Introduction
Meet Saul
Saul's story starts with something he told me that showed exactly how serious he was:
"I need it to win, so I don't care anymore."
Saul went all-in on his startup.
He burned through his savings, traveled to London to chase investor meetings, and was living on a sleep schedule that would make most people cry (going to bed at 9 AM, waking up in the middle of the night to catch calls across time zones).
When we first talked, he was running out of time and savings.
"This is it," he told me on our first call. "Everything I've done has come down to this. I want to give this everything I've got."
This wasn't someone casually exploring ideas. This was someone who had crossed the point of no return.
The problem: lost in feature land
Here's what Saul was building: An AI assistant. For students. No wait - for entrepreneurs. Actually, maybe for email management? Or was it a project management tool? 🧐
Even he couldn't explain it clearly.
"It's super vague," I told him on our first call. "What exactly are you doing?"
He knew it too. "I guess I'm still trying to figure out the core," he admitted.
The app had everything: task management, project tracking, calendar integration, AI agent, automations, contacts, and reminders.
It was like someone took Notion, Todoist, and ChatGPT, threw them in a blender, and poured it out 👨🍳
Twenty-five active users. Most of them students from his previous pivot.
None of them really understanding what they were supposed to do with it.
But underneath all that chaos, there was something interesting.
Why Saul joined the Incubator
Saul didn't need another course on "how to build an MVP." He'd already built three versions of his product. He didn't need motivation - the guy was working through migraines and sleeping four hours a night.
What he needed was what he told me himself:
"I feel our team is incredibly isolated and we're not getting any external thought or opinion. That's a pillar of death. You can create echo chambers and waste six months of your time.__"
He needed someone to tell him the truth without sugar-coating it. He needed technical help to unblock issues that were eating days of his time. And he needed accountability from other founders who were in the exact same position.
Most importantly, he needed clarity when he was running out of time.
The Incubator offered all of that: weekly calls for debugging and feedback, experts from around the world to give a new perspective about his idea, and handpicked fellow founders that would keep him accountable - even tap you on the shoulder when it gets tough 🤲
How we helped him find focus
First call, I asked Saul to show me the app.
I went through onboarding.
Nine steps.
When I finally got to the home screen, I said: "I'm a bit lost. What do you expect me to do next?"
The app had inbox features, action items, project management, calendar integration. My brain couldn't put it in a box. And if I, someone who works with founders every day, couldn't figure it out, how would a random user?
Saul knew it. "This is where we lose people, right here."
☝️ The problem: Saul was trying to build his vision instead of the first step toward his vision.
Integration over invention
After seeing how the app worked, something became clear to me. I suggested doing these things.
Instead of:
- Competing with Notion and Asana
- Rebuilding project management inside your app
- Rebuilding task tracking
Do this:
- Instead of rebuilding everything, just connected to the tools people already use
- Build something that makes their existing workflow smarter
- Add AI that actually understands what they're trying to do
Silence.
"100%, Vadim. I could not agree more."
That was the turning point. Instead of trying to be everything, he could focus on being really good at one thing - being the smart layer that sits on top of the tools people already trust.
Finding the real pain point
Next call, Saul came back fired up. "We're focusing on helping founders build businesses."
Better. But still vague.
"What's the specific problem you're solving?" I pushed.
We dug into his own experience. What was he struggling with?
"Emails," he said. "I get emails from potential investors, partners. Some need an immediate response. Others I keep marked as unread for months because they need research first, and it feels overwhelming."
There it was.
Not "helping founders succeed." Not "AI assistant for entrepreneurs."
The real value: An AI agent that sorts your email, does background research on contacts, and drafts intelligent responses so you can stay on top of important conversations without drowning.
The TikTok explosion
Then Saul posted a TikTok with a hook we'd discussed: "According to MIT, what's the first thing you should do when starting a business?"
50,000 views. 1,500 new followers overnight 🤯
"Dude, I thought this was going to be a two-year slog," he told me, almost laughing. "I was happy getting two followers three days ago 😅"
Not life-changing traction, but proof. Proof that clear messaging + showing up = response.
Building with intention
Saul started onboarding users personally. Watching them use the app and learning fast.
He discovered users got overwhelmed by too many features at once.
Solution: progressive disclosure - unlock features as users hit "aha moments."
He learned the trust barrier was real.
Solution: let them see value with just the calendar first, build trust before asking for email.
Every week, we'd hop on a call.
He'd show me what he built.
I'd break it.
We'd talk through it.
He'd fix it.
The app wasn't perfect. But it was focused.
More importantly, Saul had learned the skill that mattered most: how to learn from users fast.
What you can learn from Saul
1. Time pressure forces focus.
When you're running out of time, you can't afford to waste it on bullshit. You get focused fast.
2. Isolation kills startups.
Saul had the skills. He could build. But he was stuck in his own head, building features nobody asked for. Sometimes you just need someone to say: "This is super vague."
3. Integration beats invention.
Just build the one thing that makes those tools smarter.
4. Trust your user's pain, not your vision.
Start with the pain they feel, not the future you imagine.
5. Speed matters more than perfection.
Ship fast → learn fast → iterate fast
Take this mindset
Last time I talked to Saul, he told me:
"The benefit of being incredibly desperate is that you just don't care anymore. I would have been so embarrassed to show you where the app is right now. But I need it to win, so I don't care."
That's the mindset everyone should follow - I don’t care! Perfectionism is killing progress.
Most people would've played it safe, stretched the money, hoped for a miracle.
Saul bet on himself. He invested in help, and he showed up every week, got his ass kicked by feedback, and kept building.
The Incubator isn't some perfect program where I tell you exactly what to do, and you magically win.
It's 10 weeks of digging through your mess together. Every case is different and every solution is custom. You never know exactly how it'll turn out.
But, based on the last cohort, here's what I do know:
🌟 7 out of 7 founders launched.
🌟 7 out of 7 got clarity on what they're actually building.
🌟 And 7 out of 7 didn't stop after the program ended.
Saul was one of them.
If you want to launch your app too, apply here.
Cheers,
Vadim
P.S. Saul’s app is called AI Companion WitAI. Give it a try🌟
