Stories by Were Samson Bruno on Medium

<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*LUQ0F1SL2V2i40nRp0CbPg.jpeg"><figcaption>An AI generated image From Meta AI with prompt "Generate an image for a medium article titled: principles over time learn</figcaption></figure>When I looked back on the past 12 months we’ve built <a href="http://intelliconcierge.com/">Intelli</a> for.
It made a lot of sense why I had to have a support system with me. And a support system isn't necessarily the people(individuals who promise and tell you how they are available and there for you) the real support system is made up of folks who show up consistently on days when situations demand. These people don't peddle words or promises. They show up with fervrour and do what needs to be done.
We received funding from an accelerator. That money(investment decision was made in September 2024) and fast forward we chose a path of incorporation that had us wait for a good solid 5 months( we received our incorporation certificate in January 2025) after that the battle for the EIN began. If we had a US citizen as a cofounder these are things that could have been done instantly: talk of the power of a SSN. I have been reminded profoundly of how different worldly systems treat anyone who’s not of their system or one considered to be from a lower grade of a country.
Like a colleague always says "We are treated like second class citizens". While I'm not one to ascribe to this train of thought or to think of myself as a second class (or any class) citizen for I come from above, I certainly have felt the impact of this thinking and notion in policy.
My mandate today isn’t to whine but rather to emphasise and impart key lessons that have been very important and crucial to keeping me together throughout these tribulations and challenges that shouldn’t have occured in the first place.
<h3>Deter you’ll not incur any costs:</h3>
This is the same principle used by the USA in war, whenever you spot a potential threat or problem that might arise from taking a certain path or making a certain decision, it’s best to avert that from happening by outright taking another route or measures that prevent what you anticipate to occur from happening.
By so doing you do what's called nipping a problem in the bud. For our instance our incorporation should have come through way quicker if we had used a platform and structure which was already established and well trusted. This would enable us to move smoothly through creating bank accounts and all related processes post incorporation wouldn't be so painful to us and affect our plans and operations. We would have saved 6+ months burnt away moving and doing business like a self funded startup yet we are VC backed and the money ought to give us the time advantage.
<h3>It’s a marathon not a race:</h3>
Plan wisely and move strategically. When you observe Usain bolt or any 100M race sprinter run and at the same time compare their style, speed, cadence and rhythm with a long distance runner like Eliud Kipchoge who does marathons of 2500~5000M you learn the difference between calculated energy expenditure.
A startup typically takes 10-15 years to take off the ground and become something, that's if it survived the first 3 years of infancy. For us it's not yet even the 1 year mark so we have a long way to go. This thinking has been ingrained in me and I constantly are awakened to this consciousness to be a little bit more patient with processes and how they pan out because in the grand scheme of things the macro picture looks elegant and grand. The pain and suffering experienced in the 5-6 months is nothing compared to the eternal glory to be enjoyed when we turn 15, 20, 40, 100 etc.
So how we plan our marketing campaigns, branding, product development, and delivery is all with this marathon mindset. If we don't die in the next 10 years we are going to build a unicorn, and even if we die we shall have built a framework and system that can survive the impact of time itself.
<h3>No one is coming to save you:</h3>
There’s nothing that is sobering to the mind like knowing that no help is coming from outside. All the help you will ever need is inside you. You just need to dig deeper to find it.
Knowing that we we're stranded on a startup island in rough seas of bills from ISPs, server hosting companies and many other things kind of sobered me up to start looking for solutions within and top looking outward( to the portfolio and our PoC) This triggered a mindset of there's no impossibility within me, as long as I can think of it, I'll do it. I'll need to take time to study hard and burn the midnight oil but when I pay the price in full I'll finally get to do what I set my mind to. Our product has grown tremendously and so has the team grown with it too. We are all better Software Engineers than we were a year ago. And that's a testament to knowing that there's no outside help coming. Ofcourse this doesn't actually mean that you cut off everyone. If they do come through and genuinely offer help do accept it humbly and keep it moving.
Keep it together your mind needs you in one piece. Your spirit man has a lot of answers but most of the times the processing part of you(your mind) is confounded either by external stimuli and thus cannot listen or heed to the answers from within or is unable to understand the language he(the inner man) uses and thus in computer science terms the mind cannot compile the machine language the spirit speaks into high level human readable programming languages that are easily understandable by and articulated to another man. So we have to switch off the external stimuli to sort the first problem and then learn by either trial and error or divine enablement to speak the language that the spirit speaks with our mind. This way we get answers to the hardest questions we've asked ourselves.
<h3>Do hard things first</h3>
Over the course of now 10 months I've been building our product. I haven't gotten a single ounce of pleasure out of staving off or delaying to do a hard thing (translated into something that requires a lot of brain power, focus and time investment)
Most of the times we get dopamine heights from one-shotting tasks, those tasks that get done so easily without even thinking so hard about it or lifting a finger. These tasks are good but unfortunately they don't add to our growth neither do they benefit us or our stakeholders in the long run.
It is only from doing hard things that I have come to learn a lot, I have also come to appreciate what I thought my limits were, surpassed them and as a result becomes better as a SWE.
It is while doing hard things that I got epiphanies on how to do other things simpler and in more straightforward ways because I spent time to think about how efficient a process could be made or jow much more lag we could squeeze out of an API call so the user has a smooth experience interacting with our product.
Those days when I look at my task board and it's a hard task I know greater days lie ahead of the constant persistent errors and poring through documentation and stack overflow thread to arguing with AI in my IDE.
Do hard things, for that's what greatness is called to do.
<h3>Travel lean/light, Go together.</h3>
Finally, this principle will keep you as light as possible; for anyone going on a marathon or a long distance flight travelling light/lean might seem counterintuitive since the journey is gonna be long and thus you need to prepare for it with rations and food and everything that you need.
However you'll be reinforced with the second part of the statement; go together. Hikers on a mountain trail can survive better when huddled together for warmth and protection from the elements and wild animals better than hikers who travel solo however much well prepared they are.
Having wonderful partners in your teammates is an essential block for you to achieve this. Make sure everyone has a piece of the rope they are holding such that if one of you slips the others can feel it and uphold them.
Doing this in turns will ensure your energy is preserved and will enable all of you to make it through the long tedious journey. Sometimes it's a simple wire transfer, a word of encouragement, a praise, a hug, a pat on the shoulder, a video call, and it'll go a long way to push your cofounder out of that corner the world has boxed them into back into the main game.
Going together also means no pointing fingers. It's very easy to shift blame (trust me it's very tempting) to find someone to blame for all the things that are not working as expected but kindly acknowledge the problems and find solutions for them rather than allocating blame to who or what is causing these problems. Ofcourse if ever in doubt about how to solve problems refer to principle 1. There you go folks.
<blockquote>That's what I've gleaned from my experience I hope it helps you too. Stay empirical, stay based, stay level headed. Have the faith of God.</blockquote>
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Principles over time learned: my lessons over the past 12 months

<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*_aztuZXk9Y-hfTec2pc-CA.jpeg"><figcaption>Image generated from Gemini AI with prompt "Generate an image and make sure these words are visible: "how to restore a lost upload key 🗝️ for Google Play store" display a laptop with the article showing on the laptop screen and a well lit window in the background"</figcaption></figure>Losing your app’s upload key can feel like a major setback, but thankfully, Google Play provides a way to recover. This article guides you through the process of resetting your upload key, whether you use Android Studio or Visual Studio Code for development.
Understanding the Importance of Upload Keys
Before diving into the process, it’s crucial to understand the role of upload keys in the Google Play ecosystem. Your upload key is what you use to sign your app bundles (*.aab files) before uploading them to the Play Store.1 Google verifies this signature to ensure the app genuinely comes from you. Google then re-signs your app with their app signing key (which they manage) before distributing it to users.2 This two-step signing process enhances security.
Scenario: You’ve Lost/Compromised Your Upload Key
If you’ve lost your upload key (keystore file) or suspect it’s been compromised, you must generate a new one and request a key reset through the Google Play Console.3
Method 1: Using Android Studio (For Key Generation)
If you use Android Studio, you can generate a new upload key and keystore as follows:
<ol>
<li>
Open the “Generate Signed Bundle/APK” Dialog: In the menu bar, click Build &gt; Generate Signed Bundle/APK.4</li>
<li>
Select “Android App Bundle” or “APK”: Choose the appropriate option and click Next.</li>
<li>
Create a New Keystore: Click Create new below the “Key store path” field.</li>
<li>Fill in the Keystore Information:</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>
Key store path: Choose a secure location and filename (e.g., my_new_upload_keystore.jks). Remember this path!
</li>
<li>
Password: Create a strong password for your keystore. Remember this password!
</li>
</ul>
<ol><li>Fill in the Key Information:</li></ol>
<ul>
<li>
Alias: Enter a descriptive name for your key (e.g., upload_key). Remember this alias!
</li>
<li>
Password: Create a strong password for your key. It’s recommended to use the same password as your keystore password for simplicity, but it can be different. Remember this password!
</li>
<li>
Validity (years): Set this to at least 25 years.</li>
<li>
Certificate: Provide the requested information. This is not displayed in your app.</li>
</ul>
<ol><li>
Click OK: This generates your new keystore and key. Back up this .jks file immediately!
