Company Stats

• Founded: February 2023
• Raised: $3 million in pre-seed funding
• Downloads: Over 15,000 in the last six months, averaging 1,000-2,000 daily
• Employees: 7

Episode Highlights

✅ Generalist skills foster empathy and a well-rounded perspective in leadership roles.

✅ Belief in unique vision and early adoption can create significant long-term advantages.

✅ Choosing investors who align with your vision is essential for startup success.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Brad Micklea, founder of Jozu, discusses the power of being a generalist in a startup environment and the importance of differentiating early. Jozu, a DevOps-focused platform for ML applications, pivots from the typical data scientist-centered approach, instead targeting DevOps teams responsible for production. With over 15,000 downloads and steady daily growth, Jozu is positioned as an innovator in the ML Ops landscape, with plans to scale as ML applications in production increase.

Brad emphasizes that his generalist background allows him to understand various roles within his team, making hiring and managing specialists more effective. His previous startup, Code Envy, taught him that sometimes taking a unique approach — despite skepticism — can yield outsized returns. This experience fuels Jozu’s strategy to get ahead of the curve, with early backing from AlleyCorp. Brad also underscores the importance of working with aligned investors who support his long-term vision, helping avoid internal conflict and enabling a smoother path to growth.

Notable Questions We Asked

Q: How has being a generalist benefited you in leading Jozu?

A: Being a generalist gives me empathy for other roles, enables better hiring, and allows me to understand what excellence looks like across functions, enhancing decision-making.

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you brought from Code Envy to Jozu?

A: Differentiation is key. At Code Envy, we took a unique approach to cloud IDEs, which gave us a massive head start when containers became mainstream, and I apply the same strategy at Jozu.

Q: Why focus on DevOps teams rather than data scientists in ML Ops?

A: We see a need for production-focused tools. As ML applications grow in production, DevOps will be responsible, so we're positioning Jozu to meet that future demand.

Q: How do you choose the right investors for an early-stage venture?

A: It’s critical to have investors who fully believe in your mission. This alignment is worth more than perfect terms and creates a supportive environment, crucial in the startup phase.

Q: How do you handle skepticism when pursuing a unique business approach?

A: Belief in our vision helps us push through, even when faced with doubters. Having an aligned team and investors makes it easier to navigate external skepticism.

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