Kick-off conversations, test ideas, or surface questions!

General

We just dropped an episode with Craig McLuckie (Co-Founder & CEO @ Stacklok) on why we’re entering “the epoch of the startup.” He shared tactical insights for building and scaling in a world where AI is reshaping the fundamental economics of startups — product development costs are lower, GTM cycles are compressing, and defensibility looks very different. 

https://elc.community/home/podcasts/the-startup-epoch-rethinking-company-building-and-defensibility-in-an-ai-world-craig-mcluckie-stacklok

1/ The cost of experimentation has dropped & speed to build has accelerated

 Founders can build functional prototypes solo or w/ very small teams. Nights and weekends might be enough to prove out your concept before raising any capital.

Why are you uniquely positioned to win (ex. community DNA, platform mindset, high execution ethos) & how is this connected to the narrative behind your product/business?

3/ Use POCs to validate investment themes before scaling

This allows you to test alignment between your asymmetric advantage and a real market need—without burning cycles or capital prematurely.

4/ Moats have changed from software to community / trust

In a world where tech / software can be duplicated overnight, defensibility comes from non-technical moats like trusted relationships, community, and being essential to a customer’s workflow.

What’s working for you or what you’re rethinking?

Where are you seeing these shifts play out?

What frameworks are you using to navigate early-stage product bets?

Would love to hear your insights, questions, or lessons from the field 👇

Rethinking Startup Strategy & Product Dev in the AI Era

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