</li></ol>
Method 2: Using the Command Line (For Key Generation)
If you use Visual Studio Code or prefer the command line, you can generate the key using the keytool utility (included with the JDK):
<ol>
<li>
Open Your Terminal: Navigate to the directory where you want to store your keystore.</li>
<li>
Run the keytool Command:
</li>
</ol>
Bash
<pre>keytool -genkey -v -keystore &lt;your_keystore_name&gt;.jks -alias &lt;your_key_alias&gt; -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 9125</pre>
<pre>* Replace `&lt;your_keystore_name&gt;.jks` with your desired filename (e.g., `my_new_upload_keystore.jks`). *Remember this path!* * Replace `&lt;your_key_alias&gt;` with a descriptive alias (e.g., `upload_key`). *Remember this alias!*</pre>
<ul>
<li>
Provide Information at the Prompts: You’ll be asked for keystore and key passwords (choose strong ones and remember them!) and certificate information.</li>
<li>
Verify Keystore Creation: Run keytool -list -v -keystore &lt;your_keystore_name&gt;.jks -alias &lt;your_key_alias&gt; to verify.</li>
<li>
Back Up Your Keystore: Immediately copy the .jks file to a secure location.</li>
</ul>
Exporting the Upload Certificate (Both Methods)
After generating the keystore, you need to export the certificate:
<ul><li>Command Line:</li></ul>
Bash
<pre>keytool -exportcert -keystore &lt;your_keystore_name&gt;.jks -alias &lt;your_key_alias&gt; -file upload_certificate.pem</pre>
This will create a `upload_certificate.pem` file.
<ul><li>
Android Studio: You can export the certificate from the same “Generate Signed Bundle/APK” dialog by clicking on it.</li></ul>
Requesting a New Upload Key in Google Play Console
<ul>
<li>
Go to App Integrity: In the Play Console, navigate to Release &gt; Setup &gt; App integrity.</li>
<li>
Go to App signing tab: Click on the App signing tab.</li>
<li>
Request Upload Key Reset: You’ll see an option to “Request upload key reset”. Click it.</li>
<li>
Follow the Instructions: Google will guide you through the process, which involves verifying your identity and ownership of the app.</li>
<li>
Upload the Certificate: Once approved, Google will prompt you to upload the upload_certificate.pem file you exported earlier.</li>
</ul>
Updating Your Flutter Project (If Applicable)
If you’re using Flutter, update your android/app/build.gradle file with the new keystore information:
Gradle
<pre>android { signingConfigs { release { storeFile file "&lt;path_to_your_new_keystore&gt;/&lt;your_new_keystore_name&gt;.jks" storePassword "&lt;your_new_keystore_password&gt;" keyAlias "&lt;your_new_key_alias&gt;" keyPassword "&lt;your_new_key_password&gt;" } } buildTypes { release { signingConfig signingConfigs.release } } }</pre>
Things to keep in mind.
<ul>
<li>
Security First: Keep your keystore file and passwords extremely secure. Losing them can cause significant problems.</li>
<li>
Backups are Crucial: Regularly back up your keystore file to a safe location.(your local desktop, a security key, a Version control system or any other place that’s easy for you to retrieve)</li>
</ul>
My hindsight is now your foresight..
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How to Reset Your Upload Key for Google Play Store When It’s Lost, Compromised, or Forgotten

<h4>Navigating murky waters of banking in the US as an international resident.</h4>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*oexZ8jH4rVbIBOXhBTw2OA.png"><figcaption>An AI-generated image with prompt “proceed to generate an image for this title A founders guide to startup banking : navigating the murky waters of international banking in the US as a non-resident. Generate the image in a HI-RES format like Netflix movies; ultra realistic”</figcaption></figure>It is 4:44 PM EAT (East African Time) Saturday February 2025, I am seated in a hot room; rays of the sunlight stream through the window and the half-open door; the room feels stuffy and uncomfortable. A far-cry from the temperature regulated offices my friend runs that I normally go to in order to write code peacefully and in a comfortable environ. Today I decided to work from home because I didn’t suffer the morning chilliness gladly and all that traffic jam that any regular Gayaza-Kampala trekker/traveller has learnt to embrace and make peace with. Well I haven’t and never will.
My perilous albeit successful journey began 8 hours ago trying to find the perfect US banking partner for our startup <a href="https://intelliconcierge.com/">Intelli</a>. We are an accelerator/venture backed startup being supported by the wonderful portfolio team at MEST Africa. So we have the task of finding the best, most digital, startup-friendly, tech enabled and customer first bank of them all offering services like expense management, banking, corporate cards, treasury services, and venture debt (at the most sensible price).
A random search on google similar to this [US banks for startups] led me to this <a href="http://the%2017%20best%20startup%20banks%20and%20banking%20platforms%20for%20high-growth%20companies%20in%202025/">article </a>from Rho(which is surprisingly a fintech company, not a bank or an FDIC-insured depository institution according to the disclaimer notice on their footer.) I won’t list all the options in the article; you can read it for yourself.
To be clear we are fully incorporated in the state of Delaware although all our co-founders are non-US residents because of two reasons namely. 1. US incorporation makes the company access venture funding more easier because the company is registered in a country whose laws they are familiar with and thus makes oversight and due diligence super-easy for them 2. Who doesn’t want to list/go IPO on the NYSE when they hit unicorn status.
One of the other tremendous <a href="https://www.brex.com/spend-trends/financial-operations/mercury-alternatives-and-competitors">articles </a>I had to read as part of my journey to finding the best banking partner came from <a href="http://brex.com/">Brex </a>;
<h3>Choices, Choices, Choices</h3>
My first choice was Rho however it turned out they asked for some documents we didn’t as yet have. So I moved on to the next provider which was Brex; very beautiful platform; beautiful mobile app. Tremendous software. The onboarding process a breeze and delight. They asked for proof of funding(that would have to be our executed SAFE) it being a weekend where no one is in office I reckon I would have to go through a lot of high and low to get the document I need and the permission too in order to share this kind of information so I was stuck at that process. I had to move on and try another provider.
I tried <a href="https://www.grasshopper.bank/">grasshoper </a>which kind of reminded me of Mantis from the furious 5 in Kungfu Panda and sadly or rather to my dismay I saw an ugly notice “Sorry, you have been blocked You are unable to access mantl.com”
indicating to me that their services were not offered to people from my country (I wonder why). Anyway I moved on to the next best bank which was <a href="https://www.novo.co/">Novo</a>. The signup/sign-in process was very smooth i should say however I was quickly thrown off as when they required information for personal identification one of the fields required an SSN(Social Security Number) which I reckon is reserved for US citizens and residents. And Since I am not a US citizen. I picked up myself and moved on to the next service provider.
I tried all the major big boys; Chase Business Banking, First Republic Bank, JP Morgan, Bank of America and all that fall in this calibre and they require an SSN, a US number or US passport despite clearly stating that I am a non-us resident.
<blockquote>So I moved on to the next hoping with my fingers crossed that it might be my final stop. I signed up on <a href="https://relayfi.com/">Relay Financial</a>. When I saw their landing page I thought to myself “maybe these are cool guys” I mean there hero section has a bold statement Your cash flow can be clearer I finished the signup/sign-in smoothly and started the onboarding process. As I was close to wrapping up they requested for a US number… I was like okay that’s bye for me.</blockquote>
I tried out <a href="https://www.meow.com/">Meow </a>banking. The signup/sign-in was smooth we were in and ready to go. They went ahead too request us to link our US bank accounts but we didn’t have those yet because we were just starting out on our process of getting a bank account and that’s why we were in this position at this time. They didn’t require US numbers and addresses which I greatly appreciated. However I moved on because I was looking for something helpful for a startup trying to process and receive payments globally.
<h3>The Final Verdict</h3>
The final solution my team and I settled with was Mercury; oh sweet mercury.. They verified our EIN with our incorporation letter and the process was done; it’s now pending to be approved within 2–4 days and we will be good to go.
The journey to finding the right banking partner as a non-US resident founder has been an uphill one; It took my entire Saturday (or the better part of it) I couldn’t write code or do anything as I was doing correspondence with my CEO in Nairobi; switching between tabs and google searches while trying to find nuances hidden in fine print and all this work was just for us to open an account — it’s about time we get a player who is a digital bank that supports all nationalities to have access to US banking services and products indiscriminately and swiftly. We are in the 21st century.
All in all I am happy and please that we found a partner that understands the unique challenges of building a startup from outside the United States. After hours of research, applications, and countless “We’re sorry, but…” messages, I’ve learned some valuable lessons that I wish I’d known from the start and that’s why I wrote this article because someone out there might be in the same predicament I was in, may this be your lighthouse or buoy in the tempestous waters.
<h4>Why Mercury Emerged as the Winner</h4>
What sets Mercury apart isn’t just their willingness to work with non-US residents — it’s their entire approach to startup banking. Their verification process focuses on what matters: your company’s legal status and EIN, rather than the founders’ citizenship status. This approach acknowledges a fundamental truth about modern startups: innovation knows no borders.
The application process was refreshingly straightforward:
<ul>
<li>Submit your EIN and incorporation documents</li>
<li>Provide basic company information</li>
<li>Wait for 2–4 days for approval</li>
</ul>
No SSN required, no US phone number needed, and most importantly, no physical presence in the US necessary. For international founders like us at Intelli, this was a relief..
