A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders He exited for $200M— then bootstrapped his next startup to $100M in revenue. | Alex Hawkinson, Founder of BrightAI
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Jan 27, 2025 Alex Hawkinson, founder of BrightAI and former CEO of SmartThings, shares his entrepreneurial insights after selling his last startup for over $200M. He discusses how he bootstrapped BrightAI to $100M in revenue with just seven clients. Alex emphasizes the importance of solving real-world problems, combining AI and IoT, and securing enterprise design partners. He also highlights strategies for scaling startups, avoiding niche stagnation, and the significance of patience in entrepreneurship while achieving impactful product-market fit.
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Smart Home Epiphany
- Alex Hawkinson's wife found his smart home lighting impractical, triggering a realization about problem significance.
- This led him to seek more impactful ventures beyond smart homes, influencing BrightAI's focus on critical infrastructure.
Outside Perspective
- External perspectives can help founders assess their product's real-world value and identify more meaningful problems.
- This reinforces the importance of seeking outside feedback to validate product ideas and ensure relevance.
Early Customer Discovery
- Talk to people in the target industry to understand their problems and build relationships with potential customers.
- Target private equity channels, which own essential services and represent a valuable, often overlooked market.