Founding Journey

How James Evans Turned A College Project Into a Y Combinator-backed Startup


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This is how James raised $24 million and reached 20 million users for his startup, Command AI, with contrarian ideas.

πŸ“š 1,800 Pitch Decks (Free) β†’ deck-database.carrd.co

Follow James's journey:
🐦 X β†’ x.com/dazzeloid
πŸ’Ό LinkedIn β†’ linkedin.com/in/james-evans-7086b3126
πŸš€ Startup β†’ command.ai

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πŸ’Ό LinkedIn β†’ linkedin.com/in/michael-houck

Founder Journey

  • (01:00) β€” James’s founder origin story
  • (04:04) β€” Command AI origin story
  • (25:15) β€” Gaining conviction to build Command AI

Founder Mindset

  • (06:39) β€” Recognizing pivot opportunities
  • (08:23) β€” The overrated nature of creating new categories
  • (11:06) β€” The myth of necessitating truly new creations

Growth Strategies

  • (15:17) β€” Engaging in activities that probably don’t scale
  • (22:37) β€” Can anyone become a founder?
  • (41:53) β€” Prioritization strategies for founders

Networking & Resources

  • (29:18) β€” Effectively using the YC experience
  • (33:07) β€” Using Loom as a fundraising cheat code
  • (35:53) β€” Well-designed decks vs. substance
  • (39:10) β€” James’ angel investing learnings
  • (44:03) β€” Securing big logos early

Rapid Fire

  • (47:25) β€” Recommended investors?
  • (48:33) β€” Advice for first-time founders?
  • (49:08) β€” Favorite SaaS tools?
  • (50:03) β€” One change you’d make in startups?
...more
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Founding JourneyBy Michael Houck