Fly on the wall: First meeting with my co-founder

Note from future Jacob (2026):

This startup failed. In fact, it never got off the ground beyond an idea. The reasons were many, but if anything it was an inspiring exercise in what not to do. So much focus on brand, on what it should mean, and no focus at all on what difference the product should make to the person that uses it. I can forgive myself for that. It was incredibly easy to be swept away by the great wave of possibility that was early AI at this point.

Now, in 2026, as I write this, things are quite different. Back then, we had a taste. Now, with the arrival of models like Anthropic's Claude Fable and OpenAI's GPT-5.6, those of us who can operate the harnesses can build beyond our wildest dreams.

Some of the ideas from this startup have survived, and even the brand name has lived to fight another day. Sayora is an AI receptionist for UK small businesses. When your hands are full and your phone goes to voicemail, who answers? Sayora can.

Read more about the product, and the story behind the name, at sayora.ai

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It's week 2 of 16 and Jacob (@itwasjacob) now has a Co-Founder. Ryan Stainsby (@GooglerForHire), long time pal, has joined the party.

The recording used for this episode was never meant to be a podcast. It’s a zoom recording from Jacob and Ryan's first meeting, which means it's lo-fi. Ryan is Australia and Jacob is in Scotland so there's latency, and Ryan's microphone... isn't great.

But it’s raw, and it’s real.

Here's what's covered:

Chapter 1: Shaping the partnership

1. Our feelings on funding and exiting our startup
2. Finding local meetups with other founders
3. How to communicate and work remotely as co-founders
4. How we'll fit starting a business around our jobs
5. Working in sprints (project management)
6. So... we're really doing this?! (honestly an underwhelming moment listening back on it)
7. Roles and responsibilities
8. What does success look like
9. Setting our goal: First paying user in 16 weeks

Chapter 2: Working in public

Chapter 3: What if it doesn't work?

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