iteration. 2. Hiding their ideas. 2. Not Launching MVP fast enough. 3. Optimizing nonvalue add-features 4. Thinking about scalability when there is no PMF or no growth.

"Talking to users usually yields a long, complicated list of features to build. One piece of advice that YC partner Paul Buchheit (PB) always gives in this case is to look for the “90/10 solution”. That is, look for a way in which you can accomplish 90% of what you want with only 10% of the work/effort/time." https://lnkd.in/dbz-jUs

𝐓𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬: Do you think building a successful tech product is only about having a great idea? Think again. 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 When we started developing testRigor, it wasn't just about creating a prototype; it was about building a system robust and reliable enough for major companies like Cisco and Netflix to depend on for their critical functionalities. Building a product that's stable, user-friendly, and effective across various complexities of real-world applications involves addressing a myriad of challenges. Here’s a brief look at how we approached them: ➡️ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: We ensured the system could handle complex architectures, including nested iFrames and shadow DOMs. ➡️ 𝐔𝐬𝐞𝐫-𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: Making the tool easy for teams to adopt and integrate into their existing workflows was important, so we made sure to do it. ➡️ 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲: We developed flexibility to effectively manage hybrid and mobile applications, prevalent in today's tech landscape. The journey from an idea to a product used by leading global companies is filled with hurdles. It requires a deep understanding of your customers' needs and the technical challenges they face. The key to our progress wasn't just overcoming obstacles but turning them into opportunities for growth and innovation. Take the time to reflect on your development strategies. What challenges could you turn into your next big opportunity? #TechStartups #AITestingTools #AIAgent

🚀 25% of organizations worry that no-code applications may not scale well. But here’s the thing — no-code platforms are designed to grow with you. 📈 Scalability is crucial for any business looking to expand, and no-code platforms are stepping up to the challenge. Whether you’re a startup or an enterprise, no-code can scale to meet your needs. Let’s talk about how you can build scalable solutions that grow with your business 🌱

Did you know that 70% of MVPs never make it past the development phase? 🟨 And it's NOT always because of technical issues... After years of collaborating with startups, I’ve discovered the most common and real reasons why most MVPs fail before even reaching users: 👉 Over-engineering from day one.  You don't need all the bells and whistles. Your first version should solve ONE problem, well! 1. Building in isolation: Too many founders spend months in development without getting any real user feedback. Your MVP should be a conversation with your market - not a monologue. 2. Perfect over present: Waiting for "just one more feature" before launch is a dangerous game.  At this stage; perfection is the enemy of progress. Misaligned tech: Your MVP tech should match your current needs - not your five-year vision. For example, think about Dropbox's MVP Instead of building a complex file-syncing system from the get-go… They launched with a simple video demonstrating how the product would work. The video generated thousands of signups to their waitlist overnight! Why? Because they tested their core assumption (people want simple file syncing) before diving into complex development. This validated their market interest before writing a single line of code! Remember: In football, an MVP is the most valuable player who consistently delivers results ⚽️ In startups, your MVP should do exactly the same - deliver core value consistently, without the fancy footwork.  Yeah?