This week on Build Mode, we\u2019re joined by David Park, co-founder and CEO of Narada, an enterprise AI agent platform spun out of UC Berkeley AI Lab research. Narada uses large action models to automate complex, multi-step workflows across enterprise systems. After previously co-founding and exiting Coverity, Park is now building his second company with a different playbook: Stay lean, talk to customers, and don\u2019t raise before you\u2019re ready. <\/p>\n
In this episode, he shares why Narada spent a year making nearly 1,000 customer calls before raising institutional capital, how the company reached 99.99% reliability in production environments, and why he believes too much funding too early can derail even the strongest teams. Park also reflects on his experience as a Startup Battlefield Top 20 company and the lessons he\u2019s carried from his first exit into building Narada. <\/p>\n
He breaks down:
\n\ud83e\udde9 Why customers won\u2019t tell you your \u201cbaby is ugly\u201d \u2014 but their wallets will
\n\ud83e\udde9 How Narada achieves enterprise-grade AI reliability
\n\ud83e\udde9 Why raising money before product-market fit can be dangerous
\n\ud83e\udde9 The discipline of building a lean, \u201cmean building machine\u201d
\n\ud83e\udde9 When to scale your go-to-market team (and when not to)
\n\ud83e\udde9 Why founders must stick to their values, even under pressure
\n\ud83e\udde9 Lessons from Startup Battlefield and building in public <\/p>\n
Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com\/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast. <\/p>\n
Grab your tickets: If you want to take these conversations beyond the podcast, then come join us in person at a TechCrunch event on June 9 in Boston, we’re hosting our founders Summit, which is essentially build mode in real life. It’s a full day focused entirely on founders, builders and the conversations that actually move startups forward. It’s also a great way to sharpen your story.
\nIf you’re thinking about applying to Startup Battlefield, then October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, we’re back for TechCrunch Disrupt, where the Startup Battlefield 200 takes the stage. So if you want to cheer them on, or just network with 1000s of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, then grab your tickets at techcrunch.com\/events <\/p>\n
Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type, <\/p>\n
Chapters:
\n00:00 \u2013 Why customers won\u2019t tell you the truth (but their wallets will)
\n02:43 \u2013 What Narada does: enterprise AI agents powered by large action models
\n04:28 \u2013 Enterprise reliability: reaching 99.99% accuracy
\n07:32 \u2013 Trust, security, and on-prem deployment
\n12:26 \u2013 Bootstrapping, 1,000 customer calls & finding real pain
\n15:05 \u2013 Raising after traction & meeting their lead VC at Disrupt
\n18:47 \u2013 Scaling responsibly after product-market fit
\n22:46 \u2013 Go-to-market strategy & leveraging channels
\n23:48 \u2013 From Coverity exit to Narada: a founder\u2019s second act
\n27:05 \u2013 Founder advice: passion, grit & integrity
\n30:20 \u2013 Fake it till you make it? Not quite.
\n30:44 \u2013 Startup Battlefield experience
\n36:05 \u2013 Final reflections on disruption & building for impact <\/p>\n