<h4>My hindsight and possibly your foresight</h4>
<ol>
<li>Start Early Don’t wait until you need to receive funding or make payments to start your banking search. The process can take time, and you want to have options rather than being forced to make rushed decisions.</li>
<li>Documentation is Key Keep your incorporation documents, EIN confirmation, and company formation papers well-organized and readily available. Having these at hand makes the verification process much smoother.</li>
<li>Research Banking Features for Growth While getting an account opened is the first hurdle, think about your future needs. Consider features like:</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>International wire transfer capabilities</li>
<li>API access for integration with your financial systems</li>
<li>Multi-user access for your team</li>
<li>Treasury management for when you raise funding</li>
</ul>
<h4>The Broader Perspective</h4>
This experience highlights a larger issue in the startup ecosystem: the growing disconnect between traditional banking requirements and the reality of modern, globally distributed startups. While the US remains a primary hub for startup incorporation and fundraising, the founders and teams building these companies are increasingly global.
<h4>Looking Forward</h4>
As we await our Mercury account approval, I can’t help but reflect on how this process could be improved for future founders. The financial industry is slowly adapting to the reality of remote-first, globally distributed teams, but there’s still much work to be done.
For those following in our footsteps, here are some key considerations for your banking partner search, may this article be a guide and light for you. And may things be as breezy for you as they were for me.
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A founders guide to startup banking

<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*Y-xKN2j0DMooWoHVHcnsVQ.jpeg"><figcaption>An AI-generated Image from Gemini of a corridor in a server room through multiple massive server racks.</figcaption></figure><h3>Introduction</h3>
I have scoured through hundreds if not thousands of google search results trying to find a free or atleast affordable option for a startup to host a backend on the internet so you don’t have to.
There are many hosting providers that are known to either actively support or work well with Django, including: <a href="https://www.heroku.com/">Heroku</a>, <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/">Digital Ocean</a>, <a href="https://railway.app/">Railway</a>, <a href="https://www.pythonanywhere.com/">Python Anywhere</a>, <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/">Amazon Web Services</a>, <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/">Azure</a>, <a href="https://cloud.google.com/">Google Cloud</a>, <a href="https://www.hetzner.com/">Hetzner</a>, and <a href="https://www.vultr.com/news/new-free-tier-plan/">Vultr Cloud Compute</a>. These vendors provide different types of environments (IaaS, PaaS), and different levels of computing and network resources at different prices.
But I assume you already know most of these. <a href="https://djangostars.com/blog/top-django-compatible-hosting-services/">Click Here</a> to read an article that does a comparison between most of the services/platforms/providers above. My mandate today is to indulge you in my personal handpicked providers that are intriguing to me.
<h3>My handpicked choices</h3>
<h4>1. Fly.io</h4>
<blockquote>“Scalable Full Stack Without the Cortisol”; is how they describe their value proposition on their landing page. Over 3 million apps have launched on Fly.io, boosted by global Anycast load-balancing, zero-configuration private networking, hardware isolation, and instant WireGuard VPN connections. Push-button deployments that scale to thousands of instances. To be fair i love or are impressed with them not only because of their snarky good copy but also the feel and UI/UX of their product.</blockquote>
The most important thing to discuss here is the pricing, so I have broken down a comprehensive summary of that; if you don’t feel like reading through it all; Here is your answer Current Hobby Plan: $5/month after free trial credit.
<h4>Fly.io Resource Pricing Summary</h4>
<h4>How It Works</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Billing: Per organization, based on provisioned resources, prorated by time.</li>
<li>
Organizations: Administrative entities for app development environments and billing management.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Plans</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Pay As You Go: Default plan for new organizations.</li>
<li>
Upgrade Options: Launch, Scale, Enterprise plans for more support and compliance options.</li>
<li>
Legacy Hobby Plan: No monthly fee, limited free resources.</li>
<li>
Current Hobby Plan: $5/month after free trial credit.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Free Allowances (Hobby, Launch, Scale Plans)</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Compute: Up to 3 shared-cpu-1x 256MB VMs.</li>
<li>
Storage: 3GB persistent volume.</li>
<li>
Data Transfer: 100 GB (North America &amp; Europe), 30 GB (Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Africa &amp; India).</li>
</ul>
<h4>Compute Pricing</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Running Machines: Charged based on CPU/RAM presets.</li>
<li>
Stopped Machines: Charged for root filesystem storage ($0.15/GB per month).</li>
<li>Example Prices:</li>
<li>shared-cpu-1x 256MB: $0.0000008/s ($1.94/mo).</li>
<li>performance-1x 2GB: $0.0000120/s ($31.00/mo).</li>
</ul>
<h4>GPU Pricing</h4>
<ul>
<li>On-demand GPUs:</li>
<li>A10: $1.50/hr.</li>
<li>L40S: $2.50/hr.</li>
<li>A100 40G PCIe: $2.50/hr.</li>
<li>A100 80G SXM: $3.50/hr.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Persistent Storage Volumes</h4>
<ul><li>
Cost: $0.15/GB per month.</li></ul>
<h4>Network Prices</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Dedicated IPv4: $2/month.</li>
<li>SSL Certificates:</li>
<li>Single hostname: $0.10/month.</li>
<li>Wildcard: $1/month.</li>
<li>Data Transfer:</li>
<li>North America &amp; Europe: $0.02/GB.</li>
<li>Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America: $0.04/GB.</li>
<li>Africa &amp; India: $0.12/GB.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Fly Kubernetes</h4>
<ul><li>
Managed Service: $75/month per cluster plus compute and storage costs.</li></ul>
<h4>Extensions and LiteFS Cloud</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Third-Party Services: Billed at list prices via Fly.io.</li>
<li>
LiteFS Cloud: $5/month for up to 10GB, $0.50/GB beyond.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Support</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Community Support: Included for all.</li>
<li>
Email Support: Available with Launch, Scale, Enterprise plans.</li>
</ul>
<h4>2. Koyeb</h4>
“Deploy to production, scale globally, in minutes. Accelerate AI apps with high-performance infrastructure. Connect your GitHub account to Koyeb. Choose a repository to deploy. Leave us the infrastructure — We build, deploy, run, and scale your application with zero-configuration.” Is how they describe their value proposition on their Landing page; I would say they are the dark horse in this race. Have tried deploying an app with them an its a breeze; connecting your Github repo and everything happens just smoothly;
The most important thing that you might be interested in not only their pricing but that fact that they have a <a href="https://tally.so/r/w4kzad">startup program </a>that you can apply to and get compute credit worth $30k. Additionally if you don’t feel like reading through the comprehensive pricing summary ; Here is your answer about Koyeb’s Pricing: Current Hobby Plan: $0/month pay-per-use No credit card required.
<h4>Koyeb Pricing Summary</h4>
<h4>Plans</h4>
Starter Plan
<ul>
<li>
Cost: $0/mo + compute (pay-per-use by the second).</li>
<li>Features:</li>
<li>1x free Web service.</li>
<li>1x free Postgres database (50h/month).</li>
<li>Run web apps, APIs, and workers.</li>
<li>Git push to deploy.</li>
<li>SSL and 10 free custom domains.</li>
<li>GPU access.</li>
<li>3 users included.</li>
<li>
Notes: No credit card required on Hobby plan; upgrade when ready.</li>
</ul>
Startup Plan
<ul>
<li>
Cost: $79/mo + compute.</li>
<li>Features:</li>
<li>Everything in Starter.</li>
<li>US, EU, and Asia regions.</li>
<li>6 users included (more as an add-on).</li>
<li>Up to 128GB of RAM &amp; 40 vCPU per service.</li>
<li>E-mail support and chat.</li>
<li>Slack cross-connect.</li>
<li>99.9% uptime SLA.</li>
</ul>
Enterprise Plan
<ul>
<li>
Cost: Custom, starting at $1000/mo with committed usage.</li>
<li>Features:</li>
<li>Custom RAM, CPU, and GPU.</li>
<li>Private dedicated locations.</li>
<li>Unlimited users.</li>
<li>SSO, RBAC, and Audit trail.</li>
<li>ISO27001 and SOC2 Certifications.</li>
<li>99.99% uptime SLA.</li>
<li>24×7×365 premium support.</li>
</ul>
<h4>General Features (Included in All Plans)</h4>
<ul>
<li>High-performance bare metal servers.</li>
<li>Global edge acceleration and CDN.</li>
<li>Autobuild for multiple languages (Node, Python, Go, Java, Ruby, PHP, etc.).</li>
<li>Global VPC across regions.</li>
<li>Free inbound bandwidth.</li>
<li>Deploy Docker from any registry.</li>
<li>HTTP/2, WebSocket, and gRPC support.</li>
<li>100GB of free outbound transfer.</li>
<li>Deploy from Dockerfile.</li>
<li>Service mesh &amp; discovery.</li>
<li>Anti-DDoS.</li>
<li>Infrastructure autohealing.</li>
<li>Automatic OS patching.</li>
<li>Continuous deployment with Canary.</li>
<li>Secrets management.</li>
<li>Horizontal scaling with global load-balancing.</li>
<li>CLI, API, Terraform, and Pulumi.</li>
<li>Real-time logs and metrics.</li>
<li>Autoscaling.</li>
<li>Community support.</li>
</ul>
<h4>GPU Pricing</h4>
<ul>
<li>
RTX-4000-SFF-ADA: $375/mo ($0.00014/s) — 20 GB VRAM, 6 CPU / 44 GB RAM.</li>
<li>
V100-SXM2: $632/mo — 16 GB VRAM, 8 CPU / 44 GB RAM.</li>
<li>
L4: $744/mo — 24 GB VRAM, 15 CPU / 44 GB RAM.</li>
<li>
L40S: $1488/mo — 48 GB VRAM, 30 vCPUs / 92 GB RAM.</li>
<li>
A100: $2009/mo — 80 GB VRAM, 15 vCPUs / 180 GB RAM.</li>
<li>
H100: $2454/mo — 80 GB VRAM, 15 vCPUs / 180 GB RAM.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Serverless Postgres Pricing</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Free: 50h/month, 1 GB RAM, 0.25 CPU.</li>
<li>
Small: $21/mo, 1 GB RAM, 0.25 CPU.</li>
<li>
Medium: $42/mo, 2 GB RAM, 0.5 CPU.</li>
<li>
Large: $95/mo, 4 GB RAM, 1 CPU.</li>
<li>
Additional Storage: $2/mo per 10 GiB.</li>
<li>
Usage: $0.000008/s for Small; $0.10/GB for additional storage.</li>
</ul>
<h4>FAQs</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Credit Card: Not required to start on the Hobby plan.</li>
<li>
Starter Plan: Free, with one Web Service and Database, 10 custom domains; credit card required.</li>
<li>
Charges: Based on actual usage, billed per second.</li>
<li>
Differences Between Plans: Starter for non-critical apps; Startup for production; Enterprise for large, mission-critical apps.</li>
<li>
Outbound Bandwidth: Charged at $0.04/GB after free tier.</li>
<li>
Custom Domain: Yes, with free SSL for 10 domains.</li>
<li>
Cancellation: Anytime with prorated credit for unused time.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Render</h4>
Finally darling Render 😍😘; This has been the go-to platform for most of our MVP projects; we’ve tried it; tested it and stretched the limits of it’s free resources and are forever grateful for the team at Render. It’s no mean feat giving free compute albeit small or miniscule to users indefinitely. (Not speaking about the database).
