Guest: Ray Jang, Founder and CEO of Atria
Host: Ryan Estes, AI for Founders

Episode Summary

Ray Jang shares the story behind Atria, an AI-powered ad automation platform. After a painful realization on top of Mount Kinabalu, Ray pivoted his failing gaming startup into a high-growth adtech company that now ranks among the top in its category.

Key Takeaways

Pivoted from gaming to adtech after identifying lack of growth as the core problem
Early validation came from in-person interviews at global conferences
Atria delivers real-time ad performance insights across TikTok and Meta
Team culture built around ownership and no co-founder drama
“Accelerate or die” is the startup mantra: ship value fast and often

Frameworks

Accelerate or Die: Validate slowly, build fast
Flywheel Thinking: Compound gains through repeatable systems
Zero Attrition Culture: Empower team with ownership and clarity

Resources & Mentions

Atria – AI-powered ad automation
Mount Kinabalu – Startup origin site
Acquired Podcast – Business podcast Ray recommends
Epic Systems – Inspiration from Judy Faulkner
Symbolic Systems at Stanford

Ray Jang found product-market fit on a mountain top