# How this founder closed millions in ARR with no sales hires

## From weekend project to Fortune 10 adoption

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

## [“AI-Powered” Isn’t a Position](https://review.firstround.com/positioning-playbook-for-ai-products/ "“AI-Powered” Isn’t a Position")  
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

## [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/ "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

## [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/ "Guideline's Path to Product-Market Fit — The Early Decisions That Powered Its Acquisition by Gusto")  
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

## [The Minimum Viable Testing Process for Evaluating Startup Ideas](https://review.firstround.com/the-minimum-viable-testing-process-for-evaluating-startup-ideas/ "The Minimum Viable Testing Process for Evaluating Startup Ideas")  
The traditional approach is to do some customer research, throw an MVP out there as fast as possible, and hope it hits. After being early at three...

September 14, 2021

## [40 Favorite Interview Questions from Some of the Sharpest Folks We Know](https://review.firstround.com/40-favorite-interview-questions-from-some-of-the-sharpest-folks-we-know/ "40 Favorite Interview Questions from Some of the Sharpest Folks We Know")  
Given the high-stakes nature of every hire, interviewing chops are always in need of sharpening. We’ve spent the past few months reaching out to some...

September 05, 2019

## [Radical Candor — The Surprising Secret to Being a Good Boss](https://review.firstround.com/radical-candor-the-surprising-secret-to-being-a-good-boss/ "Radical Candor — The Surprising Secret to Being a Good Boss")  
Kim Scott cut her teeth as a manager at Apple and Google, and now helps create great leaders as an author and coach for companies like Twitter. Here's...

November 24, 2015

## [The product wisdom every CPO should ignore | Jeremy Epling (CPO, Vanta)](https://review.firstround.com/executive-function-jeremy-epling-cpo-vanta/ "The product wisdom every CPO should ignore | Jeremy Epling (CPO, Vanta)")  
In the latest episode of Executive Function, Brett is joined by Jeremy Epling, CPO of security and compliance platform Vanta. Jeremy details his...

March 19, 2026