Tolga Ermis, founder of Berlin-based AI startup PromiseQ, discusses his journey of raising $1.3 million and achieving $100K ARR in the security monitoring space before facing major setbacks. He emphasizes the importance of validating customer pain points early on and recognizing when to pivot. Tolga reflects on the challenges of managing customer priorities, especially after losing a major client to a competitor. His insights serve as valuable lessons on the critical nature of addressing the right problems and the need for transparency in the face of failure.