Latest news with #ForbesTechnologyCouncil
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
US fund taps Pakistani tech duo with $10mn to lead startup investment initiative
The JR Dallas Tech Fund has announced $10 million investment to Pakistani technology leaders Mehwish Salman Ali and Malik Mudassir, entrusting them to inject the fund into exclusive US-focused startup investment initiatives, Business Recorder learnt on Friday. 'Under this landmark agreement, Ali and Mudassir will receive $10 million in dedicated capital to identify, evaluate, and invest in high-potential startups planning to scale operations in the United States. The duo will serve as lead investment partners with full authority to deploy capital across artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, digital health, and frontier technology ventures,' a press statement read. 'We are entrusting $10 million to two of the most visionary technology leaders of our generation,' said Jehangir A. Raja, Managing Partner at JR Dallas Tech Fund, which is the premier private investment arm of the US-based JR Dallas Wealth Management. Forbes Technology Council: Pakistani-origin Mehwish selected as member The two Pakistani technology leaders are running their offices in Karachi and Lahore. They represent 'perfect combination of technical expertise, entrepreneurial success, and strategic vision needed to identify the next generation of game-changing startups ready to conquer the American market,' Raja added. Mehwish Ali is a founding CEO of Data Vault that is claimed to be Pakistan's first solar-powered and quantum-encrypted AI data center. She is a co-founder of Zahanat AI, the country's first indigenous GPT model, and COO of AppsGenii Technologies. She is a TEDx speaker and Forbes Technology Council member. Mudassir is founding CEO of AppsGenii Technologies, operating across the US, UK, and Pakistan. He is a co-founder of ventures including GharPar, BoxesGen, and Dental Connect. He is also a member of the Central Executive Committee at P@SHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association). According to the statement, the $10 million fund operates under a rigorous investment framework designed to maximise both financial returns and economic impact. Startup Neem enters logistics space with Leopards Courier Services partnership The investment is targeted to be in the range of $250,000 to $1.5 million per startup. The investment should be focused in the sectors like AI/machine learning, cloud infrastructure, digital health, quantum computing and cybersecurity. The investor is aimed at investing the entire fund into 15-20 select companies over a period of two-year in the US-focused projects. The funding is projected to enable portfolio companies to create direct jobs, generating 300-500 high-skilled technology positions within 24 months. Strengthening Texas as a hub for international tech talent entering the US market. Accelerating breakthrough technologies in AI, healthcare, and cloud infrastructure. 'Portfolio companies (are) projected to contribute $50-100 million in US economic activity within three years,' the statement read.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
20 Modern Tech Tools That Are Advancing Public Safety
From drones and digital twins to AI-assisted emergency response systems, technology is transforming how communities prevent, detect and respond to threats. Whether it's faster 911 dispatch, safer infrastructure or smarter surveillance, these innovations are quietly reshaping public safety at every level—even saving lives. Below, Forbes Technology Council members discuss modern tech tools that have positively impacted public safety in recent years. Here's how they believe the capabilities and influence of these technologies might evolve in the near future. Tech is reshaping public safety by helping schools detect early signs of crisis, whether it's mental health, cyberbullying or potential threats. In the future, these systems may shift from alert-based tools to proactive support networks, connecting students with help before issues grow into emergencies. Prevention, not just response, will define the next chapter of school safety. - Saby Waraich, Clackamas Community College Technologies using biological data significantly enhance public safety, preventively and investigatively. For example, biometric systems like facial recognition aid prevention by identifying suspects or wanted individuals. Post-incident forensic biotechnology, such as DNA analysis, is key to accurately identifying suspects or linking them to scenes. - Sourabh Kukar, Salesforce Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify? When people talk about public safety, they often forget that highly dense areas will have more issues, and they will also often have a higher percentage of low-income constituents. Public offerings like cameras, shot detection and Wi-Fi provide the ability for residents to share information in real time and receive help faster, and they are provided at no cost to the public. - Tara Duke, As a frequent traveler, this feels personal. AI-based predictive maintenance and anomaly detection for commercial aircraft is one of the biggest safety advancements, detecting issues before they become risks and solving them before they escalate into emergencies. The advancements will continue, and in the future, AI will predict