Build vs. Buy

Mang-Git sits down with Matthias Wagner, founder of Flux.ai, to explore how AI is finally making hardware design as accessible as software development. Matthias shares how Flux uses a combination of LLMs and proprietary spatial models to let anyone design PCB boards through a simple chat interface – and why LLMs alone fall flat when it comes to physical, geometric reasoning. The conversation digs...

Mang-Git interviews Danil Kolesnikov, previously a founding engineer at Shepherd, a commercial insurance MGA for construction that underwrites on behalf of carriers and distributes through brokers. He explains Shepherd’s thesis that tech-enabled contractors are better risks and should receive better pricing and coverage. The core build-vs-buy decision was whether to buy a policy administration sys...

Rowland Hobbs, founder and CEO of Stake, joins the show to talk about his startup background and Stake’s mission to help renters build wealth amid rising rents. Stake offers cash-back and financial services across a network of about 550,000 homes, including free checking that rewards rent payments and credit building by reporting on-time rent to the three bureaus, benefiting renters while reducing...

Michael Grinich, founder of WorkOS, joins Mang-Git to discuss challenges and insights from his career, including his journey from founding Nylas to creating WorkOS. They delve into the critical considerations for build versus buy decisions, the impact of AI on software development, and the importance of leveraging stable infrastructure. The episode highlights how modern AI tools are accelerating e...

In this episode of Build vs. Buy, Mang-Git hosts Alex Klarfeld, founder and CEO of Supergood, previously co-founder of Divvy Homes. They discuss Alex's career journey, the business model of Supergood, which creates unofficial APIs for enterprise portals using automated reverse engineering, and the company's growth strategy. The conversation highlights a build versus buy decision Alex faced with in...

In episode 23, Mang-Git chats with Chris Dean, Co-Founder and CEO of Treasury Prime. Chris shares his journey from machine learning researcher to serial entrepreneur, culminating in the founding of Treasury Prime. The discussion covers Treasury Prime's unique business model, which focuses on providing APIs to banks for managing FinTech relationships safely. They delve into the complexities of the...

John-Denis Greze joins Mang-Git Ng to dive into JDG's extensive career in tech, including his tenure as CTO at Plaid. JDG shares his decision-making process on build vs. buy, highlighting examples from his time at Plaid. He also discusses his current venture, Town AI, which aims to automate small business tax prep through AI. The conversation touches on the challenges and joys of being a founder,...

Tom Elliot, founder of Ocuroot, joins Mang-Git to discuss Tom's background in the tech industry, his experiences at companies like VMware and Yext, and the inception of Ocuroot. The conversation digs into build vs buy decisions, emphasizing the case study of monitoring tool Checkly. Tom shares insights on the complexities of self-built solutions versus external services and how to present these de...

Pulkit Agrawal, co-founder and CEO of Chameleon, joins Mang-Git Ng to discuss Pulkit's journey founding Chameleon, a tool that simplifies user onboarding and adoption for software applications. Pulkit shares insights into the importance of personalized user experiences and the intricacies of build versus buy decisions. He elaborates on his company's switch from custom-built UI components to using...

On this episode of the Build vs. Buy podcast, Mang-Git talks with Sumeet Vaidya, the founder and CEO of Crafting. Sumeet shares his career journey, which includes roles at Facebook, Uber, and Discord, and his current company, Crafting , which focuses on developing enterprise-ready cloud dev environments. They discuss the evolution of software development from local applications to complex cloud-ba...

Matt Robben, Co-Founder and CTO at Serif Health, joins Mang-Git to share his career journey, detailing experiences in building complex systems like the EHR at One Medical and his current role as CTO at Serif Health. They dive deep into the complexities and strategic decisions involved in the build versus buy debate, using specific examples from Matt's career. The discussion includes the challenges...

David Snitkof, SVP of Growth at Ocrolus, joins Mang-Git as they discuss David's extensive background in FinTech, his experience making build vs. buy decisions at Citi, and the evolution of document automation in financial services. The conversation also explores Ocrolus' solutions for various types of lenders and the impact of new AI-driven tools on product development. They wrap up by discussing...

Andrew Ho, co-founder and CPO at Last Mile AI, joins Mang-Git to discuss his journey from Microsoft, Airbnb, & Facebook to founding Last Mile AI, the world of product management, especially in AI, and the intricacies of build versus buy. Andrew shares insights on AI labeling, the evolution of technology, and the potential of AI tools to boost productivity for builders. The episode also explores pr...

