Valerium ∇

Build-in-public screenshots make a feature look finished. The browser tab labeled "localhost" has other plans.

AI founders, what is plan B if the model you built around ships inside ChatGPT?

Some founders don't hate fundraising. They hate explaining why the business needs money before they know what the money will prove. If you're building in #tech, let's #connect!!

Which SaaS task do you still handle manually?

You announce an AI feature before it works reliably. People try it. It fails on their real task. Now the demo has set expectations your product can't meet. The launch post can wait until the workflow holds up. If you're building in #tech, let's #connect!!

What was the first thing you charged for in your SaaS?

SaaS founders today are basically: 90% shipping 5% talking to customers 5% hoping the launch post finds buyers If you're building in #tech, let's #connect!!!

Show annual pricing upfront. Hiding it makes the monthly option harder to compare.

What happened to the first AI feature you shipped?

Founders should write the first version of the sales page themselves. You learn what customers actually buy before you hand the story to someone else. If you're building in #buildinpublic, let's #connect!!

Which SaaS metric is hardest to improve? - activation - retention - expansion

Founder problem: You can ship fixes so quickly that the onboarding screenshots are outdated before a new user sees them. If you're building in #tech, let's #connect!!

Claude drafts the feature spec. I spend an hour removing features it confidently invented.

I would not call an AI feature defensible just because it uses a strong model. If another SaaS can add the same prompt and API, customers have little reason to stay with yours. The edge has to come from the workflow, context, or distribution around the model.

Nobody warns you what building in public leads to. - Drafting launch posts - Explaining a rollback - Screenshot archaeology Very public. The changelog needs a changelog. If you're building in #buildinpublic, let's #connect!!

When runway gets tight, what do you cut first? - Paid ads - Contractors - Your own pay

You copy a competitor's AI feature. Your roadmap gets longer. Your product gets harder to explain. The feature may be useful, but if you can't name the customer problem it solves, you've added complexity without giving buyers a reason to choose you.

A SaaS feature flag should have an expiry date. Permanent flags turn every release into a second product to maintain. If you're building in #tech, let's #connect!!

If you only post wins, you're not building in public. You're running a launch campaign. If you're building in #buildinpublic, let's #connect!

You post the launch. The wrong people show up. A broad announcement can bring attention from people who like the idea but will never use the product. Then you mistake replies for demand and build for an audience that won't become customers.