failures even earlier, making air travel even safer and smarter. - Gundeep Singh, EY Railway safety systems—like Positive Train Control (PTC), developed in the U.S., and Kavach, developed in India—have significantly improved public safety. These systems use GPS and sensors to monitor train movements and automatically apply brakes to prevent collisions, derailments and accidents. - Manikandarajan Shanmugavel, S&P Global Telemedicine platforms have made healthcare more accessible, improving safety by enabling quicker, remote consultations between patients and healthcare providers. As adoption of telemedicine grows, so will its potential to prevent medical errors. - Hui Sang Yun, Endo Health Fall detection, which is now a feature of many mobile phones and smartwatches, has significantly accelerated first-aid provisioning to the injured since its inception. Fall detection has also recently been added to some Internet-of-Things-enabled smart home devices, enhancing safety and care for the elderly. While this technology is more prevalent in Western countries, as costs fall, it will expand globally. - Bihag Karnani, Google Mass notification systems have significantly enhanced public safety by enabling authorities and emergency responders to rapidly share critical alerts with the public across multiple channels—text, voice, email and so on. Whether it's severe weather, active shooter incidents or hazardous material spills, these tools play a vital role in improving situational awareness and facilitating timely responses. - Judit Sharon, OnPage Corporation Autonomous 'drone as first responder' (or DFR) fleets are quietly reshaping emergency response. Launched from a rooftop dock when a 911 call is received, a drone can reach the scene in minutes and stream live video and thermal data, allowing dispatch teams to cancel false alarms or tailor resources. As Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) rules mature and 5G edge computing spreads, citywide drone swarms could respond to every major incident before ground units roll. - Rohit Anabheri, Sakesh Solutions LLC Gunshot detection systems have improved public safety by enabling faster responses to shooting incidents. These acoustic sensors automatically alert police with a precise location within seconds of gunfire, reducing response times from four to five minutes to under 60 seconds. Future integration with surveillance cameras, emergency services and AI/ML will further enhance these systems' life-saving capabilities. - Ambika Saklani Bhardwaj, Walmart Inc. Next generation 911 (NG911) has improved public safety by allowing text, images, videos and real-time location data to reach emergency services. The impact will only grow as AI wearables and smart devices are integrated, enabling faster, more precise responses—even, potentially, predictive dispatch—and better assistance in critical situations. - Rahul Wankhede, Humana Advanced data recovery systems have dramatically improved public safety by enabling the rapid restoration of critical information during disasters and cyberattacks. When emergency services lose access to vital records during crises, these technologies ensure continuity of operations while minimizing downtime. - Chongwei Chen, DataNumen, Inc. Digital twin technology is an emerging force in public safety. Cities are now creating real-time virtual replicas of infrastructure—like bridges, tunnels and power grids—to simulate disasters, predict failure points and coordinate emergency response. As sensor coverage grows, these digital twins will evolve into live command centers, enabling safer, faster decisions during crises. - Pawan Anand, Ascendion AI-powered transcription and analysis tools are transforming public safety by making police body camera footage and court proceedings searchable and transparent. These tools help surface patterns of misconduct, reduce case backlogs and ensure greater accountability. As adoption spreads, they could become foundational for equitable and data-driven criminal justice reform. - Alessa Cross, Ventrilo AI One impactful technology is the security robot dog, or 'robodog.' Equipped with cameras, sensors and AI, it helps patrol public areas, detect threats and relay real-time data to authorities. As AI advances, its role could expand into crowd control, disaster response and autonomous emergency alerts, further enhancing public safety. - Nikhil Jain, SmartThings, Inc. Earthquake early warning systems—like ShakeAlert, used on the U.S. West Coast—provide advance warning seconds or even minutes before the shaking starts. These systems allow people to take shelter and critical systems to automatically engage safety protocols. Further, these systems could be integrated into existing apps and services to widen their reach and impact. - Ishaan Agarwal, Square Crowd-sourced traffic apps have quietly improved public safety. By letting users share real-time alerts about accidents, hazards or blocked routes, they help others avoid danger and reduce the risk of follow-up crashes. As these platforms integrate with smart city systems and emergency responders, they could evolve into real-time, community-powered safety networks. - Umesh Kumar Sharma License plate recognition is an underrated force in public safety, automatically sending alerts for stolen vehicles as well as AMBER Alerts. As it scales and syncs with smart city infrastructure, LPR can