Build Minimal Viable Tools to Uncover Hidden Value
Pulsar scrapes eight developer sources (forums, GitHub issues, blogs) twice daily, processes them via AI pipelines on the open-source RocketRide runtime, and outputs trend reports plus platform drafts. Built in one weekend atop RocketRide to test the runtime and generate content ideas, it demonstrated viability through shipping—not polish. The rough version enabled demos that sparked adoption, proving that 'good enough to demonstrate' beats over-engineered designs. Dogfooding revealed runtime strengths (e.g., fitting agent pipelines) and forced honest feedback, while letting users redefine scope turned a content tool into a market intelligence agent.
Key: Ship cheap and fast first. A weekend spend risks little if ignored, but reveals true potential via real responses. Confidence predicts nothing—user output does.
Emergent Applications Reshape Department Workflows
Finance: CFO uses Pulsar for external benchmarks without feeding internal data to outsiders. Tracks competitor salaries/equity from public sources, funding patterns (who funds similar startups, what's working), AI news for big/emerging players, adoption gaps by geography. Pairs with local AI on internals for complete views; even requested pitch deck comparisons to ours—spotted in 30 seconds.
HR: Engineer built onboarding app consuming Pulsar's structured outputs for fresh new-hire briefs on mission, ICP, market position, messaging, opportunities. Generates in seconds what takes seniors an hour, stays current vs. stale wikis. Stands alone but leverages Pulsar's scheduled data.
Marketing: Original intent—feeds editorial calendars with trends (e.g., Go SDK demand surfaced, leading to internal scoping and content). Drafts kick off posts; this article itself partly Pulsar-generated, creating recursion.
One run surfaced Go devs demanding AI tooling, challenging Python/TS assumptions and shifting product roadmaps.
Three Shifts for Side Project Success
- Scope smaller: Weekend Pulsar was weaker structurally than a month-long build but shipped, enabling CEO/COO/CTO demo that greenlit it as a hosted app on RocketRide cloud—turning side project into strategy.
- Dogfood deliberately: Tested runtime in real use, identifying fits/misfits (detailed in architecture post).
- Let projects evolve: Rejected rigid framing; CFO/HR uses showed general-purpose intelligence, not just content.
Outcome: Pulsar hardens for production/public access with graph DB for trends. Ship drafts-folder ideas—they reveal what they are.