Ali Hafizji from Wednesday on MVP Mistakes and Finding Product-Market Fit
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
Release Date: 07/03/2025
Why Silicon Valley Still Wins with Lars Leckie of AspenWood Ventures
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled ot have , a Partner at Aspenwood Ventures, bringing a rare founder-turned-investor perspective to early-stage investing. He co-founded AutoFarm (now Novariant), pioneering GPS and robotics in agriculture, where he built sales teams across three continents In this conversation, Lars Leckie shares his unique journey from coding and gaming to becoming a partner at AspenWood Ventures. He discusses the critical lessons learned from his early experiences in sales and strategy, emphasising the importance of understanding customer needs and the divide between engineering and sales...
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Courageous Marketing: How Udi Ledergor Scaled Gong from Zero to Unicorn
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled ot have the Chief Evangelist at Gong, where he spent nine years helping build the company from zero to a multi-billion-dollar valuation. A five-time B2B marketing leader, bestselling author of Courageous Marketing, angel investor, and board member In this conversation, Udi Ledergor, Chief Evangelist at Gong, shares his journey from product management to leading marketing at a billion-dollar company. He emphasizes the importance of human-centric marketing, the need to challenge traditional best practices, and the significance of creating valuable content that resonates with...
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Railsware's Journey from Agency to SaaS Powerhouse with Sergiy Korolov
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am excited to have Sergiy, who is the Co-CEO of Railsware and co-founder of multiple products In this conversation, Sergiy Korolov, CEO of Railsware, discusses his journey from software developer to entrepreneur, the evolution of his products like Mailtrap and Coupler, and the challenges faced in the tech industry. Sergiy shares insights on transitioning from service to product, the importance of understanding user segments through surveys, and the role of AI in enhancing productivity. He also reflects on the complexities of email delivery and strategies for competing against larger...
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Rise of Defence Tech from Brad Harrison from Scout Ventures
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled to have , a former Army Ranger turned venture capitalist, and the founder and Managing Partner of Scout Ventures. Brad invests at the intersection of national security and critical technology innovation, backing companies like Unite Us, ID.me, Voyager Space, and Tomahawk Robotics — which was recently acquired by AeroVironment. In this conversation, Brad Harrison, a former Army Ranger turned venture capitalist, shares his journey into the world of venture capital and the founding of Scout Ventures. He discusses the importance of mission-driven investments, particularly in the...
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Emerging Market Lessons That Make Better Investors with Elias Mufarech from Collide Capital
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled to have who is a Senior Associate at Collide Capital, a pre-seed to Series A venture fund investing in fintech, future of work, and supply chain software. In this conversation, Elias Mufarech, a senior associate at Collide Capital, shares his insights on venture capital, the importance of operational support for founders, and the evolving landscape of startup expectations. Elias discusses his journey from building fintech software in Latin America to investing in startups, highlighting the critical lessons learned along the way. He emphasizes the need for founders to have strong...
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Ankur Patel from Multimodal on Building Agentic AI for the Enterprise
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am excited to have who is the founder and CEO of , where he's automating the most complex workflows in finance and insurance. He has 15+ years of work experience across companies like J.P. Morgan and Bridgewater In this conversation, Ankur Patel, founder and CEO of Multimodal, traces his path from JP Morgan and Bridgewater to building AI agents that automate complex workflows in finance and insurance. He explains how early exposure to data science and macro trading convinced him that AI would reshape enterprise work. He discusses why agentic AI is fundamentally different from...
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How Vivek Krishnamurthy from Commerce Ventures Thinks About Venture, AI, and Markets
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled to have , who is a Partner at , where he's spent over 8 years investing in commerce infrastructure and fintech. Before Venture, he was an Investment Banking Analyst at Financial Technology Partners. He's particularly bullish on AI's transformation of insurance, backing companies like Kin Insurance, Liberate, and Authentic. In this conversation, Vivek Krishnamurthy, a partner at Commerce Ventures, discusses his journey into venture capital, the evolution of investment strategies, and the intersection of commerce and fintech. Vivek shares insights on the impact of AI on business,...