help forecast and disrupt crimes before they unfold. - Joseph Olorunyomi, Accomplishr Advanced Driver Assistance Systems have transformed road safety by using AI, sensors and real-time data to prevent accidents. Features like automatic braking, lane-keeping and blind-spot detection help reduce human error, the leading cause of crashes. As technologies like vehicle-to-everything communication advance, ADAS has the potential to save even more lives and make roads safer. - Udit Mehrotra, Amazon AI-driven emergency dispatch systems are quietly reshaping public safety. By analyzing incoming calls, location data and historical patterns in real time, they can prioritize the most urgent cases faster and route help more efficiently. As these systems evolve, we'll see lifesaving responses become even faster and more precise. - Zohar Bronfman, Pecan AI
Forbes
06-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Common Disagreements Between CPOs And CTOs (And How To Resolve Them)
getty When chief product officers and chief technology officers work in harmony, innovation thrives. But differences in strategic priorities between these two leadership roles and their departments can sometimes cause friction. Strong collaboration, shared roadmaps and clearly defined goals are key to overcoming these hurdles. Below, industry leaders from Forbes Technology Council discuss common points of misunderstanding between CPOs and CTOs and offer strategies for building stronger, more aligned partnerships. 1. Shipping Speed Versus Long-Term Technical Health CPOs are often driven to ship new products quickly to meet users' needs, capture market share and achieve business goals. On the other hand, CTOs are responsible for the long-term technical health of the product—reliability, scalability and costs. They can overcome this point of contention through regular communication, a shared vision and a transparent prioritization framework. - Ramalakshmi Murugan , Google 2. Who Drives Feature Introduction A common CPO-CTO conflict is who drives feature introduction. CPOs prioritize market needs, while CTOs push technological innovation. The solution is partnership: CPOs contribute market intelligence and user empathy, while CTOs bring technical vision. Effective products need both perspectives to address current customer needs while also introducing capabilities customers didn't know they wanted yet. - Faizan Mustafa , Aviatrix Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify? 3. Differing Strategic Priorities From what I've seen, a point of contention is an incompatibility in their strategic priorities. This incompatibility often comes down to the CTO wanting to invest in technology at the expense of product innovation and vice versa. When the CPO and CTO are peers and are reporting independently to the CEO, this conflict can be resolved by aligning priorities to the overall strategy of the company. - Shan Kulkarni , Nullify 4. 'Innovation Timing' CPOs and CTOs often clash over 'innovation timing'—when a technology should move from exploration to implementation. CTOs may identify promising tech too early for market readiness, while CPOs might dismiss innovations until competitors prove them viable. Overcome this issue by creating a shared 'technology maturity pipeline' with clear transition criteria and joint investment decisions. - Mohammed Cherifi , Hyperion Consulting 5. Future-Focused Innovation Versus Current Needs The biggest point of contention is the push and pull between driving innovation to meet future needs and staying grounded in current challenges. CTOs focus on the long-term vision and where it needs to evolve, while CPOs are tasked with maintaining a balanced, structured product for today's needs. Finding common ground requires strong collaboration and a shared focus on the customer. - Erez Tadmor , Tufin 6. Technical Debt Versus New Features A common misunderstanding between CPOs and CTOs lies in prioritizing technical debt versus new features. CPOs aim to deliver market-visible features, while CTOs focus on addressing long-term scalability and innovation. This tension can be resolved by establishing metrics that integrate both priorities by balancing product success with technical health. They can also align on strategic goals like AI. - Jainendra Kumar , Blue Meteor 7. Product Vision Versus Technical Feasibility A common issue between CPOs and CTOs is misalignment in terms of product vision and technical feasibility. CPOs push for speed and features; CTOs prioritize stability and scalability. Regular alignment, shared roadmaps and mutual understanding help bridge the gap, ensuring innovation without sacrificing technical integrity. - Hemanth Volikatla , SAP America INC 8. Time To Market A common point of contention between CPOs and CTOs is time to market. CPOs are often focused on the market, customers and revenue, while the CTO is inclined to focus on the purity of architecture and the tech stack. In today's world of Agile development, the CPO and CTO can work together to agree on the ideal architecture and an incremental implementation plan that meets time-to-market needs. - Poornima DeBolle , Menlo Security 9. Different Definitions Of 'Progress' CPOs focus on shipping features; CTOs flag growing tech debt. The disconnect lies in how each defines 'progress.' Joint roadmapping that includes visible investment in refactoring and platform