Lane Wagner

After exiting Drivably - Acquired by ACV Auctions (NASDAQ: ACVA), I came to Utah to look for the companies Trent Mano is asking about. What startups were all substance, no hype? What startups were simply creating motion, not heat or noise? Local awareness of your startup can be driven by community ties (e.g. you have local investors), product type (e.g. you're building consumer or startup B2B SaaS), or actual traction (this is or should be your real goal). Hype, heat, and noise can help you secure your initial product, investors, and customers. Some social awareness is desirable: you want awareness with the customers who will give you ARR, the investors who will give you runway, and with the talented people who will build the company when you're not in the room. But too often, heat and noise are the unintended byproducts of systems designed to produce something else entirely. Light. Motion. Acceleration. What kind of systems are we trying to build here? For many startups, broad social awareness is NOT what gets you to the magical product, true fans, and TAM dominance. What gets you there is focus. Focus on uncomfortably narrow, intensely specific groups of people that no one else is focused on the way you are. It requires getting used to flying under a general purpose radar. Getting used to explaining, "So what exactly do you do again?" For much of Savi's life, we've been so far under the general purpose radar, we weren't just in stealth mode, we were in exile. Turns out, exile is the perfect place to build something dangerous for a small group of people. Exile is where Savi sat down with fast-growing Utah brands and operators like Swig, Gourmandise, and Savory Fund, and designed and built the vision AI operating system for restaurant and retail. Exile is where we found Next Coast Ventures and other investors that shared our conviction about AI transforming Main Street businesses. So, get on the radar that matters for you. Focus on the small, sub-scale groups of people that matter to your startup. And maybe your time off-the-radar will be the reason you get on-the-radar in the ways that matter.

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After being featured at Colorado Startup Week last year, I had a lot of conversations with founders who all shared the same frustration: “I have the idea… I just don’t know how to actually build it.” So this spring we’re doing something new for the Denver startup community. We’re launching the 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁, Colorado’s first in-person 𝗩𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽. This isn’t another networking event or lecture. It’s a hands-on builder session where founders learn how to turn ideas into real products using modern AI tools. We’re excited to be partnering with 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 , Colorado’s largest entrepreneur meetup, to bring together builders, founders, and operators who actually want to ship things, not just talk about them. The reason we created this is simple. Most early founders get stuck on the same things: • Not technical but want to build their idea • Spending months planning instead of launching • Paying thousands for web or mobile apps before validating • Feeling overwhelmed by AI tools, no-code, and dev stacks • Not having other builders around them This workshop is built to solve that. You’ll leave with: ⚡ A real 𝘄𝗲𝗯 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 ⚡ A repeatable workflow for building with AI ⚡ Feedback from other founders ⚡ A stronger network in the Denver startup community Denver has an incredible builder ecosystem and we want to help people move from ideas to real products faster. If you want to join the 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁, drop a 🚀 in the comments or DM “𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘” and I’ll send the details. Or visit pilotspring.com/contact Let’s build. #DenverStartups #ColoradoStartups #VibeCoding #BuildInPublic #StartupDenver #EntrepreneurLife #AIStartups #FounderCommunity #TechDenver

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🔥 Curiosity about useState drove me into the world of Fiber and reconciliation I started learning about the useState hook and how the React team actually built this thing. It looks like everything is tightly connected with Fiber. The hook logic lives inside Fiber, and the whole idea of custom hooks is just to reuse logic anywhere you want. The only rule is the function name must start with use*, but inside we just write normal JavaScript logic. When I checked how useState is implemented, I noticed they use Fiber heavily. Then I fell into the rabbit hole of Fiber and reconciliation. Very interesting stuff. Before React 16, they used something called stack reconciliation. It was fully synchronous, no priorities, no way to pause, and everything executed through the JavaScript call stack (LIFO), which caused a lot of problems for big apps. Then Fiber came and completely changed this. Instead of relying on the JS call stack, React now has its own Fiber nodes. Whenever you update something, React creates a separate work-in-progress Fiber tree in the background (a detached copy of the current one). After all the work is done, React commits it, and the Fiber root starts pointing to the newly committed tree. That’s basically how modern React avoids blocking the UI and handles priorities. People still say React “Virtual DOM” because it’s easy and they don’t understand Fiber architecture or how React really works internally after React 16 btw latest version is (19.x). Pretty interesting right ? #ReactArchitecture #DeepDive #TechExplained #ReactFiber #ReactReconciliation

