yessss @brycent i so do agree on this one
🥾🥾
I think the bootstrapped founder is the most advantageous position to be in during the AI age
You can build endlessly without needing to pay 6 figures for dev talent, and once something works in a big way, you can go chase funding with leverage
5 years ago, this wasn't remotely possible if you were a non dev.
@abhinavguptaIAQ also really happy to meet you over the 3d printers and visiting you at the residency
what a guy:)
As a Blueprint alum I highly recommend applying to Blueprint II
It was a real accelerator for Marselia Robotics, and still is
I want to especially mention the great conversations with the wise @hthieblot who has seen it all
Announcing Blueprint II
A 3mo frontier tech program in SF
30 teams, $150k upfront
Once you join:
- Full access to our campus, labs, machines, talks, and $1M in credits
- Our full team working with you on product, GTM, hiring and fundraising
- Up to 1 year of dedicated space for your company on campus
- On site lunch from personal chef
We are the biggest backer of early hardware companies in SF
So we’re making an even bigger bet this year
Applications open now
We're looking for founders working on the hardest problems
Robotics. Drones. Space. Advanced manufacturing. Energy. New materials. Biosciences. Frontier AI models. Chips. And software that makes machines smarter.
If you believe that's you, we want to support you and push you further
just like the founders we've backed before:
the US just banned new humanoid robot imports from China - the companies behind ~87% of global shipments. hardware is geopolitics now.
back from the factory floor. spent the summer watching operators who've never written code tell robots what to do in plain English. still the best part of this job
went from 7k+ emails in inbox to 0 and +10 in zen level
to claude:
set up @andreasklinger gmail system described here klinger.io/posts/how-to-use-… using gmail connector
thank andreas and me later
Friday at the customer site, producing 20K Norwegian pancake fryers / year
Yes, we do have our own appliance for that
From the legend himself
The early founder years are one of the most stressful phases of life.
Most are really not talking about it.
- Some friends are climbing the corporate ladder and taking crazy vacations.
- Someone just bought their first home
- Someone already feels “settled”
And you’re still trying to turn an idea into a company.
At the same time:
- Your bank account keeps shrinking
- Investors keep saying “too early”
- users never seem to care and retain on your product
- People around you don’t fully get what you’re building
- your mom ask when you will get a real job
- Nights are full of overthinking
- The runway clock keeps ticking
- Time feels like it’s moving too fast yet progress is slow
And the hardest part?
- You smile to your friends and family
- You say “things are going well.”
- At 2 AM you wonder if this will ever work.
But remember:
- You’re not behind, you are on a different path
- You’re doing something incredibly hard
If you’re in this phase, be impatient for actions, patient with results and don’t give up.
Building something from zero takes time.
Anyone else feeling this lately? ✋



