scalability helps reconcile priorities without slowing momentum. - Andrey Kalyuzhnyy , 8allocate 10. Customer Needs Versus System Architecture CPOs and CTOs can be like two chefs arguing over a recipe—one focuses on plating (customer-facing features), while the other prioritizes the kitchen equipment (tech). The CPO emphasizes market needs, while the CTO focuses on scalability. They can overcome this by co-creating a shared 'menu' that satisfies both the business and its customers through collaborative planning and aligning on priorities. - Shrikant Nagori , Socratic 11. Level Of Effort Needed For Sustainment Tasks One point that I don't see talked about much is the importance of communicating the level of effort required for sustainment tasks such as bug fixes. Sustainment tasks often represent a nontrivial percentage (20% to 40%) of engineering effort; failing to properly communicate and appreciate that LoE can be a source of friction. - Dustin Johnson , Seeq 12. Building Complex Features Versus Maintaining Infrastructure Stability A key tension arises as CPOs push for more complex features while CTOs focus on infrastructure stability and security. The best approach is collaborative decision-making in architecture design, incorporating both functional and infrastructure needs within a unified budget. A shared financial framework ensures priorities remain realistic and aligned with business goals. - Andrew Riabchuk , Akurateco 13. How To Handle Customer Feature Requests One common point of contention between CPOs and CTOs is determining how to incorporate customer feature requests into the roadmap. Creating a formal, documented process to assess customer and market feature requests—business commitment from customer, technical feasibility, acceptance criteria, roadmap impact and so on—is an effective practice that can prevent whiplash and ensure priority development efforts proceed. - Mark Francis , Electronic Caregiver 14. Allotting Time For Feature Upkeep And Reliability CTOs are rewarded for maintaining 99.99% uptime and reliability, but CPOs aren't rewarded for maintaining existing features. The best way to resolve conflicting priorities is to devote a certain percentage of development time each quarter to code quality, technical debt or maintaining services. This ensures the CPO and CTO have a mutual understanding and reduces the chance of conflict between the two. - Manjot Pal , Resonate AI 15. Desirability Versus Scalability CPOs optimize for desirability, CTOs for scalability—and both assume the other will flex. Misalignment happens when strategy isn't jointly owned. The fix is to co-author product roadmaps with shared KPIs that balance innovation velocity with architectural integrity. It's not a handoff—it's a handshake. - Dr. Almira Kolaneci , Circana 16. Blurred Role Responsibilities A positive dynamic between the CPO and the CTO is essential for success. When the CPO focuses on the 'what' and 'why' of the product and the CTO on the 'how,' friction is minimized. Problems arise when the two roles blur. Healthy debates are valuable, but ultimately, each leader should own their domain to maintain clarity and momentum. - Su Belagodu 17. Top Line Growth Versus IT Expense Control CTOs and CPOs are often held accountable for different aspects of the financials. CPOs are responsible for the top line and, thus, revenue growth. At the same time, CTOs are held accountable for the expenses around IT. Therefore, CPOs might want to spend more money, while CTOs wish to keep it steady. Setting new spending in relation to new revenue can help bridge the communication issue. - Kevin Korte , Univention 18. Evolving Requirements Versus Finalized Specs A common point of friction between CPOs and CTOs is product teams wanting to build quickly, with evolving requirements, while engineering teams prefer finalized specs. To overcome this, product teams can timebox customer research to lock in the current roadmap while integrating new insights for future phases. Engineering can design a modular architecture to ensure the adaptability needed to meet evolving requirements. - Udit Mehrotra , Amazon 19. Balancing Fast Rollouts With Minimizing System Impact CPOs push for scrappy rollouts to test ideas quickly and learn from users. CTOs focus on system impact—code quality, testing, reliability and scalability. Even fast experiments can add long-term complexity if they're not handled carefully. This conflict can be managed by setting clear guardrails like timeboxing, feature flags or isolating code paths to reduce risk while moving fast. - Kunal Abichandani , Rilla 20. Strategic Investments Versus Cost Optimization IT is often perceived as a cost center, yet strategic investments can drive growth and boost profitability. Tensions may arise as CTOs aim to advance strategic priorities through technology, while CPOs aim to to optimize costs. Success requires shared KPIs, co-leading major initiatives and clear role definitions to accelerate decisions and delivery and harness both leaders' strengths effectively. - Nadia Bollinger , HP
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
19 Tech Experts Detail Emerging APT Tactics (And How To Prepare)
