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The 7-Failure Rule: How Forethought AI Found Product-Market Fit with Co-Founder Deon Nicholas

Forethought AI co-founder Deon Nicholas shares how he built a company that puts customers (not hype) at the center. In this episode of Build Mode, he unpacks his “7-Failure Rule,” the early experiments that shaped Forethought’s success, and why conviction should always come from your users, not your investors. 00:00 Intro 01:23 The Founder Journey:…

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10 months ago

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Forethought AI co-founder Deon Nicholas shares how he built a company that puts customers (not hype) at the center. In this episode of Build Mode, he unpacks his “7-Failure Rule,” the early experiments that shaped Forethought’s success, and why conviction should always come from your users, not your investors.

00:00 Intro
01:23 The Founder Journey: Adapting Every 6-9 Months
05:33 From AI Research to Solving Business Problems
11:12 Finding Your Customer: The Importance of User Conversations
18:22 Building Demos and Landing First Paying Customers
25:12 The Seven Failure Rule for Product Market Fit
30:38 Preparing for and Winning TechCrunch Disrupt
35:16 The Reality of Fundraising and Chasing Metrics
39:07 Navigating Competition in Customer Service AI
43:03 Stepping into Chairman and What’s Next
44:57 Outro

From the episode:
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New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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Science & Technology

This Robot Hit a 99.6% Success Rate

This robot achieved a 99.6% success rate over an eight-hour test. But when a single failure can stop an entire production line, how reliable do robots actually need to be? Mbodi co-founder Xavier Chi explains why reliability is one of robotics’ biggest real-world challenges on Build Mode. Watch the full episode:

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16 hours ago

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September 12, 2026

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This robot achieved a 99.6% success rate over an eight-hour test. But when a single failure can stop an entire production line, how reliable do robots actually need to be?

Mbodi co-founder Xavier Chi explains why reliability is one of robotics’ biggest real-world challenges on Build Mode.

Watch the full episode:

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CNET

I Played With Apple’s New iPhones. Here’s What Surprised Me Most | One More Thing

Spending time with the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro has Bridget Carey rethinking what’s important in an iPhone upgrade. She breaks down the standout Duo features, what the crease is really like, and the questions she has for the future of Apple Watch and the next era of Apple. You can find the products…

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2 days ago

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September 11, 2026

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Spending time with the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro has Bridget Carey rethinking what’s important in an iPhone upgrade. She breaks down the standout Duo features, what the crease is really like, and the questions she has for the future of Apple Watch and the next era of Apple.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Apple iPhone 17, US Version, 256GB, eSIM, Mist Blue- Unlocked (Renewed)
*Cnet may get commission on this offer.

Read more about it on CNET.com
I Tried the iPhone 18 Pro’s New Deluxe Camera and Shot Photos With Starbursts
Planning to Get the iPhone Duo or iPhone 18 Pro? Turn Off This Setting on Your Old Device First

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 Apple’s new iPhone Tricks
0:14 Reporting from the iPhone Event at Apple Park
0:19 Opening and Closing the iPhone Duo
0:28 Big changes coming to iPhone
0:38 John Ternus has One More Thing
0:46 Bridget Carey’s iPhone Duo event experience
1:03 iPhone Duo
1:14 Taking video on iPhone Duo
1:37 Smart Take on iPhone Duo
2:04 Snoopy comes to iPhone Duo
2:21 iPhone Duo crease
2:41 Hidden camera behind iPhone Duo screen
2:51 iPhone Duo size
3:11 iPhone Duo cases
3:28 MagSafe on iPhone Duo
3:34 iPhone 18 Pro updates
4:07 Aperture on iPhone 18 Pro
4:42 Apple Watch changes
4:43 Apple Watch audio intelligence, recording, transcribing
5:20 New Apple Watch sensor
5:33 New Apple iPhone and Apple Watch accessories
5:47 One More Tip to help cover the cost of your new iPhone
5:56 Get the most money for your iPhone trade-in
6:18 Let us know in the comments what you want to see from One More Thing

Video Credits:
Host: Bridget Carey
Scripted by: Bridget Carey
Producer: Carly Marsh
Camera: Celso Bulgatti, Bridget Carey
Video Editor: Carly Marsh
Thumbnail Designer: Tharon Green

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#iphone #apple #foldableiphone #iphoneduo

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CNET

Unboxing the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case

Apple announced the new AirPods 5 base model will remain at $129, but the step-up $149 model with a wireless charging case and Find My speaker might be more your style. Both will have active noise cancellation (ANC), which is an upgrade from the AirPods 4. Let’s unbox them with CNET executive editor David Carnoy.…

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3 days ago

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September 10, 2026

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Apple announced the new AirPods 5 base model will remain at $129, but the step-up $149 model with a wireless charging case and Find My speaker might be more your style. Both will have active noise cancellation (ANC), which is an upgrade from the AirPods 4. Let’s unbox them with CNET executive editor David Carnoy. #apple #appleevent #airpods #unboxing #airpods5

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