Render describes their value proposition as “Your fastest path to production. Build, deploy, and scale your apps with unparalleled ease — from your first user to your billionth.” And yes you can get started for free.
Here is a comprehensive breakdown of their pricing if you want to go over the free fence and get into the real thick of things.
<h4>Render Pricing Summary</h4>
<h4>Plan Tiers</h4>
Individual
<ul>
<li>
Cost: $0/month + compute costs.</li>
<li>
Designed for: Hobbyists, students, and indie hackers.</li>
</ul>
Team
<ul>
<li>
Cost: $19/user/month + compute costs.</li>
<li>
Designed for: Small teams and early-stage startups.</li>
</ul>
Organization
<ul>
<li>
Cost: $29/user/month + compute costs.</li>
<li>
Designed for: Larger teams with complex needs.</li>
</ul>
Enterprise
<ul>
<li>
Cost: Custom pricing + compute costs.</li>
<li>
Designed for: Ultimate power and customization needs.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Services</h4>
<ul>
<li>Static Sites</li>
<li>
Cost: $0/month.</li>
<li>
Features: Lightning-fast CDN, automatic continuous deploys from Git, instant cache invalidation, custom domains with fully managed TLS.</li>
<li>Web Services</li>
<li>
Cost: From $0/month.</li>
<li>
Features: Web services with HTTP/2 and full TLS, support for Node, Python, Go, Rust, Ruby, Elixir, private services, custom Docker containers, SSDs at $0.25/GB per month.</li>
<li>PostgreSQL</li>
<li>
Cost: From $0/month.</li>
<li>
Features: Fully managed PostgreSQL, connect from anywhere, automatic daily backups for paid instances, expandable storage, 1 GB SSD storage included, point-in-time recovery.</li>
<li>Redis®</li>
<li>
Cost: From $0/month.</li>
<li>
Features: Fully managed Redis, connect from anywhere, maximize availability by queueing jobs, reduce primary DB’s load, cache pages, results, fragments.</li>
<li>Cron Jobs</li>
<li>
Cost: From $1/month.</li>
<li>
Features: Run any command or script periodically, failure notifications, full support for cron expressions, prorated by the second, live cron job logs.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Features Across Plans</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Build &amp; Deploy: Web Services, Static Sites, Cron Jobs, One-Off Jobs, Background Workers, Free Instances, Build Pipeline (500 minutes/month for Individual, 500 minutes/user/month for Team and Organization, custom for Enterprise).</li>
<li>
Free Bandwidth: 100 GB for Individual, 500 GB for Team, 1 TB for Organization, custom for Enterprise.</li>
<li>
Data Stores: Managed PostgreSQL, Automated Backups, Read Replicas, Point-in-Time Recovery, High Availability, Managed Redis, Persistence, Persistent Disks.</li>
<li>
Collaboration: Auto Deploys from Git, Service Previews, Deploy Hooks, Preview Environments, up to 10 team members for Individual, unlimited for Team and Organization, custom for Enterprise.</li>
<li>
Convenience: Native Runtimes, Docker Builds, Pre-Deploy Command, Infrastructure-as-Code, Environment Groups, Monorepo Support, Automatic Brotli Compression, Custom Domains with free TLS, Wildcard Domains.</li>
<li>
Uptime &amp; Monitoring: Zero-Downtime Deploys, Health Checks, Instant Rollbacks, Log Retention (7 days for Individual, 14 days for Team, 30 days for Organization and Enterprise), Log Streams, HTTP Request Logs, Contractual Uptime SLA.</li>
<li>
Networking: Premium Global CDN, HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, WebSocket, Static Outbound IPs, Private Networking, Service Discovery.</li>
<li>
Security: HTTPS only, SSH access, DDoS Protection, Secret Files, 2FA, GDPR DPA, SOC 2 Type 2 Report.</li>
<li>
Support: Community Forum, Email Support, Chat Support, Migration Support, Customer Success Engineer, First Response Support SLA, Urgent Support SLA, Architecture Review, Dedicated Support Engineer, Private Slack Channel, Quarterly Account Review.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Billing and FAQs</h4>
<ul>
<li>
Billing: Monthly plan costs depend on plan type and number of users, compute usage is billed and prorated by the second.</li>
<li>
No Activity Fee: Team member fee waived if no services and no activity during a month.</li>
<li>
Team Members: Billed based on user count at the end of the billing period.</li>
<li>
Pipeline Minutes: Track build and pre-deploy task durations, viewable from the dashboard’s Billing page.</li>
<li>
Free Instances: Usage limits designed for exploring tech, building personal projects, and previewing Render’s experience.</li>
<li>
Payment Methods: Accepts all major credit and debit cards, processed securely by Stripe.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Some of the things to consider when choosing a host:</h3>
<ul>
<li>How busy your site is likely to be and the cost of data and computing resources required to meet that demand.</li>
<li>Level of support for scaling horizontally (adding more machines) and vertically (upgrading to more powerful machines) and the costs of doing so.</li>
<li>Where the supplier has data centres, and hence where access is likely to be fastest.</li>
<li>The host’s historical uptime and downtime performance.</li>
<li>Tools provided for managing the site — are they easy to use and are they secure (e.g. SFTP vs. FTP).</li>
<li>Inbuilt frameworks for monitoring your server.</li>
<li>Known limitations. Some hosts will deliberately block certain services (e.g. email). Others offer only a certain number of hours of “live time” in some price tiers, or only offer a small amount of storage.</li>
<li>Additional benefits. Some providers will offer free domain names and support for TLS certificates that you would otherwise have to pay for.</li>
<li>Whether the “free” tier you’re relying on expires over time, and whether the cost of migrating to a more expensive tier means you would have been better off using some other service in the first place!</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
That’s the end of this article on where to host your Django (or any) backend and also my cherry picks for providers. I hope you’ve found them useful. You can check out an open source Project Management software we are building on <a href="https://github.com/orgs/Clearpath-HQ/repositories">GitHub here</a>. Contributions and any sort of support is welcome.
<h3>See Also</h3>
<a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/elasticbeanstalk/latest/dg/create-deploy-python-django.html">AWS Beanstalk tutorial</a>
<a href="https://fly.io/django-beats/deploying-django-to-production/">Deploy Django on Fly.io</a>
<a href="https://cloud.google.com/python/django/appengine">Deploy django app on Google App Engine</a>
<a href="https://realpython.com/django-hosting-on-heroku/">Hosting a Django project on Heroku</a>
<a href="https://docs.render.com/deploy-django">Deploy a Django app on Render</a>
<a href="https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-deploy-django-project-on-pythonanywhere/">Deploy a Django project on pythonanywhere</a>
<a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Server-side/Django/Deployment">Documentation on Django deployment</a>
<a href="https://platform.sh/blog/how-to-deploy-your-django-project-on-platformsh/">Deploying django backend on platform.sh</a>
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Where to host your Django (or any) backend.