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Picking a dev shop shouldn’t leave the success of your startup to chance. But let’s be real: one wrong hire and you’re stuck: → Scope creep burning $50k/month while they "figure it out"… → Missed deadlines pushing your launch into next year… → "Scalable" code that faceplants at 1,000 users… You’re not crazy... 74% of startups blow their dev budget 2X–3X over (thanks, Gartner). Why? Most shops: ❌ Stuff your MVP with "nice-to-haves" (that users ignore). ❌ Lock you into tech that can’t grow with you. ❌ Smother you in jargon while your cash evaporates. We got tired of the BS. So we built a dev shop for founders, by founders: Tight-Fisted MVP Sprints Ship in 90 days with ONLY what makes you money. Live performance dashboards → see exactly how healthy your tech is. Skin-in-the-Game Pricing... Fixed monthly fees. Zero surprise invoices. We don’t "exit" ’til you’re winning. Why this works when others flop: While rivals drown in tech debt, you’ll: → Deploy 3X faster (clean code ≠ rocket science). → Pivot over coffee – not corporate Zoom marathons. → Scale profitably while others beg for "just 6 more weeks!" Stop rolling dice with your company. 👉 "DM" us for a free tech autopsy : We’ll dissect your stack + show you 3 cash leaks bleeding you dry. PS: Choose the perfect dev partner and watch your startup soar. #NoMoreTechRegrets #MVPThatDoesntSuck #RealTalkDevs #SaaSFounders #ScaleWithoutTears #DevShopRehab #StartupTruths

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Nobody cares what you built. They care what it delivers. Founders love to talk about their stack: "We built an orchestration layer with real-time compliance." Cool. But… so what? That’s like saying you installed plumbing. Where’s the running water? Features don’t sell. Outcomes do. Most teams pitch like this: “We offer backend infrastructure for operations.” Translation: We’re generic, and you’ll have to figure out the value yourself. Now try this: “We cut your operating drag by 60%, automate compliance, and get your GTM live in 10 days.” See the difference? One makes you think. The other makes you buy. At Oddz, we got tired of shipping tools that sounded smart but landed flat. So we reframed everything around outcomes. Take GridOS: It’s a backend operating system, sure. But who cares? So we stopped talking about what it is. We started talking about what it does. What GridOS does: — Cuts manual ops by 70% — Automates your logistics, GTM, and compliance in days — Gets you from product to market without a 6-month engineering sprint — Powers 10+ ventures from Day 1 without spinning up new infra each time Suddenly, people lean in. Because now it solves their problem—not just your architecture puzzle. Here’s the shift: Stop describing the tool. Start describing the result. It’s not "internal systems"—it’s speed, certainty, margins. It’s not "custom integrations"—it’s launch in 3 days, not 90. It’s not "infra-as-a-service"—it’s $0 wasted on duplicated dev work. Founders don’t want a backend. They want to go live fast, stay compliant, and scale without chaos. GridOS does that. That’s what we sell. Not lines of code. Not abstract systems. Just clean outcomes with clean ROI. If you're still pitching the “what,” you're already invisible. Buyers, investors, users—they’re overloaded. They're not reading your spec sheet. They're scanning for results. So ask yourself this: If I delete my product name from the sentence… Does the value still stand? If not, you’re selling the wrong thing. “We built a modular backend system.” vs. “We help ventures go live in days—not quarters—and scale ops without adding headcount.” Outcomes sell. Features confuse. Make the leap. Stop shipping tools. Start delivering outcomes. Your users will thank you. Your growth will show it.

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𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 $𝟳𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁? 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁. 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 $𝟱𝟬 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆. A Hawaiian electrician called me last week. His competitor launched a polished YouTube ad and was winning customers. "I need something like that, but I can't afford agency prices." 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱: 6 weeks, full crew, $50,000-100,000. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱: "Give me 2 days and $50." 𝟰𝟴 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿... I delivered a commercial featuring a bear mascot in an aloha shirt saving a backyard luau from an electrical emergency. 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲: "This looks incredibly professional." 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸: → 2,000+ views  → 20 new customer calls → $10,000 in booked work → 200x return on investment 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱: ChatGPT 4o → Scene generation and scripting OpenAI Sora → High-quality video scenes Kling AI → Image to video scenes ElevenLabs → Voice synthesis and sound effects FAL → Lip-sync technology 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: The $50 covered just the raw tool costs. The real value is knowing how to use them and what to make—that's what agencies charge $75k for. The AI tools make it accessible, but it's the creative strategy that drives results. 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲: I moved from San Francisco to Honolulu in March and have been working with local clients here. Projects like this are making me love the decision even more. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲... Small businesses can now create high-quality commercials without traditional production costs. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱. Local companies can produce content that competes with major brand campaigns. Quality creative work is becoming accessible to everyone. 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀? Share your experience in the comments 👇 #AIvideo #AImarketing #Hawaii

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