Building an Early-Stage Startup: AI That Actually Works and What Investors Fund - Marcello Domenis
2026-05-07 14:00 - 14:40 (CET) | Main Stage
The zero to one phase of an AI startup is where most projects quietly fail. Not because the models are weak, but because the problem is wrong, the scope is off, the team is misbuilt, and execution drifts away from real customer value.

This talk presents a practical zero to one playbook for developers and technical leaders who want to move from builder to founder in the AI era. It connects three elements that are usually treated separately: early product execution, early team design, and what investors actually fund at pre seed and seed stage.

You will learn how to choose a problem customers will pay to solve, how to turn AI capabilities into a real product wedge instead of a demo, how to run tight design partner loops, how to structure a two to four person early team, which roles to delay, and which concrete signals make investors back early technical teams. The session also highlights common early stage failure patterns, including overengineering, premature scaling, and misaligned hires.
