We learned that many great ideas often sound ridiculous at first, and that solving a personal problem can lead to a successful business.

After launching our first consumer product, we realized we had compromised on key design elements, which ultimately led to its poor performance in the market.

Initially, we thought we were on the path to success, but I later realized that we were not converting users into paying customers because we were too focused on fundraising and PR instead of creating a product that people actually needed.

We didn't even attempt to talk to investors because we had no product or clear idea of what our product should be.

We started with many assumptions about technology and our company structure, and we learned from being wrong.

I think we had it backwards by creating a company around a hot technology instead of focusing on a real problem to solve.

Sticking with a wrong idea for too long is a common mistake; about 50% of companies in Y Combinator pivot from their initial idea, which is also true for dev tools.

During the dot-com bubble, many ideas were tried and failed, so it's crucial to investigate whether your startup idea has been attempted before and learn from those experiences.

It's important to recognize that many successful companies faced skepticism from investors initially, which doesn't necessarily indicate a bad idea.