Explore every episode of the podcast Startup Riders

“Tools don’t matter if you don’t ship fast”

This week, I sat down with Alex Vaughtton, founder of NocodeHackers, to break down how he prototypes AI products, ships workflows, and teaches no-code like a product dev stack.

We riffed on early no-code days, tool overkill, agent automation, and built a YC admissions calculator live: scraping data, training a custom assistant, and deploying it in minutes.

Alex has been ahead of the curve for years, and this episode is loaded with practical stuff for founders trying to go from 0→1 fast.

What you’ll learn

* Why most MVPs fail before launch (and how to shortcut that)

* How to pick the right tool without getting lost in the noise

* What “prompting the prompt” really means in AI workflows

* Why founders should automate (a lot) before hiring

* How to build a working AI app without writing a line of code, live demo

5 key takeaways

* Solve the hairy problem first: Alex tackles the hard logic first (e.g. lead routing), then wires UI, most founders do this backwards.

* The prompt is the product: He uses lovableprompts.app to iterate system prompts until the agent behaves like a real teammate.

* Start with output, not architecture: His builds begin with the end result. Lovable + Airtable delivers working apps before any design is touched.

* No-code ≠ MVP stack: His tools ship full LMSs, onboarding flows, and agents for real clients, not just prototypes.

* Depth > tool hopping: He picks one stack, goes deep, and builds reps. They work because he’s mastered it, not because it’s perfect.

📺 Listen and subscribe on YouTube → Startup Riders on YouTube🗣️ Tell me what you want to hear more of in the comments 🤙

“Speed is non-negotiable — it’s the ultimate advantage.”

This week I sat down with Guillem Oliva, co-founder of Konvo AI — a vertical agent platform that’s quietly rewriting how e-commerce brands convert.

Konvo isn’t just another support bot. It’s a 24/7 agent that sells: combining brand context, product data, and live buyer signals to trigger real conversations and drive conversion. From live chat to proactive follow-ups, it turns intent into orders.

And it’s working: 200 customers, $500K ARR, and 8% average conversion — built with just a 4-person team. We backed them early, and I’m pumped to share the story.

What you’ll learn

* Why most ecommerce campaigns convert <1% — and how Konvo unlocks 8%+

* How they went from kitchen MVP to 200 brands

* The real wedge behind “AI agents for commerce” (hint: it’s not just chat)

* How Konvo uses outbound, founder-led sales, and popcorn to win

* Why speed + craftsmanship > frameworks

Key takeaways

* Co-founder match was founder-future-fit — Guillem and his co-founder aligned early on risk-taking, endurance mindset, and complementary skills — long before the startup idea.

* MVP = results before product — They onboarded 30–40 customers with zero UI — just backend builds, consulting, and manual execution to deliver real outcomes.

* 8% conversion > legacy channels — Konvo agents drive 8%+ conversion rates per convo, 10x above email/WhatsApp, by acting as actual sales closers.

* Agent = proactive sales, not passive chat — Unlike typical bots, Konvo agents detect buyer intent mid-chat and auto-trigger contextual follow-up workflows.

* Vertical AI > generic LLMs — Plugging in ChatGPT isn’t enough — Konvo builds guardrails, tone, product goals, and context into each brand-trained agent.

* Own the customer, or lose the edge — As AI platforms become aggregators, every brand needs its own agent to retain conversion and control.

* GTM began as founder-led brute force — First 100+ customers came from cold email/calling — with just one commercial person on a 4-person team.

* GTM evolved into community flywheel — Focused on one region (Spain), built trust via offline dinners, creative campaigns (like 60kg popcorn drops), and vertical brand-building.

* Find what works > scale what works — The playbook: test messy experiments that get results (e.g. popcorn), then figure out how to scale only after.

* Speed is the real moat — Konvo’s core principle: obsess over detail and move fast — “Anything worth doing must be done fast, or it won’t happen.”

📺 Watch and subscribe on YouTube → Startup Riders on YouTube

🗣️ What do you want us to cover next? Hit reply or comment 🤙

We’re trying something new on Startup Riders: short, tactical interviews with founders and investors building and investing in the next wave startups.

This week, I sat down with Clint Burgess, co-founder of CharacterQuilt and former PMM leader at Bloomreach (where we met!).

After running 500+ buyer interviews a year and watching insights die in decks, Clint built a GTM engine powered by AI agents trained on raw voice-of-customer data.

This isn’t a “copy faster” tool. It’s a full-stack marketing engine for founders — research, ICP match, messaging, campaign generation — all in minutes.

What you’ll learn

* Why most GTM research never makes it to the final campaign

* The difference between a copy bot and an infused buyer agent

* How a single marketer can now run full campaigns end-to-end

* Where “10x marketers” are already using this to win deals, prep fundraises, and revive warm leads

6 key takeaways

* Campaigns die in committee: Even with great research, insights often get diluted before anything ships.

* Founders should act as PMMs first: Talk to customers. Understand the buyer. Translate that into your narrative and GTM strategy.

* AI ≠ copy monkey: CharacterQuilt trains agents on real interviews, so campaigns are based on actual pain — not GPT guessing.

* From docs to campaign in 30 minutes: Upload positioning materials. CQ scores ICP fit, predicts pain points, and suggests campaign angles + leads.

* One person can run full GTM loops: Research, creative, segmentation, execution — without a 20-person team.

* Used beyond marketing: Clint uses CQ for fundraising, event prep, and reviving 500+ warm leads stuck in Gong/Notion.

📺 Listen and subscribe on YouTube → Startup Riders on YouTube

🗣️ Tell me what you want to hear more of in the comments 🤙