📣 AMA w/ Consumer AI Founder (Hero Stuff) — going 0-1, raising capital, and cracking distribution
Hey guys, I'm Joshua Voydik, CEO and co-founder of Hero Stuff — the fastest way to sell anything online.
We use AI to scan, price, and list stuff for sale in seconds.
This time last year we had no product, no money... just ideas and relentless determination to build something meaningful & beautiful.
We saw how AI was radically transforming everything, and we realized that we could use it to help us with our own problems: to sell stuff. At the core of what we're building is the everyday consumer like you.
Everyone said consumer was dead, but I knew in my heart that consumer was ripe. I believed back then and even more firmly now that the real value in AI is at the application layer.
Maybe, just maybe, we could build an AI-first, mobile-first application that people would use (...and they are).
Since then we ended up raising some capital from amazing investors like @andreasklinger @benln @esthercrawford @cyantist & many others. Built our core product, which is live in the market and we're iterating fast. We're running constant growth experiments.
This is my first consumer app, my first CEO role. I've learned a ton:
- Velocity > Perfection
- Ship fast, Learn faster
- Leadership is about ownership
Startups are a constant battle w/ self-worth. High highs, low lows. but worth it. Just make art, build cool stuff, get the word out, & keep trying until it works.
AMA!
Replies
What tools have been instrumental to you in building Hero Stuff? Whether development, marketing, creative, etc.
Product Hunt
@steveb Sorry for the late reply, on our daily team call. Tools in no particular order… @Figma for design, @Rive for micro animations, @Linear for weekly sprints, @Mercury for banking, @Slack for remote team collaboration. In addition to various Dev, AI tools and models. @joshuavoydik @jherrm you want to chime in with additional tools?
@kaigradert Thank you, I hadn't heard of Rive but it looks awesome, good intel
This sounds like a really cool app! Does it work by listing your items on various sites like ebay/facebook market place etc and how do you check the condition of things like clothes for example?
Are you planning on making it available in other regions soon?
@luke_arwayda I had the same question ("where does it sell my stuff") and found it hard to answer. The app store link mentions FB marketplace, eBay, Depop, and Mercari but it's not clear that it actually does list products on all of those platforms.
Product Hunt
@luke_arwayda Thanks for the question. Kai here — one of the makers. At this time, we are integrating with Facebook Marketplace. You can post directly from your phone or via magic link from your desktop.
Product Hunt
@luke_arwayda We are actively looking into other marketplace. eBay is very high on our list.
Product Hunt
@luke_arwayda As far as other regions, yes. We are planning to launch in other English speaking regions next. Then expand from there.
Product Hunt
@luke_arwayda @steveb We are starting with FB Marketplace for obvious reasons. And we are currently looking into eBay. Are there any particular marketplaces that you sell on?
Revealio: Discover & Connect
Quick question! How did you balance the pressure for perfection with the need for velocity when building in the AI consumer space?
Product Hunt
@andres_vlaeminck Nothing will ever be perfect 🤠It's more about the mobile consumer space that requires a certain level of design and user engagement. And, of course, you must ensure that your core flows are dialed in. And don't get emotionally attached to anything. If something is not working, iterate or nuke.
Hero Stuff
@andres_vlaeminck Echoing Kai here. We aren't looking for perfect but we do want the thing to look and feel beautiful. You just have to ship daily, weekly. And you can only hope to glimpse perfection in the neverending stream of shipping.
Product Hunt
@andres_vlaeminck I've built apps in the mobile social consumer space over the past decade, and it's a mix of art and science. I probably have PTS from it 😆 AI adds another layer on top of it—just a fast-moving tech in general. I don't think I have ever seen a sector move this fast.
Was pumped to try it out but I ran into an issue......You dont operate in AUS :(
Any plans to open up in Australia?
Love the concept
Hero Stuff
@techgiant yes, very soon!
@joshuavoydik oh heck yes.
You mention growth experiments. What's an example of a cool one you're running? What tools are you using and how are you defining if it's working or not?
Hero Stuff
@steveb for us the name of the game is organic social. Basically we're just trying to see what sticks on each platform: X, TikTok, IG, LinkedIn, etc. Each platform is totally different. Right now we're running an experiment with "text on face" content on TikTok with a demo of our product to see how that resonates. We then take learnings and then run videos on Instagram and eventually paid ads on some performing videos. Everything ads up but really it's about finding what content works for each platform.
Lifestack
When you raised capital, what do you think was the most compelling factor for investors?
Hero Stuff
@nao_yukawa how you are & who you are as a founder. Have you been through tough shit? Can you build? Can you sell? Are you compelling? Can you get past rejection? Are you passionate? Investors see this & the good ones will invest based on founder grit/passion/storytelling, etc.
A general one, Is it better to focus on paid acquisition or organic growth during launch?
Really cool stuff. We have some companies in Norway working in the same domain that I admire and have been following for a while: https://tings.com/ and https://getcircular.ai/ Looking forward to follow hero things going forward as well. 🥰 Any hint about the future roadmap of hero stuff? what are you working on next? 😸 If you can spill the beans 🫘