Pashi Web & Podcast
Early team member at a YC-backed startup building the operating system for manufacturing — a collaborative web platform for designing, running, and optimizing production lines. Led US operations while also building the company's web presence and producing a podcast.
The Problem
Manufacturing production lines are programmed using fragmented, vendor-specific tools — PLCs from one vendor, robots from another, quality systems from a third. There's no unified platform for designing a production line's logic, connecting it to machines, and iterating on it collaboratively.
My Approach
- 1Joined as an early team member after the founder's YC W20 batch, taking ownership of US operations — customer discovery, partnerships, and market development.
- 2Built the company's web pages from scratch (ROI calculator, podcast page, 404 page) to communicate Pashi's value proposition to manufacturing decision-makers.
- 3Conceived, produced, and hosted the 'Means of Production' podcast — interviewing manufacturing leaders to build the company's thought leadership.
- 4Conducted customer interviews and factory visits to validate product-market fit.
Key Decisions & Trade-offs
Content-led growth over paid acquisition — in manufacturing, trust is earned through domain expertise, not ads. Chose to build web pages myself rather than hire a contractor — speed and authenticity mattered more than polish at the pre-revenue stage.
Outcome & Impact
- Built and shipped ROI calculator, podcast page, and marketing site pages
- Produced a full season of 'Means of Production' podcast with manufacturing leaders
- Drove early US customer pipeline through content strategy and direct outreach
- Company ultimately wound down — but the experience shaped my approach to 0-to-1 product work
Reflection
Pashi taught me more about product management than any corporate role. At a YC startup with no safety net, every decision had immediate consequences. The podcast was a forcing function for learning.