Stop Wasting Money on Engineers! | Silicon Valley Secrets from Ex-Bay Area CTO | John Davidson - E48

In this episode of Funds and Founders, we sit down with John Davison, founder of StartupLandia, a hybrid venture studio and development shop. John shares his journey from being a Bay Area engineer to helping early-stage founders build sustainable products. Learn how John:

• Helps founders validate ideas before writing code
• Reduces engineering costs through strategic tool selection
• Navigates the impact of AI on product development
• Structures development teams for optimal efficiency
• Balances technical implementation with business needs

Whether you're a technical founder or a business person looking to build a product, John's insights on sustainable development and founder success are invaluable!

Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro & StartupLandia's Mission 2:32 - When Founders Need Technical Help 6:20 - Why Pre-Development Work Matters 9:54 - Validating Ideas Before Building 12:42 - AI's Real Impact on Development 16:40 - The Truth About Software Costs 20:35 - Importance of User Experience 29:10 - Working with Technical Founders 33:20 - Structuring Development Teams 42:37 - Global Development Perspectives 47:09 - Building Support Systems 1:02:06 - Resources for Founders 1:07:09 - Austin Tech Ecosystem 1:10:42 - Contact & Final Thoughts

Connect with John: Website: startuplandia.io Twitter: @JCDavison LinkedIn: John Davison