getty The thought of a successful cyberattack is a sobering one for any business, but even more alarming are advanced persistent threats. Through these sophisticated attacks, a bad actor infiltrates a network and is able to linger for an extended period of time, undetected, accessing sensitive data, disrupting operations or even conducting ongoing surveillance. Carefully planned and often tailored to specific industries and technologies, APTs are evolving and growing in number, with cloud migration, remote workplaces and increased reliance on third-party vendors expanding the attack surface. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council detail emerging APT tactics digital organizations must be ready for and how to prepare. Browsers have emerged as a significant threat vector. The significant majority of our work time is spent within browsers. As the use of SaaS applications continues to grow, the number of locations where sensitive data is stored expands, making it more challenging to secure data and leaving IT and security teams struggling to keep up. Our inability to mitigate browser-based threats poses critical risk for our organizations. - John Carse, SquareX Threat actors are weaponizing EDR bypass tools (or 'EDR killers') to launch their attacks, as seen in recent attempts by RansomHub. Threats that evade perimeter controls, however, must still cross the network—which can't be tampered with. Have a layered defense that includes network visibility to identify unusual patterns that could indicate malicious behaviors so attackers have nowhere to hide. - Rob Greer, ExtraHop Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify? AI supports every phase of an attack, including command-and-control (C2) beaconing. If your security mostly relies on machine learning systems based on rules and known indicators, you're exposed. Most enterprises should expect their counterparties to be repeatedly hacked—until we all embrace adaptive deep learning as a defense. - Evan Powell, Deep Tempo APT groups will weaponize deepfake-driven phishing even further. AI-generated voices and videos will impersonate executives, bypassing traditional identity verification and social engineering defenses. Organizations must implement multifactor biometric authentication, behavioral analytics and AI-driven anomaly detection that can flag even the most subtle inconsistencies. - Aditya Patel, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud collaboration tools are increasingly being weaponized. Attackers 'live off the land' using trusted platforms like Microsoft 365 to evade detection. To combat this, organizations should implement strong multifactor authentication and behavioral analytics for cloud environments and train employees to recognize suspicious activity in the tools they rely on for daily collaboration. - Gergo Vari, Lensa, Inc. Advances in generative AI have become sophisticated, making social engineering attacks more convincing and challenging to detect. Identity-driven security, such as phishing-resistant authentication and verification, plays a crucial role in mitigating social engineering attacks by focusing on verifying and validating the identities of users and entities involved in digital interactions. - Venkat Viswanathan, Okta APTs are increasingly targeting backup and disaster recovery systems to sabotage recovery efforts. Organizations must implement immutable backups, enforce zero-trust access, regularly test recovery plans and use AI-driven threat detection to ensure cyber resilience. - Aliasgar Dohadwala, Visiontech Systems International LLC APT groups are increasingly leveraging infostealer malware to harvest credentials and session cookies, allowing them to bypass multifactor authentication and maintain stealthy access. To defend against this, organizations must monitor for stolen credentials, detect and invalidate compromised sessions, and enforce adaptive authentication to prevent attackers from exploiting legitimate user identities. - Damon Fleury, SpyCloud A rising APT tactic is supply chain attacks, where hackers exploit third-party vendors and software dependencies to breach networks. To counter this, organizations must conduct strict vendor assessments, enforce zero-trust security, implement continuous monitoring and strengthen incident response to safeguard critical systems and data. - Sanjoy Sarkar, First Citizens Bank While open-source AI models are a goldmine for software developers, they are equally attractive to cybercriminals for embedding malware. Organizations need to be able to discover which models are being used within their applications, and how they're being used, to screen them for security risks and enforce policies over which models can and cannot be used. - Varun Badhwar, Endor Labs Prepare for AI-driven APTs that autonomously adapt to security defenses. These attacks learn from detection attempts and modify their techniques to remain hidden. Prepare by implementing AI-based defense systems, conducting adversarial simulations, developing response playbooks, embracing zero-trust architecture and investing in threat intelligence for early warnings of new attack methods. - Priya Mohan, KPMG An emerging APT tactic is adversarial AI attacks, where threat actors manipulate machine learning models to evade detection or generate false insights. Organizations should prepare by securing AI training data, implementing robust anomaly detection and continuously stress-testing models against adversarial inputs. Strengthening AI governance and investing in explainable AI will enhance resilience. - Sai