From ride-shares to ATS systems Evan Goldin, co-founder and CEO of Parkade, discusses his career trajectory in the transportation tech sector, including his experiences at Zimride, Lyft, and Chariot. The conversation dives deep into his work at Lyft, specifically focusing on the decision to build an internal ATS for driver onboarding to scale operations efficiently. Evan also reflects on the broad...

Mang-Git interviews JJ Tang, co-founder and CEO of Rootly. They discuss Rootly's journey as an incident response management system, frameworks around building vs. buying software, and the challenges of differentiating internal tools from market solutions. JJ shares insights from his career, including his time at IBM and Instacart, and delves into Rootly’s unique approach to managing and learning f...

Karen French, SVP of Product at LendKey Technologies, joins Mang-Git to discuss her journey from banking to product management, the complexities of loan products, and the build versus buy decision-making process. Karen shares insights on how LendKey connects borrowers with credit unions, the importance of quick-to-market solutions, and balancing innovation with technology integration.  00:00 Tease...

analysis in product development, and how GrowthBook addresses these needs. The conversation also highlights the role of open source in GrowthBook's growth and their innovative product WebLens.ai, which leverages AI for A/B testing suggestions. 00:00 Introductions 01:06 Guest Introduction: Graham McNichol 01:33 The Genesis of GrowthBook 03:45 Challenges in Building AB Testing Platforms 05:10 Growth...

This week, Mang-Git hosts content creator and former VP of Product at Apollo.io and Head of Product Growth at Affirm, Aakash Gupta. Aakash shares his journey from operator to content creator on LinkedIn, building a vast follower base, and transitioning to an entrepreneurial role. The episode dives into the build vs. buy decision-making process at Affirm for developing a location-based push notific...

In this episode of Build vs. Buy, host Mang-Git is joined by Scott Woody, founder and CEO of Metronome. They discuss the complexities of the build versus buy decision-making process, drawing from Scott's experiences at Dropbox and Metronome. Scott shares insights on prioritizing user needs, internal software development, and the challenges of maintaining custom-built systems (like the time he help...

Sameh El Ansary, Founder and CTO of Treyd.io, joins Mang-Git to discuss challenges and decisions in the build versus buy debate. They explore issues related to global scaling, fintech integrations, and AI adaptation. Sameh shares insights on the importance of in-house, core value components, leveraging third-party APIs, and the impact of generative AI on improving data accuracy. The episode also h...

Matan-Paul Shetrit, Director of Product at Writer (www.writer.com), joins Mang-Git to discuss the evolving AI landscape. Matan shares insights from his career in tech, highlighting his time at Flexport, Brex, and A-Team, and delves deep into Writer's offerings including AI Studio, no-code applications, and developer APIs. They explore the build vs. buy dilemma and the real costs and benefits of fi...

Jenn Knight, Co-Founder and CTO of AgentSync (www.agentsync.io), joins host Mang-Git to dive into the dynamics of the build vs. buy decision many businesses face. This episode covers the intricacies of building business applications, such as within the Salesforce ecosystem, and explores real-world examples, including the implementation of CPQ solutions at Dropbox. Jenn shares her wealth of experie...

0:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:39 Luke Thomas's Background and Role at Zapier 03:23 Exploring Zapier's New Products 03:48 Deep Dive into Zapier's Product Features 08:37 Challenges and Strategies in Build vs. Buy Decisions 15:35 Real-World Example: AI Chatbots Product 21:57 Implementing a Simple Solution 22:15 Navigating Procurement Challenges 22:53 Building a Business Case 23:55 Legal and...

Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome  01:15 Shitesh Grover's Professional Journey  01:37 Understanding Orb's Usage-Based Billing  03:03 Challenges and Opportunities in Monetization  06:47 Comparing Orb with Stripe  12:26 Building vs. Buying: A Deep Dive  24:34 Evaluating Vendors and Making Decisions  30:00 Exciting Projects and Personal Insights  31:56 Conclusion and Farewell This episode...

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome  01:24 Vincent Paquet's Background and Dialpad Overview  03:33 Evolution of Dialpad and AI Integration  04:26 Build vs. Buy Decision-Making  12:54 Case Study: Acquiring Talk IQ  19:08 Impact of AI on User Experience  22:29 Future of AI and Communication  36:13 Wrap-Up and Personal Insights This episode was brought to you by Anvil [https://useanvil.com].