Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Jesse Zheng, co-founder and CEO of Decagon, joins a16z speedrun to discuss finding product-market fit, winning early enterprise customers, building a defensible AI company, and the lessons he learned from his first startup.
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:41 - First Startup & Lessons From Loki
2:32 - How Do You Find Product-Market Fit?
3:35 - How Do You Find the Right Problem to Solve?
5:51 - Choosing the Right Co-Founder
6:38 - Competing in a Crowded Market
8:08 - Why Zheng Chose Against Forward Deployed Services
9:57 - When Should You Say No to a Deal?
10:48 - How To Close Your First 10 Customers
12:08 - Should Startups Target SMEs or Enterprise?
12:59 - How Should Startups Price Their First Customers?
15:18 - Building a Defensible AI Company
19:13 - How Should a Startup CEO Spend Their Time?
20:43 - What Should You Look for When Hiring?
22:58 - What Do You Look for as an Angel Investor?
23:30 - What Would You Build Today if Not for Decagon?
💡 Are you a founder building the next big thing? Join Speedrun, the startup accelerator designed to help founders move fast with capital, mentorship, and top investors.
👉 Apply now: speedrun.a16z.com
📲 Follow us for more insights:
X (Twitter): https://x.com/speedrun
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/a16zspeedrun
Jesse Zheng, co-founder and CEO of Decagon, joins a16z speedrun to discuss finding product-market fit, winning early enterprise customers, building a defensible AI company, and the lessons he learned from his first startup.
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:41 - First Startup & Lessons From Loki
2:32 - How Do You Find Product-Market Fit?
3:35 - How Do You Find the Right Problem to Solve?
5:51 - Choosing the Right Co-Founder
6:38 - Competing in a Crowded Market
8:08 - Why Zheng Chose Against Forward Deployed Services
9:57 - When Should You Say No to a Deal?
10:48 - How To Close Your First 10 Customers
12:08 - Should Startups Target SMEs or Enterprise?
12:59 - How Should Startups Price Their First Customers?
15:18 - Building a Defensible AI Company
19:13 - How Should a Startup CEO Spend Their Time?
20:43 - What Should You Look for When Hiring?
22:58 - What Do You Look for as an Angel Investor?
23:30 - What Would You Build Today if Not for Decagon?
💡 Are you a founder building the next big thing? Join Speedrun, the startup accelerator designed to help founders move fast with capital, mentorship, and top investors.
👉 Apply now: speedrun.a16z.com
📲 Follow us for more insights:
X (Twitter): https://x.com/speedrun
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/a16zspeedrun