Vishnu Vardhan Machapatri, Vernus Technologies Attackers are deploying zero-click exploits—which require no user interaction—to infiltrate mobile devices, Internet of Things systems and critical infrastructure. Enterprises need continuous endpoint monitoring, hardware-level security enforcement and AI-driven anomaly detection for connected devices. - Vamsi Krishna Dhakshinadhi, GrabAgile Inc. An emerging APT tactic involves targeting unmanaged digital assets (that is, shadow IT) and poisoning AI training data to manipulate outcomes. Organizations should conduct regular audits to identify and secure shadow IT, enforce strict governance over digital tools, validate AI data pipelines and implement anomaly detection to ensure data integrity before model training. - Mark Mahle, NetActuate, Inc. A new APT tactic to watch for is adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) attacks, where threat actors intercept and manipulate real-time communications to bypass authentication and hijack sessions. To prepare, organizations should implement phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, monitor session integrity and deploy AI-driven anomaly detection to flag unauthorized access attempts before they escalate. - Roman Vinogradov, Improvado APTs will increasingly target data governance gaps rather than technical systems. Organizations should prepare by establishing comprehensive data inventories and clear data lineage. When you know what data you have, who can access it and how it flows through systems, you eliminate the 'dark corners' where threats hide. - Nick Hart, Data Foundation Organizations must prepare for 'AI poisoning,' where attackers manipulate machine learning models by injecting corrupted data into training sets. This can lead to biased and incorrect results, eventually distorting fraud detection and security defenses. Organizations must implement robust data validation pipelines and regularly and proactively audit AI models for anomalies. - Harini Shankar Cloud-native attack chains are a rising advanced persistent threat trend. These use cloud services for stealthy, complex attacks that evade traditional defenses. Organizations must implement cloud workload protection (CWP), continuous API monitoring and SIEM that correlates cloud-native logs. Microsegmentation and least-privilege access are also vital to limit lateral movement. - Pradeep Kumar Muthukamatchi, Microsoft Attackers with long-term footholds in networks performing data exfiltration are a major concern. To combat this, businesses should implement zero-trust architectures to limit lateral movement and use next-generation firewalls that analyze traffic patterns to new or untrusted locations. - Imran Aftab, 10Pearls
Forbes
15-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
19 Underrated Strategies To Gain A Competitive Edge As A Tech Startup
getty Early-stage tech startups often face steep competition and limited resources, so it's essential to find creative ways to stand out. While many founders focus on product features or fundraising, there are lesser-known strategies that can provide a powerful edge. Here, 19 members of Forbes Technology Council share underrated tactics that savvy startups can use to gain traction and build trust with their target audiences. From deeply engaging with early customers to partnering with established market players, these strategies can help any startup outmaneuver the competition. When I first advised startups, most saw security certifications as bureaucratic hurdles. In reality, they're trust accelerators that transform client perception. Enterprise clients fear security risks after seeing countless breaches. By pursuing ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications early, you speak their risk management language and gain a competitive edge others overlook. - Ben Ben Aderet , GRSee Consulting Dedicating time to deeply engage with early customers can create long-term loyalty and provide valuable feedback. This could involve offering exceptional customer support, having a regular feedback cadence about the product roadmap and developing a community. Strong relationships can create advocates who feel valued and heard, which leads to organic word-of-mouth growth. - Charles Yeomans , Atombeam Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify? Most often, a minimum viable product is better and cheaper than long-lasting, full-fledged market research. Ship fast and get real feedback from real users—they will help to tune your product strategy and navigate the market more accurately. - Andrius Buinovskis , NordLayer 4. Hire For Judgment, Not Just Skill Hiring people with good judgment is crucial to defining what is necessary for a system and balancing the many considerations and constraints that contribute to thoughtful software architecture. If you hire people without excellent taste, it's easy to get large, messy repositories due to AI's impact. You can write 1,000 lines easily, but is it the right code? That really hinges on judgment. - Mike Conover , Brightwave 5. Generate Revenue Before Product-Market Fit In the current tough fundraising environment, an underrated strategy for early-stage tech startups is to start generating revenue from day one through consulting, paid proofs of concept or other means based on the skills that the founders possess. Then, continue to do so until you