<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*nTGYtb-IKkdzrkzzXr5Sxg.jpeg"><figcaption>I asked Gemini to generate me an image that befits this article; prompt used was the title of the article.</figcaption></figure>This is a personal reflection of my journey, tools I have come to become familiar with and gradually refined as I kept on venturing deeper into the rabbit hole of AI architecture
<h3>Introduction</h3>
I assume that you already possess a keen interest in Artificial intelligence and you are now excited and want to build your own AI app. It could be a ChatGPT wrapper or something entirely unique that has never been applied in any industry before. This journey you desire to walk I have walked and will take you where I have been.
For reference purposes I will use the initial architecture of our solution <a href="https://www.intelliconcierge.com/">Intelli</a>. Our team is made up of four individuals — each with a prefix appended to the Role CTO, which means everyone’s opinion influences the technical decisions we make. When we envisioned Intelli(fondly referred to as Elli) we saw it this way; We broke it down into movable parts that would come together to form the sweet spot of Data and Intelligence that would solve our customer’s problems in the easiest and most cost-effective way
<h3>OSI Model Diagram</h3>
<figure><img alt="The OSI Model (from Top to Bottom) of Intelli Tech Architecture" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/854/1*TgAqJbfkwgqNoK003_IGwg.png"></figure>Bare in mind that the decisions for the various platform choices were made based off of cost, performance, ease of use, our team’s acquaintance with them and community built around it, for example we had Azure credits worth $1,000 and we had google credits worth $200; It only made financial sense that we rely on Azure although we acknowledge it was not the most friendly cloud platform available.
For the choice on <a href="https://www.oracle.com/database/what-is-database/">databases</a>, we segmented them into two usecases; one for basic storage and retrieval; We went for <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ai/what-is-vector-database/">a vector database</a> because they allow for fast similarity searches; which is what we wanted since we had a RAG model as part of our architecture at a point. We knew there was going to be indexing of data and a vector database would be the best way to store it.
Yet again the decision for what we chose came down to available resources and familiarity with the tech; we found <a href="https://docs.pinecone.io/reference/create_index">documentation</a> on how to setup indices in Pinecone and also saw some <a href="https://python.langchain.com/docs/integrations/vectorstores/pinecone">documentation on Langchain</a> specifically tailored for pinecone. Adding to the fact that we ran into some errors trying to use Redis which was our first choice for a vector DB; we quickly switched our minds to Pinecone.
MongoDB and <a href="https://www.matillion.com/blog/what-is-azure-data-lake">Azure Data Lake</a> didn’t get the light of day for different reasons; The former didn’t have the easiest path to entry despite having plenty documentation out there; It had a steep learning curve and thus we chose to forego it. However much we acknowledge the robustness of the <a href="https://www.mongodb.com/developer/languages/python/semantic-search-made-easy-langchain-mongodb/">MongoDB Atlas Semantic search</a> and <a href="https://www.mongodb.com/developer/products/atlas/rag-atlas-vector-search-langchain-openai/">coupling </a>it with a <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/retrieval-augmented-generation/">RAG model</a>.
The latter was too early for us. We aren’t yet at the level, or scale of having big data and as such would just be a wastage of resources for us to run this service if we have failed to exhaust our current DBs. Although we shall still keep it on our rack for when we get there and our needs warrant such storage capacities.
This brings me to the second segment of our Dbs; Data Mining and Machine Learning; we saw the essence of having our system become better at answering questions by fine-tuning a foundational model to turn it into a proprietary and enterprise LLM specifically built for our business usecase and fully decoupled from and independent of it’s source/parent model.
When we started we only thought about using PyTorch as the library for Natural Language Processing(NLP) within <a href="https://colab.google/">Google Cola</a>b as the playground for us to perform our training but our minds were introduced to better options like TensorFlow which is an End to end open source platform for machine learning and thus would serve our needs adequately and ticks most of the boxes we needed.
Power BI (in Microsoft Fabric) were basically reporting tools; to visually represent the data/numbers of the progress of our training and Machine Learning procedures.
Moving up to the Presentation Layer; we chose to stick to A Python Back-end using the Django framework for it’s benefits of being structured, organized and an out of the box solution(comes with batteries included) It greatly increases our speed of building. And the fact that we also had access to technical expertise in our vicinity that were proficient with it made it a sound decision to make. The most important reason for this decision however is because we thought about the intricacies of dealing with data for ML purposes in any language other than python and it made sense that we work with python from day 0.
We chose to host our codebase on GitHub and initially had decided to ship it to production in a docker container; however as we proceeded we found out alternative ways to ship it that would be easier for us to execute. Vercel provided a serverless edge option to launch our Django app and we lunged at it(I love all things serverless!).
For the APIs we are utilizing Retell for Voice, Paddle for Payments, Our LLMs are OpenAi, Llama 2 and hope to soon have our own LLM Epsilon join these ranks.
For the Presentation Layer we chose to use NextJs framework to build the web app and Flutter to build the desktop for reason of our team having a familiarity and experience with these tools and technologies and thus making it a perfect fit.
<h3>Technical Architecture Diagram</h3>
Now that I have explained the OSI model; you can glimpse at the architecture and it will make sense to you. As you look at the architecture diagram you will realise there are elements that were added that were not part of the OSI model; this is because we kept on refining and changing our architecture as we learned and kept on going.
<figure><img alt="A diagram of our technical architecture from frontend(left) to backend(right)" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/887/1*0rOiuC6qBPhX135ngucbFw.png"></figure><h4>Additional Notes</h4>
Some of the components we switched entirely are listed herein:
<ol>
<li>Cloud Service Provider — Much as we love GCP; and had crafted our entire cloud infrastructure around them. We had to choose to flow where the credits flowed, to make our building azurier(easier)</li>
<li>Claude and Palm2 — We thought we would start with these two models but things turned out Open AI, so we took that path.</li>
<li>We had missed a crucial part (<a href="https://www.altexsoft.com/glossary/online-travel-agency-ota/">OTAs</a>) so we had to look out for those that had developer platforms and provided their API services.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
I believe if you have followed this article to this point, your mind has been opened up to see things as they are; plain. I hope this has been an insightful read for you and that it has inspired you to come up with an even more optimised architecture and subsequently product.
This was written to help you see AI app architecture from the angle of any other software you have built before; what changes are the tools and the application of the software and the paradigm of building it.
You can build anything you set your mind to, so go forth and build.
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Getting started with Architecture for AI apps: A Founder’s guide

<h3>ChopCompass: How I built an AI-Powered Chatbot in 30 minutes to Discover the Best Dining Experiences</h3>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*VPpnpm_czLy68zDYonQVbw.png"><figcaption>Chop Compass; a glimpse</figcaption></figure><h3>Introduction</h3>
On the bus to MEST campus today(2nd bus). I sat next to a colleague <a href="https://medium.com/u/7ef90d577d96">Andrews Kwesi Ankomahene</a> and we had a light chat about a recently launched hackathon by AWS on devpost. The PartyRock Generative AI Hackathon by AWS: a challenge for all builders to get hands-on making generative AI-powered apps. In this challenge, we are required to use PartyRock, an Amazon Bedrock Playground as a fast and fun way to learn about Prompt Engineering and Foundational Models (FMs) to build a functional app with generative AI.
We are also expected to experiment with prompts to build an app based on one of four challenge categories or Remix the featured Side Quest app for more ways to compete!
The challenge categories are below:
<ul>
<li>Interactive Learning Experience — virtual science lab, language lesson, etc;</li>
<li>Creative Assistant — music composition assistance, story idea generator, etc;</li>
<li>Experimental Entertainment — interactive story, Role Playing Games, etc;</li>
<li>Freestyle — any project that doesn’t fall into one of the categories above.</li>
</ul>
You can either create a Party Rock app from scratch or Remix an existing one. I chose to do the latter being that it was already looking like what I envisioned.
<h3>Backstory and genesis!</h3>
Discovering the perfect dining experience can be a challenge but not anymore. As a firm believer in innovation and reinvention, I was inspired by the convenience and personalized recommendations offered by Google Maps. This inspiration led me on a journey to develop an AI-powered chatbot that would revolutionize the way people find the best restaurants.
Welcome to the story of ChopCompass, my simple chat bot solution that quickly helps you in discovering exceptional dining experiences based on your location, budget, cuisine preference, and meal you want to eat.
<h3>Finding Inspiration in Google Maps</h3>
The idea for ChopCompass was born out of the desire to create a user-friendly platform that could provide personalized recommendations for dining establishments. Seeing how Google Maps effortlessly provided directions and suggestions based on user preferences, I recognized the immense potential for a similar concept in the food industry. With this inspiration in mind, I wanted to develop an AI-powered chatbot that would take restaurant discovery to the next level.
<h3>Developing ChopCompass: A Simple Walk through</h3>
<ol><li>I visited The <a href="https://partyrock.aws/">Party Rock website</a> as shown in the image below</li></ol>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*HbEIM11mu_aHEIobnhXs8Q.png"></figure>2. I scrolled to the section (Try out featured apps built with PartyRock)
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*KAC8i9yu3Ov1putVOfUp9Q.png"></figure>3. I clicked on the Good Eats App because I had something similar in mind and when I did; I was redirected to the page displayed below: This is because I already had created a Party Rock account. But if you don’t have an account it will prompt you to create one and you can use apple or Google SAML.
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*bDgg8yAkvAYDNpXkCJoumw.png"><figcaption>Good Eats Restaurant App Landing Page</figcaption></figure>4. I clicked on the Remix button In the top Right corner
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*uu8o46HiNxZa0x17frPT2w.png"></figure>Immediately I did; it spun up my own instance of the Good Eats App.
