That was the central question addressed in the recent webinar, "Building Startups in the AI Era," hosted by Nexford University CEO Fadl Al Tarzi and Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, founder of Andela, Flutterwave, and Future Africa .
The conversation delivered a clear message: the era of "easy mode" entrepreneurship is over. The new rules demand founders be more deliberate, outcome-focused, and radically ambitious.
The current economic period resembles the uncertainty of 2008–2012, marking a return to "true venture". As AI drastically lowers the cost of starting a company, the traditional milestones of Series A or B are becoming unnecessary.
Founders must now structure their business to become profitable on their initial seed round. Investors are no longer funding a pitch deck and a good pedigree; they demand real, functioning traction and unit economics that demonstrate a path to profitability . [Approx. timestamps: 7:30, 30:00]
In an age where most software tools can be cloned simply by prompting an AI , a founder’s deep customer insight is the ultimate differentiator.
Building today requires two non-negotiable skills:
Prompt Engineering: The ability to communicate effectively with machines.
Deep Customer Insight (Design Thinking): The ability to articulate customer preferences and design solutions with a view of the problem nobody else has.
You must understand the customer so well that you can predict their next move. Start small: know one customer extremely well rather than assuming you can serve a million. [Approx. timestamps: 9:00, 12:00, 28:00]
Startups at a crossroads must decide: will they continue to optimize existing funnels, or will they build "market-creating, time-expanding" businesses? The continent needs the latter, and investors are looking for founders with ambition for society.
This means focusing on foundation-level problems like connectivity, digital skills, energy, and digital health . When building a scaling business, focus on optimizing your unit economics as a way to prioritize growth. Don't be left out of this moment—the billionaires of the next 30 years are being minted now as economies are rebased. [Approx. timestamps: 6:20, 18:00, 37:00, 56:00]
"If they don't have a plan, if they cannot tell you what $10,000 will do for them... then they're not ready, they're just talking."
— Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Founder, Future Africa
The new era of entrepreneurship is defined by speed, efficiency, and a deep understanding of customer outcomes.
Building today is less about capital and more about skills, rigor, and clarity. The current environment favors those who stop merely talking about an idea and start proving its viability by doing the work.
Don’t look to Silicon Valley for the answer. Your deep customer insight is the only moat that AI can’t clone. Master the problem, then master the code.
You can watch the complete "Designing Growth in the Age of AI" webinar on-demand here.
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The world isn't waiting for your perfect pitch deck. The billionaires of the next 30 years are being minted now. Stop talking—and start building.