find product-market fit. A famous successful example is Microsoft, which never needed to raise VC money. - Tokumasa Yamashita , Qlay Technologies 6. Prioritize Interoperability Over Feature Creep Early-stage tech startups gain an edge by prioritizing interoperability. Many focus on features, but businesses prefer seamless integration. Designing APIs for platforms like SAP or Salesforce reduces onboarding friction. A supply chain AI startup cut onboarding from six months to three weeks, outpacing feature-rich competitors. Prioritizing integration over feature bloat drives faster adoption. - Ashutosh Synghal , Midcentury Labs Inc. 7. Leverage Cross-Channel Marketing Never underestimate the power of cross-channel marketing and the impact it can have on your presence. Think five to seven touchpoints across different media. It doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg; it just needs to be consistent and compelling. Thought leadership is real, and it resonates when positioned in the right place at the right time. - Georgia Leybourne , Linnworks 8. Combine Customer Obsession With AI Agents An underrated strategy is combining deep customer obsession with agentic AI for real-time insights and competitive analysis. Startups can deploy AI agents to monitor customer behavior, gather feedback and analyze competitor offerings, allowing them to rapidly tailor solutions that meet evolving needs better than rivals. This dual focus builds loyalty while staying one step ahead in the market. - Sourav Sethia , Amazon 9. Partner With Established Market Players Partnering with firms that are established in your target market and have a solution that is complementary to your product is a great way to obtain early validation and credibility. It differentiates your offering by including your company in the ecosystem alongside other trusted providers. For customers, the benefit is lowering their risk while enabling them to benefit from innovation. - Zornitza Stefanova , BSPK 10. Build A Community That Markets For You A huge overlooked strategy is community building. When a startup can turn a community that likes them into one that loves them, every single member becomes a marketing agent. - Anthony Green , Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) 11. Solve Urgent Problems First Instead of focusing on the 'idealistic development' of your product and its market fit, find a few prospects in your ideal customer base with urgent 'hair on fire' problems. Then, solve these problems with consulting and product delivery. By doing this, you learn what the market actually needs, and you'll increase cash flow and build advocates for your business. - Keith Moore , 12. Stay Focused On Your Core Mission It becomes really difficult to gain a competitive edge if you don't have an identity and mission for your business. That can change and pivot over time, but you started your business for a reason and with a goal in mind. Focus on that, and don't try to be something you aren't. - Bill Bruno , Celebrus 13. Target Niche Communities For Loyalty Startups should leverage niche, community-driven product development. Instead of competing directly with industry giants, they can cultivate strong relationships with a small but highly engaged user base. Nothing, a UK-based startup, is already using this strategy by using its social media and YouTube channel to target tech enthusiasts and actively engage with them. - Melkon Hovhannisyan , Direlli 14. Build Your Technical MVP And Iterate Early-stage tech startups should recognize that, just like a product MVP, there's also a technical MVP. Build that first, gather customer feedback and iterate to refine. - Su Belagodu , ContextQA 15. Tap Into Advisory Talent Networks There is a rise in consultant and advisory talent in today's workforce. Early-stage startups can tap into this experienced group of leaders to advise and guide, many times for no upfront cash but rather advisory equity. - Ray Culver , CWsolutions Group 16. Use AI Strategically Early-stage startups underestimate the power of AI agents. A solopreneur today can rapidly scale by creatively leveraging accessible AI tools. With AI-driven efficiency, startups can pinpoint niche problems, swiftly build frictionless solutions and dramatically outperform established players. Thinking about building an AI agent or using one can be a game changer. - Yusuf Sar , Hardwarewartung 24 GmbH 17. Conduct Solid Market Research To break the entry barrier and find a competitive advantage, companies need a solid market research strategy to disrupt the market. One of the best I have seen is Orangetheory Fitness, which changed the fitness world for working professionals. - Hari Sonnenahalli , NDBS 18. Get Curious And Listen To Your Customers Listen! Tech startup leaders need to lean in with curiosity about the customers. They need to put aside what they think they know and engage with customers by asking questions with raw curiosity. Dig deep and invest in learning both about the user and the buyer (which are not always the same person). - Teri Thomas , Volpara Health 19. Lead Early Sales As The Founder In the early stages, founders need to focus on closing and generating revenue. Oftentimes, they are the best salespeople because they invented the technology. Scaling via a large sales force comes after you've closed the first 50 deals. - Vivek Bhaskaran , QuestionPro