5. From here on i added widgets; the first widget I added was the budget widget
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*hGXOntWm64h-rAGL6iUSxg.png"></figure>6. After adding the widget; I proceeded to save the changes and published the app; subsequently you have to keep on pressing the release changes button after clicking save
7. One important feature I loved was the Show Configuration button on each of the widgets; It helps you choose the LLM you want to use and set the parameters like temperature and Top.
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*I3CppRFkMNGElpSXwkv54g.png"></figure>8. Finally once the app was ready I launched it.
<h3>What Next:</h3>
You can find Chop Compass <a href="https://partyrock.aws/u/Samsonroyal/C4jLd2-Tb/Chop-Compass">here </a>and test it out
Side Note: While developing ChopCompass, I love the fact that AWS party rock comes with about 7 open-source base LLMs and the UI of the site is leaning towards Neo-brutalism. I love it.
<h3>Testing and Iteration: Refining ChopCompass</h3>
Once the development was complete, it was time to put ChopCompass to the test.
User feedback plays a vital role in refining the functionality of products and ensuring their effectiveness. I shared a link to the remix app in our group of fellow Global entrepreneurs so they could get to test it out and use it extensively.
I got some exciting feedback and also got two people to remix my app and go ahead to create their own apps. The feedback they gave also enabled me to identify areas for improvement and address any usability issues.
<h3>Reflection and Future Enhancements</h3>
Creating ChopCompass was a swift and exciting process that took only 30 minutes. I utilized the no-code platform, AWS Party Rock, to build the app. I started by remixing an existing app, adding more widgets, and making a few edits to customize it to my needs. Within a short time, I had successfully spun up ChopCompass on the AWS Party Rock platform.
The development process was straightforward, and I encountered no significant challenges along the way. ChopCompass was built with a focus on user-centric design, leveraging the convenience of AI-powered chatbots and the personalized recommendations of Google Maps. The app’s core features include the ability to provide tailored dining suggestions based on user preferences such as location, budget, cuisine type, and meal type.
My experience building ChopCompass has been both educational and rewarding. I learned the importance of prioritizing user experience and the potential of AI in transforming everyday experiences. I was able to efficiently create a unique and functional app in a short amount of time using a no-code platform.
Moving forward, I plan to enhance ChopCompass by incorporating advanced machine learning algorithms to improve the chatbot’s recommendations and expand its reach.
I believe that ChopCompass has the potential to revolutionize the way people discover dining experiences and look forward to sharing my journey with you.
TL:DR
<ul>
<li>ChopCompass was developed in a <a href="https://awspartyrockhackathon.devpost.com/">hackathon</a>.</li>
<li>ChopCompass was built entirely on a no-code platform called AWS party rock</li>
<li>It utilises the Claude LLM</li>
<li>The chatbot’s recommendations are based on a combination of user cuisine preferences, location, and budget.</li>
<li>The app allows users to scout for and find good diners and restaurants they can visit and patronise with friends.</li>
</ul>
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ChopCompass: How I built an AI-Powered Chatbot in 30 minutes to Discover the Best Dining…

Case study: A Walk-through of How To Rebuild your Portfolio Website

<h4>Quick Intro</h4>
AWS Activate is a program offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that provides startups with the resources they need to quickly get started on AWS. The program includes credits, support, training, and other benefits to help startups successfully build and scale their businesses on AWS.
Activate Founders Requirements:
As a first-time startup founder, who hasn't received a seed or pre-seed fund from any investors, or who is bootstrapping your startup, you are eligible for the AWS Activate Founders program if you meet the following criteria:
You have not previously received credits from an AWS Activate Portfolio partner.
You have an AWS Activate account.
You are an early-stage startup, either unfunded or funded up to and including Series A.
You have no institutional funding or affiliation with an Activate Provider.
You have a company website or public company profile.
Your company has been founded within the past 10 years.
Activate Founders Perks
Credits: Your startup can receive AWS Promotional Credits to help reduce the cost of using AWS services. You're given $1,000 USD AWS Activate credits valid for 2 years.
Support: Your startup will be eligible to and can access 24/7 technical support and resources to help you quickly get started with AWS. the precise cheque cut is $350 in AWS Developer Support Credits valid for 1 year.
Guidance: Your startup can get guidance from AWS experts on best practices for building and deploying applications on AWS. You will be able to use 7 Core AWS Trusted Advisor Best Practice Checks. You also receive email access to 1 primary Cloud Support Associate and General Architectural Guidance
Training: Your startup can access online training and courses by AWS and partners to help you build your skills and knowledge of AWS. There are tons of videos, GitHub repositories, documentation and articles(there is an entire blog dedicated to Startups <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/startups/">here</a>)
Networking: You can connect with other startups, investors, and mentors through AWS Activate events and initiatives. You can also leverage the social media channels to scout for potential talent and investors. The social media handles are here <a href="https://twitter.com/AWSstartups">AWS Startups Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/aws-startups/">AWS startups linkedin</a>. You can also access the AWS <a href="https://aws-startup-lofts.com/emea/">Loft</a>
Special Offers: You can take advantage of special offers from AWS partners, such as discounts on tools and services and use them in building your projects
Activate Portfolio Requirements:
If you are an experienced startup founder, who has received a seed or pre-seed fund from investors, or you have been added to an accelerator for startups like YC or SeedStars, you are eligible for the AWS Activate Portfolio program if you meet the following criteria:
Startups affiliated with an <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/activate/portfolio-detail/">Activate Provider</a> (unfunded and funded up to and including Series A)
Have an Activate Provider’s organization ID (Org ID)
Have a fully functioning company website
Have an AWS Activate account
Have not previously received AWS Activate credits at equal or greater value from the same Activate Provider
Have not exceeded $100,000 in redeemed AWS Activate credits Have been founded in the past 10 years
Activate Portfolio Perks
The AWS Activate Portfolio provides startups with up to $100,000 USD in AWS Promotional Credits that are valid for one year. These credits can be used to help reduce the cost of using AWS services, giving you the flexibility to choose the services that are right for your business.
In addition to the credits, the AWS Activate Portfolio also provides startups with AWS Business Support Credits that are valid for one year. With these credits, you can access 24x7 phone, email, and chat support from Cloud Support Engineers, as well as premium response speed for any technical issues or questions you may have.
The AWS Activate Portfolio also includes support for the AWS Support API, interoperability, and configuration guidance and troubleshooting. This means that you can get the help you need to set up and configure your AWS environment, as well as troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
How to Apply
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to apply for the AWS Activate Founders program:
Check your eligibility:
Check that you meet the eligibility criteria for the AWS Activate Founders program. You must be a founder of an early-stage startup (unfunded or funded up to and including Series A), have no institutional funding or affiliation with an Activate Provider, have a company website or public company profile, and have been founded in the past 10 years.
Visit the Website:
Visit the AWS Activate website, it currently looks something like this. You can proceed to click on the “Join Now” button or to Click "Create an AWS account".
If you scroll this page down, the view looks like this; there is a simple step-by-step illustration of how you can apply as shown in the image below.
Create an AWS Account:
If you don't already have an AWS account, create one by visiting the AWS website. When you click on the apply now button; you are redirected to a login page where you can either create a new AWS account or log into a present active one, the page looks like this
Choose Root User, or IAM user and progress to type in the email address; this screen is for those that possess AWS accounts; however, if you are new to AWS or want to create a new AWS account, you will be redirected to a page that looks like this when you click on the "Create a new Account button".
Go ahead and sign up then log in to your AWS activate Console.
Since I already have an account, I proceed to answer the Kaptcha test to verify if I am human and then log in
Fill out the online application form with information about your company and its use case for AWS. Be sure to provide a complete and accurate application, as this will help increase your chances of being accepted into the program. This will be the account that you use to fill in the form and apply for the AWS Activate Founders program.
Wait for Approval:
After you have submitted your application, you will need to wait for AWS to review it. This process can take up to a few weeks, so be patient. If your application is approved, you will receive an email from AWS with instructions on how to activate your AWS Activate account.
Once you're done filling in the application form your console will look like this.
Enjoy the Benefits:
Once your application for credits is approved, you will receive an email informing you of the approval and the value of your credits. Your AWS Activate Credits are automatically applied to your AWS account upon receipt of your application approval email. You don't need to take any action. AWS Activate Credits are automatically applied to your monthly bill.
You can find the exact credit amount, expiration date, the remaining balance of your AWS Activate Credits, and the applicable AWS services in the bottom section of the Credits Page on the AWS Billing and Cost Management Console.
If your application for credits is denied, you will still have access to your resources within the AWS Activate Console and can apply for credits again as your startup continues to evolve.
Conclusion
By following the steps above, you can apply for the AWS Activate Founders program and start taking advantage of the benefits it offers. With the help of AWS Activate, you can focus on building and scaling your business, while AWS provides the resources and support you need to succeed.
