In this episode of 'Never Too Early,' host Lauren Ipsen, Talent Partner at Decibel, welcomes Maria Zhang, former VP of Engineering at Google and other major tech companies, who recently launched her startup, Palona AI. Maria discusses her new venture, her transition from corporate roles to founding a startup, key insights from talking to over a hundred customers, and the importance of building for the buyer. Maria also shares practical advice on building products, recruiting early teams, and navigating the complexities of go-to-market strategies for first-time founders.00:00 Introduction to Never Too Early Series00:29 Meet Maria Zhang: A Journey of Excellence00:46 Launching Polona AI: The Stealth Journey01:45 Deep Seek and AI Advancements04:48 Building AI Agents with Personality12:21 The Founder Journey: Challenges and Learnings15:38 Forming the Dream Team18:13 Mentorship and Startup Beginnings18:48 Building a Founding Team21:04 Hiring for Go-to-Market Roles26:53 Balancing Recruitment and Sales30:42 Navigating Venture Capital35:44 Advice for First-Time Founders37:41 Recommended Resources for FoundersWant more of Never Too Early? Find us on Tiktok, @nevertooearly1 and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

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