# 20 lessons from 20 different paths to PMF

## Articles

1. **[Firsthand: Seven Years Inside Applied Intuition, the Quietly Dominant Physical AI Company](https://review.firstround.com/firsthand-applied-intuition/)**  
   I joined Applied Intuition as a new-grad engineer back in early 2019, when it was just a handful of us working above a bar on Murphy Ave in Sunnyvale...
   
   June 03, 2026

2. **[“AI-Powered” Isn’t a Position](https://review.firstround.com/positioning-playbook-for-ai-products/)**  
   A playbook for building a distinctive brand when too many AI products sound the same, look the same and have the same positioning.
   
   May 14, 2026

3. **[Why founders should bet on first-time executives | Praveer Melwani (CFO, Figma)](https://review.firstround.com/why-founders-should-bet-on-first-time-executives-praveer-melwani-cfo-figma/)**  
   In this latest episode of Executive Function, Brett sits down with Praveer Melwani, CFO at Figma. Praveer joined Figma in 2017 as the company's first...
   
   May 14, 2026

4. **[Guideline's Path to Product-Market Fit — The Early Decisions That Powered Its Acquisition by Gusto](https://review.firstround.com/guidelines-path-to-product-market-fit/)**  
   Ten years after shaking up the retirement fund industry for SMBs, Guideline has been acquired by Gusto. Here, co-founder Kevin Busque shares the early...
   
   March 24, 2026

5. **[The 40 Best Questions to Ask in an Interview — How to Go Deeper Than “What’s the Culture Like?”](https://review.firstround.com/the-40-best-questions-to-ask-in-an-interview-how-to-go-deeper-than-whats-the-culture-like/)**  
   Top startup leaders shared their favorite thought-provoking questions for candidates to ask during an interview to stand out from the crowd and gain...
   
   October 26, 2020

6. **[23 Tactical Company Building Lessons, Learned From Scaling Stripe & Notion](https://review.firstround.com/23-tactical-company-building-lessons-learned-from-scaling-stripe-and-notion/)**  
   From Stripe to Notion, Cristina Cordova has worked on some of the biggest products in tech. She shares tactical tidbits on what she’s learned about...
   
   March 22, 2022

7. **[The Founder Dating Playbook – Here’s the Process I Used to Find My Co-Founder](https://review.firstround.com/the-founder-dating-playbook-heres-the-process-i-used-to-find-my-co-founder/)**  
   Gloria Lin opens up about her pre-founder journey, from how to find a co-founder and early conversations, to the set of 50 questions she prototyped to...
   
   September 30, 2019

8. **[This Founder Built Startups in 2008, 2016 and 2018. Here’s What He’s Learned About Resiliency](https://review.firstround.com/this-founder-built-startups-in-2008-2016-and-2018-heres-what-hes-learned-about-resiliency/)**  
   Bob Moore's first brush with life as a founder started in 2008—three days before Lehman Brothers collapsed. Since he cut his teeth as a first-time...
   
   March 17, 2020