Happy Building 🚀🔥
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Why you should sign up for AWS Activate

<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*cIeI08HqswVzZzkJfVsfYQ.png"><figcaption>An image showing a man looking at their laptop with a blurred background of code. I designed this in Canva</figcaption></figure><h3>Ending the Neglect: Why Web Accessibility is Everyone’s Responsibility</h3>
After reading <a href="https://www.kehinde.xyz/blog/web-accessibility">Kehinde’s blog post </a>and reflecting on the many times I didn’t care about adding alt text to images, the contrast of some text, or the hierarchy of text and all the other web accessibility rules, I sought to change this by not only making a public a11y statement but also adhering to it from henceforth and spreading this gospel to fellow software engineers, especially for the web. This post acts as a public a11y statement. Together, we can make the world more accessible.
<h3>Introduction to Web Accessibility</h3>
In today’s digital age, the internet has become an integral part of our lives. We rely on it for information, communication, and even entertainment. However, not everyone is able to fully experience the benefits of the online world. People with disabilities often face numerous barriers when accessing websites, which can limit their ability to participate fully in society.
Web accessibility refers to the practice of designing and developing websites and web applications that can be used by people with disabilities. It aims to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the digital content available online. By making the web more accessible, we can create an inclusive and equal online experience for everyone.
<h3>The Importance of Web Accessibility</h3>
Web accessibility is not just a matter of compliance or legal obligations; it is a fundamental human right. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes access to information and communication technologies, including the internet, as a basic right. By neglecting web accessibility, we are excluding a significant portion of the population from accessing essential services, information, and opportunities.
Moreover, web accessibility is not limited to individuals with permanent disabilities. Temporary disabilities, such as a broken arm or a situational disability like being in a noisy environment, can also hinder a person’s ability to interact with inaccessible websites. Therefore, by making websites accessible, we not only cater to people with disabilities but also enhance the user experience for everyone.
<h3>The Impact of Inaccessible Websites</h3>
The consequences of inaccessible websites go beyond inconvenience; they can have a profound impact on individuals’ lives. Imagine trying to book a flight, order groceries, or apply for a job online and encountering barriers that prevent you from completing these tasks independently. Inaccessible websites create barriers that limit educational, employment, and economic opportunities for people with disabilities.
Additionally, inaccessible websites contribute to social exclusion and isolation. The internet has become a crucial platform for connecting with others, accessing social networks, and participating in online communities. When individuals with disabilities are unable to access and engage with these platforms, they are effectively excluded from social interactions and may feel isolated and marginalized.
<h3>Web Accessibility Best Practices</h3>
To ensure web accessibility, it is essential to follow best practices during the design and development process. Here are some key guidelines to consider:
1. Provide alternative text for images: Adding descriptive alt text to images allows screen readers to convey the content to individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
2. Use clear and consistent headings: Properly structured headings help users navigate through the content more easily and understand the hierarchy of information on a page.
3. Ensure color contrast: Use sufficient color contrast between text and background to ensure readability for individuals with visual impairments.
4. Provide captions and transcripts for multimedia: Including captions for videos and transcripts for audio content enables individuals with hearing disabilities to access the information.
5. Use descriptive link text: Avoid using generic phrases like “click here” and instead provide descriptive link text that conveys the purpose of the link.
<h3>Web Accessibility Guidelines and Standards</h3>
To support the implementation of web accessibility, several guidelines and standards have been developed. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide a universally recognized framework for creating accessible web content. These guidelines, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), outline specific success criteria for making websites more accessible.
The WCAG is organized into three levels of conformance: A, AA, and AAA. Each level builds upon the previous one, with level AA being the recommended level for most websites. Adhering to these guidelines ensures that websites are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for individuals with disabilities.
In addition to the WCAG, there are also specific accessibility standards for different countries and industries. It is important to stay updated with the latest guidelines and standards to ensure compliance and provide the best possible user experience for all users.
<h3>Common Accessibility Barriers and How to Overcome Them</h3>
Despite the existence of guidelines and standards, there are still common accessibility barriers that websites often encounter. By understanding these barriers and learning how to overcome them, we can create more inclusive and accessible digital experiences. Here are some of the most common accessibility barriers and their solutions:
6. Lack of alternative text for images: To overcome this barrier, ensure that all images have descriptive alt text that accurately conveys the content and context of the image.
7. Inaccessible forms and inputs: Use proper form labels, provide clear instructions, and ensure that form fields are programmatically associated with their labels. This allows individuals using assistive technologies to understand and interact with the forms effectively.
8. Insufficient color contrast: Check the color contrast of text and background colors to meet the WCAG’s recommended contrast ratio. There are various online tools available that can help test and adjust color contrast.
9. Inaccessible multimedia content: Provide captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions for videos and audio content. This ensures that individuals with hearing or visual impairments can access the information effectively.
10. Lack of keyboard accessibility: Ensure that all functionality and navigation can be accessed using a keyboard alone. This is crucial for individuals with motor disabilities who rely on keyboard navigation or assistive devices like switches.
By identifying and addressing these common accessibility barriers, we can create websites that are more inclusive and accessible to all users.
<h3>Tools and Resources for Testing and Improving Web Accessibility</h3>
To ensure web accessibility, it is essential to test and evaluate websites for compliance with accessibility guidelines. Fortunately, there are numerous tools and resources available to assist in this process. Here are some popular tools and resources for testing and improving web accessibility:
11. Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools: These tools automatically scan websites for accessibility issues and provide detailed reports on areas that need improvement. Some popular tools include WAVE, Axe, and Lighthouse.
12. Screen Readers: Screen readers are software programs that read out the content of a website to individuals with visual impairments. By using screen readers during the testing phase, developers can identify any issues that may hinder accessibility for these users.
13. Accessibility Checklists: Accessibility checklists provide a comprehensive list of guidelines and checkpoints to follow when designing and developing accessible websites. These checklists act as a handy reference to ensure that no accessibility requirements are overlooked.
14. Online Communities and Forums: Engaging with online communities and forums dedicated to web accessibility allows developers to share knowledge, ask questions, and stay updated with the latest trends and practices in the field.
15. Accessibility Audits and Expert Reviews: Conducting accessibility audits or seeking expert reviews can provide valuable insights and recommendations for improving web accessibility. These audits can be performed by specialized accessibility consultants or organizations.
By utilizing these tools and resources, developers can ensure that their websites meet the highest standards of accessibility and provide an inclusive experience for all users.
<h3>The Role of Designers and Developers in Promoting Web Accessibility</h3>
Designers and developers play a crucial role in promoting web accessibility. They are responsible for implementing accessibility features and ensuring that websites are usable by individuals with disabilities. Here are some key considerations for designers and developers:
16. Familiarize Yourself with Accessibility Guidelines: Designers and developers should be familiar with the WCAG and other relevant accessibility guidelines. This knowledge will enable them to incorporate accessibility requirements from the outset and avoid costly retrofits later.
17. Collaborate with Accessibility Experts: If possible, involve accessibility experts during the design and development process. Their expertise can help identify potential accessibility barriers and provide solutions early on.
18. Conduct User Testing with Individuals with Disabilities: Include individuals with disabilities in user testing sessions to gather feedback and insights on the accessibility of the website. This firsthand feedback is invaluable in uncovering usability issues and improving the overall accessibility of the website.
19. Implement Responsive Design: Ensure that websites are responsive and adaptable to different devices and screen sizes. This allows individuals with disabilities to access the content on various devices, such as smartphones or assistive technologies.
20. Stay Updated with Accessibility Trends and Techniques: Web accessibility is an evolving field, and new techniques and best practices regularly emerge. Designers and developers should stay updated with the latest accessibility trends and techniques to ensure that their websites remain accessible and compliant.
By actively incorporating accessibility considerations into the design and development process, designers and developers can contribute to a more inclusive web for all users.
<h3>The Role of Content Creators in Promoting Web Accessibility</h3>
Content creators, including writers, bloggers, and social media managers, also have a significant impact on web accessibility. They are responsible for producing content that is accessible and perceivable by individuals with disabilities. Here are some key considerations for content creators:
21. Write Descriptive and Concise Content: Use clear and concise language when creating content to ensure that it is easily understandable by all users. Avoid using jargon or complex terms that might be difficult for individuals with cognitive disabilities or limited language skills.
22. Structure Content with Headings: Break content into sections and use proper heading tags to structure the information. This helps individuals with screen readers navigate through the content more efficiently.
23. Provide Transcripts and Captions for Multimedia: If you include videos or audio content, provide accurate transcripts and captions. This ensures that individuals with hearing or visual impairments can access the information effectively.
24. Use Accessible Document Formats: When sharing documents, such as PDFs, ensure that they are accessible. Use proper headings, alternative text for images, and other accessibility features to make the documents usable for all individuals.
25. Provide Text Alternatives for Visual Content: If you include images or infographics, provide text alternatives to describe the content. This allows individuals with visual impairments to understand the information being conveyed.
By following these guidelines, content creators can contribute to a more inclusive and accessible online environment for all users.
<h3>The Role of Businesses and Organizations in Promoting Web Accessibility</h3>
Businesses and organizations have a responsibility to prioritize web accessibility and ensure that their online presence is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Here are some key actions that businesses and organizations can take to promote web accessibility:
26. Develop an Accessibility Policy: Create an accessibility policy that outlines the organization’s commitment to web accessibility and the steps it will take to ensure compliance. This policy should be publicly available on the organization’s website.
27. Train Employees on Accessibility: Provide training and awareness sessions to employees, particularly those involved in website development or content creation. Educating employees about accessibility guidelines and best practices will help ensure that accessibility is considered throughout the organization.