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Dallas Price from Forum Ventures on Venture Studios, Founder-Market Fit, and What Actually Wins in AI
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am excited to have , a Venture Builder at , where he helps launch and scale six B2B SaaS startups every year through their AI Studio. His work centres on turning early-stage concepts into real companies, guiding founders across product, go-to-market, and fundraising In this conversation, Dallas Price, a venture builder at Forum Ventures, discusses his journey into the startup world, the workings of a venture studio, and the current landscape of AI startups. Dallas shares insights on navigating chaos in startups, the importance of defensibility, new distribution channels, and evolving pricing...
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Capital Evolution: A New Era of Capitalism with Seth Levine and Elizabeth McBride
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am excited to have , venture capitalist and co-founder of Foundry, and , international business journalist and founder of Times of Entrepreneurship. Together, they co-authored The New Builders and now their latest book, , explores how American capitalism is shifting—and why businesses, not government, may hold the keys to building a more inclusive and prosperous future. In this conversation, Seth Levine and Elizabeth McBride discuss their new book, 'Capital Evolution,' which explores the shifting landscape of American capitalism. They delve into the challenges posed by neoliberal...
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Art and Science of Pricing Strategies with Marcos Rivera of Pricing I/O
Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital
I am thrilled to have , the founder and CEO of , where he helps B2B SaaS companies capture the value they've built. Former Head of Pricing at Vista Equity Partners, he's priced over 400 SaaS products and has authored Street Pricing. In this conversation, Marcos Rivera, founder and CEO of Pricing.io, discusses the intricacies of pricing strategies in B2B SaaS. Marcos shares his journey from product management to pricing, highlighting common mistakes companies make, especially in underpricing their products. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs, the blend of art and...
info_outlineAli Hafizji is the CEO of Wednesday, an engineering services company specializing in - Data Engineering, Generative AI, and Application Modernization.
In this episode, Ali Hafizji, founder of Wednesday, shares how his frustration with clunky banking APIs sparked the idea to launch a high-performance engineering services firm. He dives into building outcome-focused teams, the evolution from MVP to product-market fit, and why founders must shift from intuition to data. Ali unpacks common mistakes startups make post-MVP, tips for leveraging AI tools effectively, and why retention—not vanity metrics—matters most. He also breaks down how India’s unicorns embrace experimentation, when to pivot, and how to build brand and distribution moats in the AI era - and much more!
Timestamps
01:20 – How Ali got into startups and his first experience at an 11-person startup.
03:40 – Early startup exit and how he alternated between building and joining startups.
05:10 – Origin story of Wednesday and the inefficiencies he noticed while working with banks.
07:05 – Insight: Enterprises often “throw people at the problem” instead of solving it structurally.
08:30 – His vision of small, outcome-driven teams in engineering as a service.
10:15 – Advice on choosing between product vs. service startups for first-time founders.
12:20 – Key hiring advice: choose where you’ll have a voice and mentors, not just “product vs service.”
14:10 – Why sticking to an idea without market validation is risky.
16:00 – The major difference between MVP and Product-Market Fit (PMF).
17:30 – Most startups fail post-MVP due to chasing vanity metrics and scaling prematurely.
19:45 – What founders should track in the 30 days post-MVP (pirate metrics: AARRR).
22:00 – Ideal early retention metrics for B2C and B2B startups.
24:40 – Founders must shift from intuition-led to data-led decision-making post-MVP.
26:10 – The rise of no-code, AI, and solo MVP development—even for non-technical founders.
28:10 – Why founders should be building smarter, not just faster.
29:45 – On hiring post-MVP: what founders should evaluate in product development teams.
31:40 – How to build a moat and brand in the AI era—infuse values from day one.
33:20 – Distribution strategies: pick one GTM strategy based on your strengths and market.
35:40 – Powerful insight: start with unhappy users of competitors and work outward.
37:15 – How Wednesday charges for outcomes, not hours—reinventing the services model.
39:50 – What India’s unicorns do right: mindset shift, humility, and relentless experimentation.
42:00 – When to pivot vs. when to persist: make decisions based on return on invested capital.
44:20 – Common MVP mistake: building too much instead of staying focused.
Ali’s Links
LDN– https://www.linkedin.com/in/alihafizji
Website – https://www.wednesday.is/
My Links
Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes
Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe
YouTube: youtube.com/lifeselfmastery
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/