Founding Journey How James Evans Turned A College Project Into a Y Combinator-backed Startup
Nov 14, 2024
James Evans, founder of Command AI, shares his inspiring journey from a college project to a Y Combinator-backed startup that has raised $24 million and captured 20 million users. He discusses the importance of disrupting existing markets rather than creating new categories and highlights the power of effective user feedback and prioritization strategies for founders. James also reveals innovative fundraising tactics, such as using Loom for investor engagement, and emphasizes the value of establishing deep connections within the entrepreneurial community.
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Pivot From CodePost to CommandBar
- James Evans and co-founders started with CodePost, an ed tech tool from college.
- They pivoted to CommandBar after adding a search bar UI to simplify the complex product.
Just Start Work Early On
- Don't spend too much time deciding what to work on early on.
- Instead, work on something heads-down for a quarter and get real data to decide.
New Category Creation Is Overrated
- Creating new categories is overrated and often wastes early-stage founders' energy.
- It's better to disrupt existing big industries with better solutions than invent entirely new mousetraps.