28. Conduct Regular Accessibility Audits: Perform regular accessibility audits to identify any accessibility issues on the organization’s website and take corrective actions promptly. These audits can be conducted internally or by engaging external accessibility consultants.
29. Engage with Accessibility Advocacy Groups: Collaborate with disability advocacy groups and organizations that specialize in accessibility to gain insights and guidance on improving web accessibility. These partnerships can help organizations stay updated with the latest accessibility trends and foster a culture of inclusivity.
30. Promote Accessibility in Procurement: When procuring third-party services or systems, include accessibility requirements in the selection criteria. By prioritizing accessibility, businesses and organizations can promote the development and delivery of accessible digital solutions.
By actively promoting web accessibility, businesses and organizations can lead by example and contribute to a more inclusive digital landscape.
<h3>The Future of Web Accessibility</h3>
As technology continues to advance, the importance of web accessibility will only grow. The rapid expansion of mobile devices, wearable technologies, and the Internet of Things (IoT) presents new opportunities and challenges for web accessibility. It is crucial for designers, developers, content creators, businesses, and organizations to stay ahead of these developments and ensure that accessibility remains a core consideration.
Furthermore, the increasing recognition of web accessibility as a human right and the legal frameworks in place to enforce it emphasize the need for continued progress in this field. Collaboration between governments, industry leaders, and accessibility advocates will be key to driving forward accessibility standards and creating a more inclusive digital future.
<h3>As I wrap up: Taking Responsibility for Web Accessibility</h3>
After reflecting on the impact of inaccessible websites and the importance of web accessibility, it is clear that we all have a responsibility to make the web more accessible for people with disabilities. Whether you are a designer, developer, content creator, or business owner, your actions and choices can contribute to a more inclusive online experience.
By following web accessibility best practices, adhering to guidelines and standards, and utilizing the tools and resources available, we can ensure that websites are accessible to all individuals. Let us work together to break down the barriers and create a digital world that is truly inclusive.
You and I have a responsibility to make the web more accessible for people with disabilities. Let’s commit to incorporating web accessibility into our work and advocating for its importance. Together, we can make the world more accessible for everyone.
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Web Accessibility: Making the internet Accessible for Everyone

<h3>How to and when to, while remaining true to your north-star as an individual and as a team.</h3>
<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*XaFUhALvJJIEQkbZ"></figure><blockquote>Y‍our eyes go see shege — A famous saying in west africa</blockquote>
Image Source: Pexels‍
Building a startup is an exhilarating journey filled with opportunities and challenges. One of the key lessons founders learn is the art of pivoting — the ability to shift direction while remaining true to their northstar.
But how do you know when to pivot and how can you do it effectively as an individual and as a team? In this article, we will dive deep into the art of pivoting when building startups.
I will share personal experiences from building startups and some recent experiences as an Entrepreneur in Training
<h3>Understanding the concept of pivoting in startups</h3>
It is essential for every startup to be open to it atleast once in their lifetime, It is usually birthed out of listening to different and varying opinions and feedback about what exactly the problem you are solving is. I remember during the first months of working on Taasa with my team, we constantly asked ourselves the why question. We drilled down into the field’s heart until we found the sweet spot. That could be classified as a grade 1 pivot in ideas. You haven’t vhanged the sector but are deviating from what your initial assumptions about the market were. Pivoting is a crucial aspect of building a startup. It involves making a strategic shift in your idea, business model, product offering, or target market and this trickles down into your GTM strategy and BMC; This pivoting is done to better align with the customer’s pain points and demands. Pivoting is not a sign of failure; it is a sign of adaptability and responsiveness to changing market conditions.
Successful startups understand the importance of staying agile and being open to change. They constantly evaluate their progress and make adjustments when necessary. By embracing the concept of pivoting, founders can increase their chances of long-term success in a highly competitive market.
<h3>Signs that it’s time to pivot your startup</h3>
Knowing when to pivot is a critical decision that requires careful analysis and consideration. There are several signs that indicate it may be time to pivot your startup:
<ol>
<li>Lack of product-market fit: If your product or service is not gaining traction in the market, it may be a sign that there is a disconnect between what you are offering and what customers want. Pivoting can help you realign your offering to better meet customer needs.</li>
<li>Changing market dynamics: Markets are constantly evolving, and what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. If you notice a shift in customer preferences or emerging trends that make your current business model less viable, it may be time to pivot.</li>
<li>Feedback from customers: Customer feedback is invaluable in guiding your decision-making process. If you consistently receive feedback that suggests areas for improvement or new features that customers are looking for, it may be an indicator that a pivot is necessary.</li>
</ol>
<h3>The importance of remaining true to your northstar</h3>
While pivoting involves making changes, it is crucial to remain true to your NorthStar — your core values, vision, and mission as a startup. Your NorthStar provides the guiding light that keeps you focused and motivated, even during times of uncertainty.
Remaining true to your NorthStar ensures that your pivot is not a complete departure from your original vision but rather a strategic realignment. It helps you retain your unique selling proposition and the essence of what makes your startup special.
<h3>Identifying your startup’s NorthStar</h3>
To pivot effectively, you must first have a clear understanding of your startup’s NorthStar. Start by defining your core values, vision, and mission. What problem are you trying to solve, and why does it matter?
Identifying your NorthStar involves soul-searching and introspection. It requires you to evaluate your startup’s purpose and the impact you want to make in the world. By having a strong sense of your NorthStar, you can navigate the pivot process with purpose and intention.
<h3>Strategies for pivoting without losing your identity</h3>
Pivoting can be challenging, as it requires making significant changes to your business. However, it is possible to pivot without losing your identity. Here are some strategies to consider:
<ol>
<li>Conduct thorough market research: Before making a pivot, gather data and insights about your target market, competitors, and trends. This research will help you make informed decisions and identify new opportunities.</li>
<li>Listen to customer feedback: Your customers are your best source of information. Engage with them regularly, gather feedback, and incorporate their insights into your pivot strategy. This customer-centric approach will ensure that your pivot meets their needs.</li>
<li>Experiment and iterate: Pivoting is an iterative process. Rather than making drastic changes all at once, consider experimenting with small adjustments and measuring their impact. This allows you to learn and adapt along the way.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Balancing individual and team goals during a pivot</h3>
A successful pivot requires alignment and collaboration within your team. It is essential to balance individual and team goals to ensure everyone is on the same page. Here are some tips for achieving this balance:
<ol>
<li>Foster open communication: Encourage team members to share their ideas, concerns, and suggestions during the pivot process. Create a safe and inclusive environment where everyone’s voice is heard.</li>
<li>Set clear goals and expectations: Clearly define the objectives and milestones of the pivot. Ensure that each team member understands their role and how their individual contributions align with the overall goals.</li>
<li>Provide support and resources: Pivoting can be stressful for everyone involved. Offer support, resources, and training to help your team navigate the transition successfully. This will boost morale and productivity during the pivot.</li>
</ol>
<h3>How to communicate a pivot to stakeholders</h3>
Effectively communicating a pivot is crucial to maintaining trust and credibility with your stakeholders. Whether it’s investors, employees, or customers, transparent communication is key. Here are some tips for communicating a pivot:
<ol>
<li>Be honest and transparent: Clearly explain why the pivot is necessary and how it will benefit the stakeholders. Address any concerns or questions they may have and provide reassurance that the pivot is a strategic move.</li>
<li>Share the vision: Articulate the new vision and direction of the startup post-pivot. Highlight the opportunities and potential for growth that the pivot brings. Paint a compelling picture of the future to inspire stakeholders.</li>
<li>Provide ongoing updates: Keep stakeholders informed throughout the pivot process. Regularly communicate progress, milestones, and any adjustments to the plan. This will foster trust and maintain stakeholder engagement.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Examples of successful startup pivots</h3>
Real-life examples of successful startup pivots can provide valuable insights and inspiration. Here are two well-known examples:
<ol>
<li>Slack: Originally a gaming company, Slack pivoted to become a collaboration and communication platform. By recognizing the need for better team communication tools, Slack successfully transformed its business model and became a leader in the market.</li>
<li>Twitter: Twitter started as a podcasting platform called Odeo. However, when Apple announced iTunes’ podcasting feature, the company faced a significant challenge. Recognizing the need to adapt, they pivoted to become the social media platform we know today.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Resources for learning more about pivoting in startups</h3>
If you want to delve deeper into the art of pivoting in startups, here are some recommended resources:
<ol>
<li>“The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries: This book provides valuable insights into the lean startup methodology, which emphasizes the importance of pivoting and continuous innovation.</li>
<li>Startup podcasts and blogs: Many startup-focused podcasts and blogs feature interviews and case studies of successful pivots. They provide firsthand accounts and practical advice from founders who have experienced pivoting firsthand.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Conclusion: Embracing the art of pivoting</h3>
Pivoting is an essential skill for startups. It requires founders to be adaptable, open-minded, and willing to make strategic changes. By understanding when to pivot, remaining true to your Northstar, and implementing effective strategies, you can navigate the challenges of building a startup and increase your chances of long-term success.
Remember, pivoting is not a sign of failure but rather a sign of resilience and determination. Embrace the art of pivoting, learn from the experiences of successful startups, and continually iterate and improve. With the right mindset and approach, you can pivot your way to success in the ever-changing startup landscape.
— Psalmson
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