Suggestions
Farza Majeed
Founder at buildspace.so (YC S20)
Farza Majeed is the founder of buildspace, a startup focused on helping people turn their ideas into reality. Here are some key details about Farza and buildspace:
Background and Career
Farza Majeed started his entrepreneurial journey at a young age. At 13, he began selling items on eBay, eventually growing it into a business selling blank DVDs and t-shirts that reached $100,000 in revenue by the time he was 15.3
Founding of buildspace
Farza founded buildspace in December 2019.1 The company was initially called ZipHomeschool and aimed to build software for homeschooling parents. It later pivoted to become a learning platform for exploring career options, particularly in web3 and AI.1
buildspace's Mission and Programs
buildspace describes itself as "the place where people build cool shit".4 Its flagship program is "Nights & Weekends," a free six-week online course where participants can work on any idea they have, from software projects to creative endeavors like music or films.1
Funding and Growth
- buildspace has raised $10 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Inc, and Y Combinator.1
- The company has had over 100,000 students globally.2
- As of 2023, buildspace had 5 employees and was based in San Francisco.4
Farza's Philosophy
Farza believes in creating spaces for people to pursue their ideas and passions. He started buildspace to create "the school that I wish I had".1 His advice to aspiring creators is to not overcomplicate things and to simply get started, even if the initial product is imperfect.1
Current Status
As of the most recent information available, Farza reported that buildspace has closed down.3 However, he continues to share his experiences and learnings from building products and companies.
Highlights
The Rabbit R1, the Humane, all these AI wearables seem like great products, for the wrong initial market.
Market is full of 28 year-old boomers too attached to their existing tech.
I truly believe when we look at the next generation of device we carry -- we shouldn't be appealing to techies and hackers.
We should be looking towards the generation that is growing up with these devices.
In reality, something like the R1 is literally perfect for a the curious 4-9 year olds of today who want to ask things like "what flower is this" or "how far is the sun".
No grown ass adult is gonna point a camera towards a Cybertruck and ask “Yo what car is this”.
One day that will be the case.
But today, these products will need to be 100X better to ever trump over a smartphone. This will take time a lot of money and iteration.
But, it will happen.
Though, these products coming out today that are being dumped on...they're literally already perfect right now -- for kids.
Children are naturally curious as hell.
Parents want to manage screen time.
A product that lets kids 24/7 ask the questions they're curious about seems... perfect.
I started an online elementary school that had over 100,000 kids aged 4-9.
Parents were always on the lookout for products that lets explore/learn without being attached to a screen.
Market is there.
Product is there.
And, I think building for the new-gen (kids) will lead to more innovative products that can appeal to the masses in the long-run vs trying to appeal in the short run to the guy too attached to his Apple iPhone.
I am hiring engineers.
If you are really really great at building with RAG/LLMs, have a US visa, and want to work with us in-person in SF on a breakthrough AI product…
1%-2% equity // $140K - $280K
We’re entering an intense period in the history of buildspace.
And, I want to gather the best.
If interested send me an email with things you've shipped.
farza [@] buildspace [.] so
